This Technical Note describes the contents of the disks System.Disk and System.Tools and the minimum files necessary to boot GS/OS starting with System Software 5.0.
Changes since January 1991: Now describes System Software 6.0. Changed the title to not reflect disk names.
This Note gives a description of each of the files in the Apple IIgs System Software 6.0 package. This package includes six disks: Install, SystemTools1, SystemTools2, Fonts, synthLAB and System.Disk. System Software 6.0 requires at least 1 MB of memory, one 3.5" drive and another storage device (either a second 3.5" drive or a larger capacity device). 2 MB of memory and a hard disk are highly recommended.
System.Disk is a pre-configured boot disk for floppy-based users. Because all the files on System.Disk appear on other disks in the 6.0 set, they are only listed and not described a second time.
ProDOS Every file system boots differently; the boot
blocks for ProDOS disks look for a file name
ProDOS. This is that file. It is the GS/OS
file system stub necessary to start the boot
process.
System The directory containing most of the GS/OS
files.
CDevs The directory containing all Apple IIgs Control
Panel Devices (CDevs) required for installing
6.0.
General Allows setting of general system parameters.
RAM Controls the size of the RAM disk and the GS/OS
Disk Cache.
SetStart Lets you choose which application to boot into.
Desk.Accs The directory containing all the classic and
new desk accessory files to be loaded at boot
time.
ControlPanel The New Desk Accessory which allows users to
control almost all system parameters and choose
printers and file servers.
Drivers The directory containing all device drivers
needed by GS/OS and the Toolbox (including the
Print Manager and MIDI Tools).
AppleDisk3.5 The Apple 3.5 Drive device driver for GS/OS.
Also drives SuperDrives connected to the Apple
II SuperDrive interface card.
AppleDisk5.25 The driver for Apple 5.25" disk drives,
including Disk II drives and Apple UniDisk 5.25
drives. This driver is required for GS/OS to
recognize 5.25" disk drives. In 6.0, it is up
to 300% faster than in earlier versions of
system software.
Console.Driver The text screen and keyboard device driver for
GS/OS.
SCSI.Manager The GS/OS SCSI Manager, the supervisory driver
that arbitrates hardware-level usage of Apple's
Apple II SCSI cards.
SCSIHD.Driver The GS/OS driver for SCSI hard disks. This
driver is required for GS/OS to recognize SCSI
hard disks.
UniDisk3.5 The GS/OS driver for UniDisk 3.5 drives. This
driver is required for proper operation of
UniDisk 3.5 drives. Using the UniDisk with
GS/OS without this driver eventually corrupts
media.
Error.Msg A compiled file containing all error messages
required by GS/OS. This file is separate from
the GS.OS file to provide easier support for
localization.
Fonts The directory containing all system fonts to be
used.
FastFont This makes Shaston 8 text drawing much faster.
FSTs The directory containing the file system
translators to be loaded at boot time.
Char.FST The character device FST.
Pro.FST The ProDOS FST.
GS.OS The remainder of GS/OS.
GS.OS.Dev The GS/OS Device Manager and associated core
routines. Separate from GS.OS for speed
reasons.
P8 The ProDOS 8 operating system.
SetStart.data An invisible file created by the SetStart
Control Panel, indicating which application the
system should boot into. On this disk, this
points to the Installer.
Start The boot program. If this file exists, GS/OS
always launches it upon booting. Under 6.0,
this program usually reads the SetStart.data
file and launches the indicated application.
Start.GS.OS The file containing the GLoader and GQuit
routines. It loads the files GS.OS and
GS.OS.Dev, which contain the rest of the
operating system.
System.Setup The directory containing all the
initialization files to be executed at boot
time.
Resource.Mgr The Resource Manager. This is an
initialization file; the design of the Resource
Manager requires it to be present even when an
application has not specifically loaded it.
The system does not boot if this file is not
present.
Sys.Resources A file containing system resources, available
to the system software and to applications.
Tool.Setup A required file that loads files which contain
all the patches to tools in ROM for ROM levels
01 (TS2) and 03 (TS3). Tool.Setup would attempt
to load TS1 if executed on a machine with ROM
level 00, but GS/OS does not boot on such a
machine, therefore, TS1 is not included.
Tool.Setup also contains patches common to both
ROM 1 and ROM 3.
TS2 Patches to ROM tools for ROM 1.
TS3 Patches to ROM tools for ROM 3.
Tools The directory containing tool files for all
tools not in ROM.
Tool014 Window Manager.
Tool015 Menu Manager.
Tool016 Control Manager.
Tool018 QuickDraw Auxiliary.
Tool019 Print Manager.
Tool020 LineEdit.
Tool021 Dialog Manager.
Tool022 Scrap Manager.
Tool023 Standard File.
Tool027 Font Manager.
Tool028 List Manager.
Tool034 TextEdit.
Icons The directory containing all the Finder's
old-style icon files as well as new Desktop
database files and file type descriptors.
FType.Apple The file type names used by the Finder (on all
systems).
Installer The Apple IIgs Installer program. This program
makes use of scripts found in the Scripts
directory on this disk to install parts of the
system, as well as third-party applications,
without the user needing to copy individual
files.
Scripts This directory contains all the scripts for the
Installer. On launch, the Installer looks in
its parent directory for the Scripts directory
and the scripts it contains. It also reads
MessageCenter message #1.
A2.RAMCard Script to install the driver for the Apple II
Memory Expansion Card (the slot-based, or
"slinky" card).
Adv.Disk.Util Script to install the Advanced Disk Utility
program.
Apple.Bowl Script to install the Apple Bowl game.
Apple.MIDI Script to install the Apple MIDI Interface
driver and tool set.
AppleDisk5.25 Script to install the 5.25" disk driver for
GS/OS.
AppleShare Script to install AppleShare.
AppleShare3.5 Script that creates an 800K or 1440K GS/OS
startup disk which contains AppleShare.
Archiver Script to install Archiver, the new GS/OS-based
backup program.
Aristotle.Patch Script to install a change to Aristotle for
easier class transition.
ATImageWriter Script to install the ImageWriter printer
driver for the Print Manager, as well as the
files necessary to work with AppleTalk.
ATImageWriterLQ Script to install the ImageWriter LQ printer
driver for the Print Manager, as well as the
files necessary to work with AppleTalk.
Calculator Script to install the Calculator new desk
accessory.
Card6850.MIDI Script to install the 6850-based MIDI Interface
card driver.
CDROM Script to install the High Sierra FST as well
as the SCSI Manager and SCSI CD-ROM driver for
GS/OS.
CloseView Script to install the CloseView NDA, which
makes the screen more legible to some
visually-impaired users.
DCImageWriter Script to install the ImageWriter printer
driver for the Print Manager, as well as the
files necessary to connect it to a serial port.
DCImageWriterLQ Script to install the ImageWriter LQ printer
driver for the Print Manager, as well as the
files necessary to connect it to a serial port.
DOS3.3.FST Script to install the read-only DOS 3.3 file
system translator.
Easy.Access Script to install the EasyAccess init, which
provides sticky keys and keyboard mouse to ROM
1 users.
Epson Script to install the Epson printer driver for
the Print Manager, as well as the parallel card
driver.
Fonts Script to install the minimum suggested font
set.
Fonts.Max Script to install all fonts provided with
System 6.0.
Fonts.Std Script to install the standard font set.
HFS.FST Script to install the Hierarchical File System
(HFS, used on the Macintosh) file system
translator.
Inst.Sys.Min Script to install a minimal GS/OS system on an
800K volume. Note that this is different than
5.0.x's "Inst.Sys.Min" script, the 6.0 version
of which is in the file named "AppleShare3.5".
Inst.SysF.NoFin Script to install a minimal GS/OS
system,without the Finder, on a given
destination volume.
Instal.Sys.File Script to install a complete System Software
6.0 configuration, including new features, on a
given destination volume.
LaserWriter Script to install the LaserWriter printer
driver for the Print Manager, as well as the
files necessary to work with AppleTalk.
Local.Net.Boot Script to create a 3.5" floppy disk with
minimal system software that boots into a
server selection program (the network "Start"
program from SystemTools2).
MediaControl Script to install the Media Control toolset and
all Media Control drivers supplied with System
6.0.
MediaCtrl.CDSC Script to install the Media Control toolset and
the drivers to work with the Apple CD SC drive.
MediaCtrl.P2000 Script to install the Media Control toolset and
the drivers to work with the Pioneer 2000
series laserdisc players.
MediaCtrl.P4000 Script to install the Media Control toolset and
the drivers to work with the Pioneer 4000
series laserdisc players.
Namer Script to install the printer Namer Control
Panel. Namer II (a ProDOS 8 application) is
not included with System 6.0.
Pascal.FST Script to install the read-only Apple II Pascal
file system translator.
Quick.Logoff Script to add a quick logoff feature to
AppleShare.
SCSI.Hard.Disk Script to install the SCSI Manager and SCSI
hard disk driver for GS/OS.
SCSI.Scanner Script to install the SCSI Manager and SCSI
scanner driver for GS/OS.
SCSI.Tape Script to install the SCSI Manager and SCSI
tape driver for GS/OS.
Server.Sys.File Script to install System Software 6.0 on an
AppleShare File Server.
Sounds.All Script to install all sounds provided with
System Software 6.0 into the "System:Sounds"
folder of the designated volume.
StyleWriter Script to install the StyleWriter printer
driver for the Print Manager, as well as the
files necessary to connect it to a serial port.
Teach Script to install the application Teach, which
displays and edits Teach files, text files,
AppleWorks files, MacWrite files and Installer
scripts.
UniDisk3.5 cript to install the UniDisk 3.5 driver for
GS/OS.
VideoKeyboard Script to install the Video Keyboard new desk
accessory, which allows users to type by using
the pointing device instead of the keyboard.
VideoMix Script to install the latest versions of the
Apple II VideoMix software and tools.
Icons Additional icons for the Finder. This
folder is currently empty.
System A directory containing additional parts of the
system software.
Finder The Apple IIgs Finder, version 6.0.
CDevs Directory with additional Control Panel
Devices.
DirectConnect Allows selection of direct-connected printers.
Keyboard Sets keyboard parameters.
Modem Controls modem port settings.
Monitor Sets 40-column or 80-column mode, monochrome or
color mode, and the color of text, text
background, and borders.
Printer Controls printer port settings.
Slots Allows selection of slot settings and startup
slot.
Sound Sets user preference for sound pitch and
volume. Also allows the user to assign
digitized sounds to events that happen while
using the computer.
Time Sets the internal clock's time and display
format and optionally tracks Daylight Savings
Time.
Desk.Accs Directory with additional desk accessories.
CDRemote An updated version of the CD Remote new desk
accessory which ships with the AppleCD SC.
FindFile A new desk accessory that finds files on
volumes GS/OS can read.
Calculator A calculator new desk accessory.
Drivers Directory with additional device drivers for
GS/OS and the Toolbox.
A2.RAMCard The GS/OS driver for slot-based memory
expansion cards. This driver is not required
to use these cards with GS/OS, but it does
provide a substantial speed improvement.
Apple.MIDI The Apple MIDI Interface driver for the MIDI
Tools.
Card6850.MIDI The driver for 6850-based MIDI interface cards
for the MIDI Tools.
Epson The Epson(R) printer driver for the Print
Manager.
ImageWriter The ImageWriter driver for the Print Manager.
ImageWriter.LQ The ImageWriter LQ driver for the Print
Manager. Starting with System Software 5.0.3,
this driver uses all the capabilities of the
ImageWriter LQ.
Modem The modem port driver for the Print Manager.
Parallel.Card A driver for some parallel printer interface
cards for the Print Manager. This driver works
with the Apple Parallel Interface Card, as well
as several other parallel interface cards.
Printer The printer port driver for the Print Manager.
SCSI.Manager The GS/OS SCSI Manager, the supervisory driver
that arbitrates hardware-level usage of Apple's
Apple II SCSI cards.
SCSICD.Driver The GS/OS driver for the AppleCD SC drive.
This driver is required for GS/OS to recognize
CD-ROM drives.
SCSIScan.Driver The GS/OS driver for the Apple Scanner or
OneScanner. This driver is required for GS/OS
to recognize Apple's scanners.
SCSITape.Driver The GS/OS driver for the Apple Tape Backup
40SC. This driver is required for GS/OS to
recognize Apple's now-discontinued Tape Backup
40 SC.
StyleWriter The StyleWriter driver for the Print Manager.
Fonts Directory with additional fonts
Courier.09 9-point Courier font.
Courier.10 10-point Courier font.
Courier.12 12-point Courier font.
Courier.14 14-point Courier font.
Courier.18 18-point Courier font.
Courier.20 20-point Courier font.
Courier.24 24-point Courier font.
Geneva.10 10-point Geneva font.
Geneva.12 12-point Geneva font.
Geneva.14 14-point Geneva font.
Geneva.16 16-point Geneva font.
Geneva.18 18-point Geneva font.
Geneva.20 20-point Geneva font.
Geneva.24 24-point Geneva font.
Helvetica.9 9-point Helvetica font.
Helvetica.10 10-point Helvetica font.
Helvetica.12 12-point Helvetica font.
Helvetica.14 14-point Helvetica font.
Helvetica.18 18-point Helvetica font.
Helvetica.20 20-point Helvetica font.
Helvetica.24 24-point Helvetica font.
Shaston.16 16-point Shaston font.
Times.09 9-point Times font.
Times.10 10-point Times font.
Times.12 12-point Times font.
Times.14 14-point Times font.
Times.18 18-point Times font.
Times.20 20-point Times font.
Times.24 24-point Times font.
Venice.12 12-point Venice font.
Venice.14 14-point Venice font.
Venice.24 24-point Venice font.
FSTs Directory with additional File System
Translators.
DOS.3.3.FST The DOS 3.3 FST, which allows GS/OS to access
5.25" disks formatted in DOS 3.3 format. This
FST is read-only; it only performs read
operations.
HS.FST The High Sierra FST, which allows GS/OS to
access CD-ROM discs formatted in the
international standard High Sierra or ISO 9660
formats. This FST is read-only; it only
performs read operations.
HFS.FST The HFS FST, which allows GS/OS to read and
write any disk in the Macintosh's HFS format.
Pascal.FST The Apple II Pascal FST, which allows GS/OS to
access any disk formatted in Apple II Pascal
format. This FST is read-only; it only
performs read operations.
Tools Directory with additional tools.
Tool025 Note Synthesizer.
Tool026 Note Sequencer.
Tool029 ACE Tools.
Tool032 MIDI Tools.
Adv.Disk.Util The Advanced Disk Utility program which allows
for partitioning of SCSI hard disks, as well as
erasing, initializing, and zeroing volumes or
partitions.
BASIC.System The ProDOS 8 BASIC command interpreter.
Icons Additional icons for the Finder. This
folder is currently empty.
AppleTalk This directory contains additional AppleTalk
files and utilities for AppleShare and
AppleTalk.
Boot.Driver A driver for AppleShare that GS/OS loads before
the other drivers are loaded and which remains
resident in memory after the boot process is
finished. Installed on servers by the
Installer script Server.Sys.File.
Display.0 An update to the Aristotle program installed by
the "Aristotle.Patch" script.
QuickLogoff An initialization file used to add a quick
logoff feature to AppleShare.
Start The AppleShare startup program which is
installed instead of the standard Start program
on AppleShare volumes. It allows the user to
log on and then launches the server startup
program for the user's machine.
System A directory containing additional parts of the
system software.
CDevs Directory with additional Control Panel
Devices.
AppleShare Allows users to choose and log onto AppleShare
file servers.
FolderPriv Allows users to set default folder privileges
on AppleShare file server volumes.
MediaControl Allows users to set up the Media Control tool
set and the drivers they wish to use.
Namer Allows users to rename AppleTalk-based
ImageWriter, ImageWriter LQ and LaserWriter
printers.
NetPrinter Allows users to choose AppleTalk-based
ImageWriter, ImageWriter LQ and LaserWriter
printers.
Desk.Accs Directory with additional desk accessories.
MediaControl A new desk accessory that's like a "super"
remote control for all devices the Media
Control toolset can control.
VideoKeyboard A new desk accessory that allows users to type
with the pointing device instead of with the
keyboard.
VideoMix An updated version of the VideoMix new desk
accessory which ships with the Apple II Video
Overlay Card.
Drivers Directory with additional device drivers for
GS/OS and the Toolbox.
AppleTalk The AppleTalk port driver for the Print
Manager. It works with either serial port when
configured for AppleTalk.
ATalk The main AppleTalk GS/OS driver.
ATP1.ATROM AppleTalk protocols to patch the IIgs ROM.
ATP2.ATRAM AppleTalk protocols not in ROM.
IWEM PostScript(R) program which allows a
LaserWriter emulate an ImageWriter. A user can
load it into the LaserWriter with the
LaserWriter Control Panel, and it is
automatically invoked when printing through the
slot associated with AppleTalk.
LaserWriter The LaserWriter driver for the Print Manager.
This driver works with any LaserWriter with
PostScript. It does not work with the
LaserWriter IIsc or Personal LaserWriter LS.
This driver doesn't always print color patterns
correctly to PostScript Level 2 printers, such
as the LaserWriter IIf, LaserWriter IIg or
Personal LaserWriter NTR.
Media.Control Drivers for the Media Control toolset
AppleCDSC Media Control driver for the Apple CD SC drive.
Pioneer2000 Media Control driver for the Pioneer 2000
series of laserdisc players.
Pioneer4000 Media Control driver for the Pioneer 4000
series of laserdisc players.
SCC.Manager The GS/OS supervisory driver that arbitrates
hardware-level usage of the serial
communications controller in the Apple IIgs.
Fonts Directory with additional fonts.
Currently, this directory on this disk is
empty.
FSTs Directory with additional file system
translators.
AppleShare.FST The AppleShare FST which allows GS/OS to access
AppleShare file servers.
Sounds A folder with sounds provided for the new Sound
Control Panel. The file names are fairly
self-explanatory; the sounds are not described
here.
Ahh
Doorbell
Droplet
Eastern
Frog
PipeOrgan
Quack
SimpleBeep
Sosumi
Swish
Trumpets
Whoosh
System.Setup Directory with additional initialization
files.
AppleIIVOC.INIT An initialization file used by the Apple IIgs
Video Overlay Card tool set.
ATInit The AppleTalk initialization file.
ATResponder The AppleTalk Responder, used for AppleTalk
network management.
CloseView A new desk accessory (installed by an init)
that magnifies the screen to make it more
visible to some users with visual impairments.
EasyAccess An initialization file that brings Sticky Keys
and Keyboard Mouse to ROM 1 users.
EasyMount An initialization file that creates file server
aliases in the Finder.
Tools Directory with additional tools.
Tool033 VideoMix toolset (for the Video Overlay Card).
Tool038 Media Control toolset.
Archiver A GS/OS based backup and restore program.
Teach A simple editor that uses TextEdit to display
and edit text files, Teach files, Installer
scripts and AppleWorks and MacWrite documents.
Read.Me Last-minute news and information about the
System Software. Read with Teach.
Shortcuts A Teach file with time-saving system tips and
information.
Goodies A directory with files that are only related to
system software in the vaguest sense.
Apple.Bowl A GS/OS conversion of an old Apple II bowling
game.
Read.Me Documentation on Apple Bowl.
Icons Additional icons for the Finder.
AppleBowl.Icon The icon for the Apple Bowl game.
System A directory containing additional parts of the
system software.
Fonts Additional fonts.
Courier.27 27-point Courier font.
Courier.28 28-point Courier font.
Courier.30 30-point Courier font.
Courier.36 36-point Courier font.
Courier.42 42-point Courier font.
Helvetica.27 27-point Helvetica font.
Helvetica.28 28-point Helvetica font.
Helvetica.30 30-point Helvetica font.
Helvetica.36 36-point Helvetica font.
Helvetica.42 42-point Helvetica font.
Helvetica.48 48-point Helvetica font.
Helvetica.60 60-point Helvetica font.
Helvetica.72 72-point Helvetica font.
Helvetica.96 96-point Helvetica font.
Times.27 27-point Times font.
Times.28 28-point Times font.
Times.30 30-point Times font.
Times.36 36-point Times font.
Times.42 42-point Times font.
Times.48 48-point Times font.
Times.60 60-point Times font.
Times.72 72-point Times font.
Times.96 96-point Times font.
synthLAB The synthLAB application, a demonstration
sequencer for the MIDI Synth toolset.
Tool035 MIDI Synth toolset.
MIDI The MIDI Control Panel. Lets you choose a MIDI
driver.
Seq.and.Instr A directory containing demonstration sequences
(files that end in ".seq"), wave forms (files
that end in ".wav") and sound banks (files that
end in ".bnk") for use with synthLAB and MIDI
Synth. The files are only listed; their sound
is not described here.
Synth.bnk
Synth.seq
Synth.wav
Bee.seq
Capri.seq
Combo.bnk
Combo.wav
Demo.bnk
Demo.wav
Fugue.seq
Midsummer.seq
Orch.bnk
Orch.wav
Piano.bnk
Piano.wav
Rhythm.seq
Sonata.seq
Reference A Teach document with the electronic manual for
synthLAB.
Files are only listed here; they are described earlier in this Note where they first appeared.
ProDOS
System
Start.GS.OS
GS.OS
Error.Msg
GS.OS.Dev
FSTs
Pro.FST
Char.FST
Drivers
AppleDisk3.5
AppleDisk5.25
Console.Driver
System.Setup
Tool.Setup
TS2
TS3
Resource.Mgr
Sys.Resources
Desk.Accs
ControlPanel
CDevs
Printer
Time
Start This is the Finder, not the SetStart program
or the AppleShare program.
Tools
Tool014
Tool015
Tool016
Tool018
Tool019
Tool020
Tool021
Tool022
Tool023
Tool025
Tool027
Tool028
Tool034
Fonts
P8
Icons
Ftype.Apple
BASIC.System
The following files are required for GS/OS to boot from a local disk. This list does not address files needed by the Finder or the IIgs Toolbox. Those files only required in certain circumstances are noted as such. Those files that may be excluded only when disk space or memory limitations make it absolutely necessary are marked with asterisks (*).
ProDOS
System
Start.GS.OS
GS.OS
GS.OS.Dev
Error.Msg
FSTs
Pro.FST
*HS.FST Required for High Sierra or ISO 9660 discs.
Char.FST
*AppleShare.FST Required to use AppleShare file servers
*DOS3.3.FST Required to use DOS 3.3 disks
*Pascal.FST Required to use Apple II Pascal disks
*HFS.FST Required to use HFS disks
Drivers
*AppleDisk3.5 Required for Apple 3.5 Drives or SuperDrives.
*AppleDisk5.25 Required for 5.25" drives.
*UniDisk3.5 Required for UniDisk 3.5 drives.
*SCSI.Manager Required for SCSI devices.
*SCSIHD.Driver Required for SCSI hard disks.
*SCSICD.Driver Required for AppleCD SC drives.
*SCSIScan.Driver Required for Apple scanners.
*SCSITape.Driver Required for Apple Tape backup.
Console.Driver
*ATalk Required for AppleTalk (including AppleShare).
*ATP1.ATROM Required for AppleTalk (including AppleShare).
*ATP2.ATRAM Required for AppleTalk (including AppleShare).
*SCC.Manager Required for AppleTalk (including AppleShare).
System.Setup
Tool.Setup
TS2
TS3
Resource.Mgr
Sys.Resources
CDevs
*AppleShare Required for selecting AppleShare file servers.
*NetPrinter Required for choosing printers.
*DirectConnect Required for choosing printers.
*General
*RAM Should always be included if space allows.
Provides the only way to set the size of the
GS/OS Disk Cache.
Desk.Accs Required for desk accessories; any desk
accessories should be installed in this
directory.
*ControlPanel Required if you ship any Control Panels (CDevs).
*Start Must be present for GS/OS to boot or some
other file that GS/OS can boot into must be
present in its place.
Tools Required for any of the RAM-based tools; any
RAM-based tools should be installed in this
directory.
Fonts Required for the Font Manager.
*FastFont This makes Shaston 8 text drawing much faster
and should be included unless absolutely
impossible.
*P8 Required for ProDOS 8.
*BASIC.System Required for AppleSoft BASIC.
This and all of the other Apple II Technical Notes have been converted to HTML by Aaron Heiss as a public service to the Apple II community, with permission by Apple Computer, Inc. Any and all trademarks, registered and otherwise, are properties of their owners.
Epson is a registered trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation.
PostScript is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Incorporated.