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The Unofficial XGS FAQ
version 1.0 - April 2, 1997
written by matthew conte
<itsbroke@ix.netcom.com>
Introduction
============
Well, I guess it has been a long time coming, but here's what a lot of
new XGS users have been looking for, the XGS FAQ. I feel there is a
need for this FAQ due to the fact that XGS at this point leans more
towards the developer side rather than the user-friendly side. Below
is a series of questions that have been observed over the past months
in comp.emulators.apple2, the xgs-list, and in personal e-mails.
If you have any new information to contribute, do not hesitate to mail
me!
General
=======
Q: What the heck is XGS?
A: XGS is software written by Joshua M. Thompson <invid@optera.com>
that emulates an Apple IIGS on your PC. Chances are, if you're
reading this FAQ, you already knew that. =)
Q: What platforms does XGS run on?
A: Since XGS is written entirely in C for Unix systems, it is highly
portable, and should compile on most platforms with only a few
platform-specific modifications. There are public ports for Unix,
Windows 95 & NT, MacOS, and MS-DOS. Joshua maintains the Unix and
Win32 versions, the MacOS version is maintained by Michael Bytnar
<m-bytnar@uiuc.edu>, and the MS-DOS version by Gilles Tschopp
<tschopp@icare.ch>.
Q: So like, where do I get it?
A: From the Official XGS Home Page:
http://www.optera.com/~invid/emulators/XGS/
All current ports are linked from that page.
Q: How well does this thing run?
A: First of all, in Joshua's words, XGS is "very beta" software. The
current version is 0.48, and though most functions of the IIGS are
implemented, there are still some omissions that preclude XGS from
running some software. There is a compatibility list included in the
XGS archive, and you can find out specific software titles that
are/aren't currently working. With a version number under 1/2, you'd
think XGS would be pretty sketchy at best, but the amount of software
it does run is quite staggering. In a nutshell most 8-bit software
works, almost all 16-bit HD bootable games and applications run, and
some demos will work.
Q: How do I get my IIGS software to my PC?
A: Ahh, the biggie... =) The fact that Apple devised a way to fit
800k on double density disks while most companies only got 720k
(angular vs. linear drive speed) precludes you from just jamming your
GS disks into your PC. There are several ways you can get your GS
software to your computer, based on your hardware and what you have
available.
MacOS - System 7.x handles Prodos disks, so just stick your GS disk
into your Mac, use DiskCopy to make an image of it. XGS can read from
DiskCopy images, or you can use the Image Utility (supplied with XGS)
to transfer the DiskCopy image to its native 2IMG format.
MS-DOS/Win32 - You have two options. First, if you have a Mac, follow
the above directions to get DiskCopy images, then copy them to MS-DOS
disks on the Mac, bring them over to your PC and use the Image Utility
(available from the XGS-DOS page) or Thomas Fok's Revival (link on the
XGS Home Page) if you want to convert them from DiskCopy format (*.DC)
to 2IMG format (*.2MG). Second, you can use a null modem cable to
transfer Shrinkit .SHK files from your IIGS to your PC, then use a
program called NULIB (available from XGS Home Page) to extract the
files into raw prodos dumps, and finally use the Image Utility or
Revival to convert the raw file into a 2IMG file. *whew!*
Bugs (as of 0.48)
=================
[all platforms]
Q: Why didn't XGS recognize any disks the first time I booted up?
A: The first time you start XGS, if you don't have an XGS.RAM (battery
ram) file, XGS will not be able to boot disks in any slot. Once you
exit, the file will be created and you can start again with no
problems.
Q: Why won't my 3.5" images boot in slot 5?
A: Unfortunately, 3.5" drive emulation is one of the last big things
that is not implemented yet. =( Extra-unfortunately, some games and
especially demos that require boot-up from slot 5 don't work under XGS
yet. For now, try to boot your software from the smartport slot (7).
Q: How do I switch disks while the emulator is running?
A: You don't, yet. Another thing that needs to be implemented.
Q: Help! My 8-bit software runs _way_ too fast!
A: Normally, you'd go to the Control Panel CDA (control-command-esc,
whatever that's mapped to in your port) and change system speed to
Normal, and reboot. However, this speed throttling doesn't work yet.
Downgrade to a 486!
Q: Some of my GS/OS games don't work well with the joystick.
A: Play 8-bit games. =) For some reason, joystick emulation under
GS/OS is rather shaky.
[unix]
Q: Why won't the SVGAlib version build?
A: The SVGAlib version isn't complete yet. Issue a "make distclean"
and compile the X version.
[win32]
Q: I thought XGS 0.48+ recognized .DC, .PO, .DC, and .2MG files?
A: It does, but the Win32 version only displays .2MG files. Either
wait for a new version, or get the Image Utility or Revival and
convert your disks.
Q: - My whole display is blank
- The palette is wacky
- GS/OS titlebar is corrupt
- GS/OS desktop corrupts when Control Panel NDA is open
A: Congratulations, you've witnessed the infamous DirectX palette
problem! This is one of the more quirky issues with XGS, as it only
happens to some people, but not to others, regardless of hardware.
It's pretty much been narrowed down to a software problem with the
DirectX drivers itself, as all documentation states that the libraries
are being used correctly. I had the problem, then I reinstalled
windows and DirectX and it disappeared. Jason Millard
<jsm174@psu.edu> has this to say: "I just suffered a HD crash, and I
reinstalled pretty much everything. For the heck of it, after I
installed DirectX, I uninstalled DirectX's certified video drivers.
(the ones it overwrote) Blamo! The colors were perfect. I have a
Number Nine 771 and it uses S3 drivers. Using the old factory drivers
does the trick... "
Q: When I Alt-Tab out of XGS, Alt-Tab doesn't get me back in!
A: Dvir Cafri <cafri@netvision.net.il> says: "When you switch to
another application in WIN95, it seems like a double ALT-TAB is
pressed, the active task is the one after the next. Kinda annoying
when you want switch to another application and return back to XGS.
You have to manually select XGS."
[dos]
Q: How come after using XGS-DOS, my XGS/Win32 doesn't work anymore?
A: XGS-DOS uses separate BRAM files, xgs01.ram and xgs03.ram. It loads
from these, so if they're not in your directory, you'll have the
platform independent BRAM problem. Problem is, it saves to XGS.RAM
instead of back to xgs01.ram and xgs03.ram. This can cause problems
if XGS/Win32 and XGS-DOS are in the same directory, because XGS-DOS
will overwrite your Win32 BRAM!
Q: I've taken some screen shots with F11, now XGS-DOS crashed!
A: This is possibly a bug in the Allegro engine. As Gilles put it,
it's a "thick mystery" which will hopefully be corrected in the next
revision of XGS-DOS.
Conclusion
==========
Well, that's about it for now. If you note any omissions or
inconsistencies, do not hesitate to drop me a line.
late,
matt conte
----------
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