From: CUTjeffrey_blakeney@yahoo.ca   
      
   On 2022-06-14 8:13 p.m., Mitchell Spector wrote:   
   >      I'm looking to use an Apple IIe with  'Total Replay' but my financial   
   > situation rules out a modern mass-storage solution (e.g. Floppy Emu,   
   > CFFA). So instead thinking about using vintage-era options I already   
   > have on the shelf: a SCSI controller and external 52x CD-ROM drive.   
   >   
   >      So, I have a pair of RamFAST Rev C SCSI boards, but the ROM   
   > firmware isn't the latest. One has version 2.01 (in both U15/U16)   
   > while the other has 3.01e *but* 2.01 in U16. Will this combination   
   > work, and support removable storage? (it's been so long I cannot   
   > remember the specific differences between ROM revisions).   
   >   
   >      I'm almost a bit hesitant to use a RamFAST in a IIe, but I'm   
   > guessing its fast ProDOS-8 performance should be comparable to   
   > what I've experienced with my IIGS's. If not, would I be better off   
   > using one of my Apple High-Speed SCSI controllers to operate a   
   > CD-ROM instead?   
   >   
   >      And on a side-note, what is the best way to create a bootable   
   > ProDOS CD for Total Replay? Anything on the Windows side,   
   > or will I have better luck using software on my beige G3 Mac?   
      
   It has been a long time since I played with my SCSI hardware.  I have a   
   couple CFFAs now.  What's worse is I hardly ever turn on the hardware   
   anymore.  Finding time to do all the things I want is always a problem.   
      
   I believe at one point I was using a RamFAST with v3.01ez firmware (I   
   think v3.01f was the latest) that I had connected to a 1.2 GB SCSI hard   
   drive.  I had an Apple High Speed SCSI card connected to a CD-ROM drive.   
     I'm pretty sure the RamFAST did work with the CD-ROM drive but because   
   I had such a large hard drive with 11 ProDOS and 1 HFS partitions, that   
   used up all 12 partitions the RamFAST firmware could handle so I put the   
   CD-ROM on a separate controller.  Also, if I recall correctly, the   
   RamFAST couldn't detect when you changed disks in the CD-ROM drive but   
   the AHS card could.   
      
   As you are planning on just hooking up the CD-ROM drive, I don't think   
   it really matters which card you use as you would be rebooting all the   
   time anyway so being able to detect a disc change isn't important.   
   However, with the RamFAST, I think you would have to access the firmware   
   (I believe it was hold down the zero key when booting) and map any   
   partitions on the CD to get them to show up properly.   
      
   I'm 99.9% sure that you can boot CD-ROMs on the Apple II but I couldn't   
   tell you how to set one up or even if both types of SCSI card support   
   it.  I think that some of the CD-ROMs that exist for the Apple II are   
   bootable.  I'd have to pull out my collection or do some online research   
   to find out and see if there are any details on how it was accomplished.   
      
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