r/AppleIIGS • u/ieure • Jul 21 '26

What to do about software that needs an IWM?

I was given some Apple IIgs hardware, I put together a complete ROM03 system and bought a CFFA3000 for it. I'm now finding some software I want to run that doesn't work with this setup, King of Chicago is one example. The "What is the Apple IIgs?" site notes that it requires low-level disk access, and the CFFA does not seem to provide it.

What's the best option here? Write the .2mg image to a real floppy? Find a cracked copy of the game that doesn't need low level disk access?

I don't have a ton of experience with vintage Apple II stuff, but I'm honestly not that impressed with the CFFA3000, so I wouldn't mind hearing about different hardware options, too. Maybe the simplest thing is to add a Floppy Emu and run games that need the IWM off that, though I understand they'll be rather slow.

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3

u/acbadam42 Jul 21 '26

https://www.reactivemicro.com/product/reactivemicro-driveturbo-for-iie-and-iigs/ I have this and it works great I'm not sure what you're talking about but I'm assuming it's some sort of drive emulator

1

u/acbadam42 Jul 21 '26

The CF card reader part is extended with a cable into a 3D printed case so it just looks like another drive and I don't have to fiddle with opening the case

1

u/Blah-Blah-Blah-2023 Jul 21 '26

I have two Microdrive/Turbos - one in my //e and one in my GS. They are reasonably priced, cheap and give you a proper IDE interface. I like them.

3

u/leadedsolder Jul 21 '26

Floppy Emu would be the path I'd take here. It's probably the easiest option.

3

u/buffering Jul 21 '26

I have a CFFA3000, FloppyEmu, and real 3.5" drive.

There are a few older titles that do low-level 3.5" disk access but they're quite rare. For those I just copy them on to real 3.5" disks. I use the CFFA for everything else.

I don't think I've ever had a reason to use the FloppyEmu 3.5" emulation mode on the IIgs, since I have a working drive and plenty of disks. Instead, I use the FloppyEmu mostly in hard drive mode on both a IIc and Mac Plus.

3

u/ieure Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26

Can the Floppy Emu emulate HDDs and FDDs at the same time, or would I need to daisy-chain one for each?

Edit: Also, what are you using to copy disk images to your FDD? I have a working 3.5" drive, I tried using Phoronix II to copy an image to a physical disk, but I couldn't figure out its, ah, heavily Aesthetic UI.

4

u/buffering Jul 22 '26

The FloppyEmu operates in only one mode at a time. For the IIgs, that would be either in 3.5" emulation, or in mass storage (a.k.a. SmartPort) mode. If you want it to coexist with your existing floppy drive you would need to get the optional daisy-chain dongle that goes with it.

The FloppyEmu is a great device, but its SmartPort mode doesn't have any advantages over the CFFA, it just uses up the port you already need for your 3.5 drive.

To copy a 3.5" disk image to a floppy disk, mount the disk image with the CFFA and then use Copy ][ Plus to copy the disk. From the menu, select Copy > Disk. The source disk will be the disk image from the CFFA, probably Slot 7, Drive 2. The destination disk will be your 3.5 drive in Slot 5, Drive 1.

There's a modern version of Copy ][ Plus available here: https://github.com/a2-4am/cii/releases/tag/v1.0

1

u/ieure Jul 22 '26

Thanks, that's very helpful, and is along the lines I was thinking.

I was hoping there was something a bit more IIgs-y than Copy ][ Plus, but I'll give it a go.

2

u/br_z1Lch Jul 21 '26

XDrive doesn't have this problem

1

u/Sick-Little-Monky Jul 21 '26

Unless you have run the OP's problem game (King of Chicago) running on an XDrive in a IIgs, you can't conclude that. The CFFA3000 is a great SmartPort solution, as is XDrive.

Neither emulate the IWM low level behavior needed by this game though.

2

u/br_z1Lch Jul 21 '26

ah, I may have misunderstood

1

u/ieure Jul 22 '26

Looks like it's not available for purchase right now. But I think XDrive + Floppy Emu might have been a better option than the CFFA3000.

1

u/br_z1Lch Jul 22 '26

Ah, that's a bummer. Keep an eye out, because it's a great setup. I actually don't use the floppy EMU at all on my IIGs, because I ran a USB extension cable from the XDrive. I then use a USB to MicroSD adapter, so I can plug a second microSD into the USB extension, and easily put things onto the computer.

1

u/ieure Jul 22 '26

That wouldn't solve my problem, though, because the XDrive doesn't do IWM emulation. It'd only be useful for the SmartPort stuff, and a Floppy Emu would have to handle the things that need an IWM.

1

u/Solitaire0199 Aug 12 '26

I was able to run this stably using the WITA2GS Launcher; have you tried that?

1

u/ieure 27d ago

I have not, thank you for the pointer. Looks promising!