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Tech Tips: The Trouble With Lisa...
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Tips and tricks from before the dawn of Mac
Why won't my Lisa power up with the case off - my Mac will?
My Lisa makes a big 'clunk' noise when I turn it on - is something about to die?
My Lisa takes an age to boot compared to my Mac - why?
How do I shut my Lisa down - there's no Shutdown command?
The screen in my Lisa needs adjusting - How do I do that?
Why can't I set the clock to anything beyond 1995 - is this a bug?
Which is better MacWorks XL or Lisa Office?
How do I create Lisa disks on my Mac?
[Q]: Why won't my Lisa power up with the case off - my Mac will?
[A]: The Lisa has two safety cut-out switches to stop you from doing precisely what you're doing. This is great to protect from electric shocks but a nightmare when you're repairing it. The first switch is to the bottom left of the display while the second is on the PSU at the back of the machine - unless both are pressed, the machine won't boot! Hint: A biro lid is ideal for tripping the switch on the front - you'll have to get be a little more inventive around the back.
[Q]: My Lisa makes a big 'clunk' noise when I turn it on - is something about to die?
[A]: Although the noise may sound bad, in reality this may just be the hard drive sorting itself out. Amazingly this 'clunk' is quite normal.
[Q]: My Lisa takes an age to boot compared to my Mac - why?
[A]: Unlike the Mac, the Lisa loads EVERYTHING from disk (the Mac already has some of its software held in ROM). This load process takes a lot longer firstly because ithas to load more data. Secondly it's a stone-age machine - what do you expect?
[Q]: How do I shut my Lisa down - there's no Shutdown command?
[A]: Unlike the Mac, the Lisa is shutdown by pressing the power button. The hardware spots this and shuts everything down properly (i.e. it DOESN'T just kill the power).
[Q]: The screen in my Lisa needs adjusting - How do I do that?
[A]: This is not an easy job but it can be done (it just means tearing the whole machine apart). You need to get into the CRT chamber where you'll find a set of dial controls - adjust these as needed. Note: For info on how to get into the CRT chamber see the service manuals available at www.whoopis.com/lisa/
[Q]: Why can't I set the clock to anything beyond 1995 - is this a bug?
[A]: Actually it's not! In their infinite wisdom Apple assumed that no one would still be using the machine in the far distant future that was 1995 - there's confidence for you. Sadly there's no fix for this.
[Q]: Which is better MacWorks XL or Lisa Office?
[A]: If you're a Mac fan and don't really care about Lisa OS then go with MacWorks. It'll allow you to run Mac apps etc. but won't do it very quickly (the Lisa only runs at 5MHz - even the Mac 128 runs at 8MHz). Lisa OS is fun to play with and, presumably, why you bought a Lisa in the first place.
[Q]: How do I create Lisa disks on my Mac?
[A]: If the original Lisa disks have gone walkabout (or have died) there's no alternative but to use a different machine. The Mac is really good for this as most Lisa disks available on the internet can be written to disk (400Kb 3.5" disks) using DiskCopy 4.2. It complains that they're not 'proper' Mac disks but writes them anyway!
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