Getting a CD to work on an A500 via IDE

[curtis]

Okay, I'm pretty sure this has been talked about before, but couldn't find anything with a search here so...

Got my A500 with the Mega Midget Racer, kipper2 8MB RAM, and generic IDE interface all working real nice with OS 3.1.

Would like to upgrade the OS to 3.9 which comes on CD.

I've attached a CD-ROM to the secondary IDE connector and made sure it's set as a slave drive with my CF drive set as master.

Boot up, open System and DOSDRIVERS, double click on CDROM.  Wait a couple of seconds and nothing appears to happen.  Re-click on the CDROM and it tells me it's already mounted.

Go to shell and cd CDo:.  Nada.

What have I forgotten?  I"m pretty sure it's something silly, but can't figure out what!

I've tried editing and changing the drive number but that didn't do any good either.

[Thomas]

The built-in IDE drivier (called scsi.device) does not recognise CD drives. You need a patch for it or a seperate ATAPI driver.

And you surely don't want to use the CD0 which comes with WB 3.1. Any other CD file system you can find out there is better than that.

You might want to try IDEfix97, it comes with both, an atapi.device driver and one of the best CD file systems (CacheCDFS).
http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/IDEfix97

Another option is to use the scsi.device from http://os.amigaworld.de/index.php?lang=en&page=37 and http://aminet.net/package/disk/cdrom/amicdfs240

[utri007]

No, he woun't want to do that. Sorry, he wants to use CacheCDFS and scsi.device wich comes with OS3.9.

IdeFix has very annoying reminders with unregisted version and he had no use with actual idefix software.

It is separate folder on CD and patched scsi.device comes with rom update.

Install CD filesystem from OS3.9 cd, copy it's folder to your cf card. Use this http://aminet.net/package/disk/cdrom/Atapi_PnP300 as a temporary solution before you get OS3.9 installed, after that setpatch loads working scsi.device from romupdate. It does not appear devs folder.

Edit CD0 file to change device driver.

[curtis]

Okay, looks like it's fairly straight forward.

Will report later how things go.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

If the CD0 icon tooltypes don't give you sufficient control you may need to edit CD0 in a text editor to input your specific filesystem and device info.

Ed SYS: devs/Dosdrivers/CD0

(without the space, Amiga.org keeps trying to turn it into a smiley)

[curtis]

AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!

Installer program doesn't work!  Keep getting a "can't open script" error.

Why the heck didn't Commodore provide a decent installer program?

[Thomas]

No, he woun't want to do that. Sorry, he wants to use CacheCDFS and scsi.device wich comes with OS3.9.

That's hen and egg problem. You can't install CD drivers if they come on CD. You need something else to read the CD.

Why the heck didn't Commodore provide a decent installer program?

They did, just not in time for 3.1: http://aminet.net/package/util/misc/Installer-43_3

[AAACHIPSET]

i bought the registered  version  idefix97  ..very good  ..but i was using a different version for a while that came on a magazine  disc  mainly  cause you put the floppy in and it did it all for you  ..reboot  and up comes the cd drive  ,,cant  for the life of me remember  what  it was called  ...i wanted to use a usb dvd  on mine  never could  get amiga  to  recognize it  despite  there  being drivers in the subway  setup ..

[curtis]

Two steps forward, one step back!

I'm making progress.

Got the installer that Thomas provided the link for.  Works fine after I realized I needed to copy the Installer in the C directory!

Now my CD is recognized.

However, I've hit another wall.

Boot up, pop in the 3.9 Cd and open it up.  There's no install program for 3.9!

I'm beginning to get a headache!

[curtis]

On, and before someone tells me to open the windows until I fine OS3.9-Installation and click on it, I tried and it doesn't work!  It's a tool.

Tried the new installer from above and entering the path to the OS3.9-Install tool and I get the dreaded "Can't Open Script" error.  Or something like that!

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Are you using an original 3.9 CD or a copy?  Red or pink label?

Install FAQ:  http://www.gregdonner.org/os39faq/installtips.html

My cr**py old videos:

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCMw8bStvG4

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufCuW--Q2nA

[curtis]

It's an original red label.

Will watch the videos.

Looking through the FAQ, I may have a problem.  To get the MMR working, it runs a config program in the startup-sequence.  So, if I don't have that going, the machine is just an A500 with 8MB of RAM instead of the 68030 with 12MB RAM.  That may be a problem.

Are you using an original 3.9 CD or a copy?  Red or pink label?

Install FAQ:  http://www.gregdonner.org/os39faq/installtips.html

My cr**py old videos:

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCMw8bStvG4

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufCuW--Q2nA

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Looking through the FAQ, I may have a problem.  To get the MMR working, it runs a config program in the startup-sequence.  So, if I don't have that going, the machine is just an A500 with 8MB of RAM instead of the 68030 with 12MB RAM.  That may be a problem.

Add the program into the startup-sequence of your 3.9 ERD disk, or whatever it is you're booting from to install 3.9.  Then copy it into the same location after the 3.9 installer completes (I assume somewhere obvious, like the first line of your Startup-Sequence).

Should be fine, my A500 does a double reboot each time I fire it up, as well.  Once to add the 32-bit memory on my VXL*30, then again to load all the 3.9 LoadModule and LoadResident replacement libraries.  I swear one of these days I'll get around to learning how to burn my own custom ROM's!  :lol: