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Author Topic: Weird Hardisk problem...  (Read 1942 times)

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Offline FnacTopic starter

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Weird Hardisk problem...
« on: March 14, 2021, 09:11:44 PM »
Hello,
I have a problem with my Amiga 1200.
Sometimes when trying to save files to HD, the workbench takes a long time, as if you were saving a large file, and the system is very slow. After a while, the system reboots and does not boot from the HD.
I have to do a hard reset. When I analyze the file on the disk it has the size of -4.
I have already formatted and installed the operating system.
I changed the hd to compact flash adapter to a SD card.
And the problem remains.
Does anyone have any idea what it might be the problem?

My system:
Amiga 1200
ACA 1232

Thanks
 

Offline Pat the Cat

Re: Weird Hardisk problem...
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2021, 04:28:41 AM »
I can think of 3, maybe 4 possible causes.

1) You haven't set max transfer rate of the drive to 0X1FE00 in Hard Disk Toolbox (necessary to limit data length in a single transfer, it doesn't affect speed).

2) The Fast File System. This is notorious for "validating", ie detected a problem with the hard disk and spending hours and days trying to fix it. The best solution is to update the file system to PFS3AIO filesystem on the drive, which meanS copying that filesystem it your HDToolbox floppy and starting from scratch on making partitions.

Part of the problem here is the way that FFs updates a file - it can open a new copy of the file, but fail to save any data to it, which is why you get a file length of -4 on the newly created file. PFs3 makes a whole new file, deletes the old one, then renames the new one, which is a much safer way of changing an existing file.

3) Malware causing a fake file to be written to the hard drive. Do you run a virus checker at all?

The other thing could be using Kickstart 3 Rom with that accelrator. It's not ideal because you have to add most of the memory after Workbench has started. Unlikely to be that in this case.

EDIT: Kind of useful if you are trying to do 1 and 2, look up these;-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL8etprxj4E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckL5xYQjqLo
« Last Edit: March 15, 2021, 05:10:53 AM by Pat the Cat »
"To recurse is human. To iterate, divine."

A1200, Vanilla, Surf Squirrel, SD Card, KS 3.0/3.z, PCMCIA dev
A500, Vanilla, A570, Rev 5, KS 1.2/1.3 Testbench system
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Offline FnacTopic starter

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Re: Weird Hardisk problem...
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2021, 03:14:52 PM »
@Pat the Cat
Thanks for you suggestions.

I have some questions:
I have 3.1.4 roms installed and the i'm using the FFS v.46.20 that came with 3.1.4. Should i replace with the PS3AIO instead?
The max transfer rate of the drive is already set to 0X1FE00.

I read that ACA1232 with amiga 1200 could have timming issues (http://wiki.icomp.de/wiki/ACA1232).
Can be this also the source of the problem ?

Thanks

« Last Edit: March 15, 2021, 03:28:48 PM by Fnac »
 

Offline F0LLETT

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Re: Weird Hardisk problem...
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2021, 03:30:26 PM »
I would remove your Accelerator first, see if problem remains.

Also nothing wrong with FFS, it would take hours to validate on a 500 or 600, but on a 1200 it will take only a few mins. Unless your using an insane 4GB+ HDD.
« Last Edit: March 15, 2021, 04:36:48 PM by F0LLETT »
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Offline Pat the Cat

Re: Weird Hardisk problem...
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2021, 05:12:04 PM »
@Pat the Cat
Thanks for you suggestions.

I have some questions:
I have 3.1.4 roms installed and the i'm using the FFS v.46.20 that came with 3.1.4. Should i replace with the PS3AIO instead?
The max transfer rate of the drive is already set to 0X1FE00.

You need about 1MB of RAM per gigabyte of hard disk partition in order to validate it with FFS. It can take hours for a drive to validate with any version of FFS.

PFS3 doesn't have the issue. The AIO version works on all processors and is generic. But it is limited to a max partition size just over 100GB per partition. I do advise you to try it, it's a bit of a faff to set up but you do get more reliability and less faff using the Amiga that way.

Quote
I read that ACA1232 with amiga 1200 could have timming issues (http://wiki.icomp.de/wiki/ACA1232).
Can be this also the source of the problem ?

Thanks

It's not going to help. Different A1200 motherboard revisions need different mods, for a Rev 1 it's usually just taking a couple of components off (or making sure they are already off). Rev 2 is more complex.

http://www.ianstedman.co.uk/Amiga/amiga_hacks/A1200_Mobo_fix/a1200_mobo_fix.html

Be aware - some software (including games) only work correctly in installed and writing to the first 4GB of a drive.

This could be just software not happy about being run in a big partition, the filesystem is making it more obvious.

3.1.4 fixes Workbench for working with big hard drives, but it doesn't fix old software not liking big partitions.
 
Not a bad plan to stick with a 4GB partition at the start, just use it for Workbench and installed games rather than WHDLoads, adfs and most applications (shapeshifter and PCTask also like being in the first 4gb).

You can still get problems if the first 4gb is more than half empty too. Old software trying to install from old floppies with old versions of the Installer.
« Last Edit: March 15, 2021, 05:28:55 PM by Pat the Cat »
"To recurse is human. To iterate, divine."

A1200, Vanilla, Surf Squirrel, SD Card, KS 3.0/3.z, PCMCIA dev
A500, Vanilla, A570, Rev 5, KS 1.2/1.3 Testbench system
Rasp Pi, UAE4ARM, 3D laser scanner, experimental, hoping for AmigaOS4Arm, based on Watterott Fabscan Pi
 

Offline scuzzb494

Re: Weird Hardisk problem...
« Reply #5 on: March 16, 2021, 03:23:41 AM »
When formatting hard drives of a larger size I only ever use 'Quick Format' and don't use the HDToolbox for formatting drives. They tend to wrap around and fall off the edge. Dunno about the new WB as I have never used it. But with say a 40GB drive I have to format just 4GB tops and I have max 2Gb partitions. I make sure the remainder is empty. If the new OS provides for larger hard drives maybe a Quick Format would help. Anyway , that's what I do but I only use 2.5" drives or 3.5" drives. You would have to check if that causes problems with CF card thingies, again never use them. I have only ever needed to set the max transfer on 3.5" IDE hard drives on the 1200. Without it it refuses to copy all the contents of a whole disk and fails. Interestingly the corrupt files is something I only experienced with SCSI and lack of termination.

Dunno if you have LHA set up on DOpus but as a test create a LHA file consisting of lots of files writing to somewhere on your hard drive and see if the process begins to slow down the more the system adds. Also watch for corrupt or failed archiving. Then do the same but copy to RAM and the same to a smaller partition on the drive. Dunno if you said you had an accelerator but maybe a caching issue so try booting disabling CPU caches.  Validating is no use, you need to soak and record the results. Could be a memory issue.

Always check the specs on your devices before trying anything. And don't forget the Amiga doesn't forget for at least 17 seconds. Thats the difference between a soft and a hard. So if it remembers something that it thought was wrong it'll soft very often replicating the same problem or throw up a GURU. Only the hard clears the memory.