Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: wrath of khan on January 12, 2021, 11:50:57 PM
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Hi, I bought a pcmcia card and cf card to transfer files between amiga and pc.
It comes with a boot/driver disk. I cannot get it to open or work. I have attached a photo of the read me.
I am new to amiga os- I am not sure if the issue is with my workbench disk- seems theres an error on it- well it was stored somewhere for many years... it does boot though. I was unable to copy the workbench to a blank floppy either- maybe the floppies are rubbish too-
Am I doing something wrong or is it just my wb disk?
https://imgur.com/vIh12Ok
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Hi Wrath of Khan,
What Amiga do you have? A600 or A1200?
If A600 you need to be sure that you have Kickstart 37.300 or better. When Workbench loads, select About menu item from the Workbench menu and it will tell you the Kickstart version.
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More likely an A1200 with Workbench 3.0?
Couple pointers, "DF0:" always refers to the first (usually only) floppy disk drive connected, or rather, the disk currently in it.
"sys:" always refers to the disk that the Amiga loaded up from. Which could be a hard drve, or floppy drive if you booted Workbench from the floppy drive.
The snag wth PCMCIA compact flash is - you can't boot from a compact flash card plugged into PCMCIA. It's mostly used to transfer files to hard disk (or another compact flash or even sd card plugged into an adaptor) going to the internal hard disk connector.
The real snag with the A1200 is - PCMCIA cards don't reset properly. You either need to run a program to get them reset and working, or have a Gayle adapter fitted over the Gayle chip.
It might not be your Workbench floppy. It could be the above problem or the floppy drive needs a clean.
Are you trying to transfer files to or from the Amiga?
People like Amigakit or Amigastore will happily sell you compact flash cards preloaded with Workbench, Although they might insist you get Kickstart 3.1 or later to go with it. They might even sell you a set of replacement WB floppies if you ask nicely for 3.0.
3.1 or later is recommended, 3.1.4 is latest, and 3.2 is expected soon (the latter 2 allow hard drive partitions over 2GB in size as well as a ton of bug fixes).
Regading the pic you posted - The first 2 lines of typing copy are legit when typed into shell, the third one isn't. You can copy CF0 just by dragging, or copying and pasting, to the Window where you want it to go. The .info (icon file) will be copied too.
Diskcopy DF0: DF0: should make a complete copy of Workbench if you booted from it.
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Hi guys, yes its a Commodore 1200 with wb 3.0 on floppy. The pcmcia card comes with a blank but ready cf card.
I am working on sprite art for a potential amiga game- I wanted to be able to transfer it to my a1200- I think i will need an old crt or is it rgb monitor to view the art properly? I create the art and animations on a pc in pro-motion but on a flat-screen telly, I wanted to check how it displays on my a1200 and do any needed changes in d-paint or such.
I was under the impression that I could use the pcmcia card as a sort of hard drive/storage space?
I must read the amiga manual some more... so maybe i can try those commands in the shell...
I tried making a copy of the wb 3.0 but there was an error- old floppy disk maybe... might try again.
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Well... you could do some of that with just a floppy and an A1200 with WB3.0.
You are a bit constrained for memory to display animations, but stills of sprites and still art, that's doable. If you can save or convert the stills to IFF format on the PC side, Multiview on Workbench could display them.
As for screens, if you are based in Europe, something with a scart connector should do just fine. Mr steady there does very very good Amiga-scart cables. You could call him the gold plated standard on scart.
Genuine retro CRT monitors cost a bomb. They're only going to get rarer.
You DO have phono out in color on an A1200 if you are based outside Europe. still a fair amount of old CRT TVs (video monitors) and early LCDs can connect there, but you get a fuzzier picture.
I would strongly recommend you fit a hard drive to the A1200 and upgrade it to 3.1 to make the project easier. Then you could more easily use graphic formats other than IFF (PCX or BMP or JPEG). Or run Art Department Professional to convert them, choosing a set pallette of 256 colors.
Or run an Amiga emulator to get the graphics tweaked, and just use the A1200 to display and check them on real hardware. Once you get the adaptor working, you could save your Kick 3.0 ROM with a tool from Aminet to run the emulator with.
The sad part of the A1200 is the Gayle issue. Because you can't get the PCMCIA working properly without a fix from aminet (CCReset) which you can't transfer to the Amiga without having a working compact flash solution.
I was under the impression that I could use the pcmcia card as a sort of hard drive/storage space?
It's a drive, but it can't boot without Workbench having the driver in devs... which if only stored on the compact flash card, can't be read.
You can't boot a system from a compact flash card plugged into the PCMCIA socket on an Amiga for this reason. Chicken and egg situation.
But it's a lot easier transferring files than unplugging a card plugged into the guts of the Amiga (the hard drive connector). That might be your only way to get CCReset and the PCMCIA working.
Unimpressed? Me too. :lol
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https://imgur.com/c9aDf8f
I tried a command in the shell- no luck.
I guess i need an internal cf card hardrive thingy then.
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The snag is that the copy command is on Workbench, so it looks on Workench (DF0 at the time) and cant' find the file.
If you load Workbench, put the driver disk in, and have a rummage with "show All" option on the overhead menus, you can click and drag the files to the RAM disk.
Then put the Workbench disk back in, and copy the files to where they should go by dragging them from the RAM disk to the right place on Workbench.
People use "show all" a LOT on the Amiga, it reveals files with no icon (no .info file that stores the icon).
You only have 97K free. Might be enough, just about.
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I guess i need an internal cf card hardrive thingy then.
Well, you don't.... but it would help immensely. At first, I didn't realize you were working from floppy. I would say that if you're having trouble with your boot floppy, that you may need to sort that first. Strictly working from floppy, this guide might help. https://devdef.blogspot.com/2014/01/amiga-1200-pcmcia-compact-flash-guide.html
I'm probably just making a suggestion that make thinks even more confusing however, if you had Amiga OS installed on a HD, things would go much smoother! 8)
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If the drag and drop thing doesn't work out...
To make the copy command available at all times;-
resident c:copy
AmigaDos doesn't care about upper or lower case.
And if replaced the "DF0:" with the name of the disk, like CF0: or "CFO disk:" if there's a space in it, the shell will parse correctly and ask for the right disk when it needs it.
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ok so i don't have a hard drive but the read me says copy cf0: with cf0:.info anywhere to a harddrive- it also says i can do this without a hard drive- I copied the other drivers to the correct places in wb i believe- the trick with the ram worked well. Thanks
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so still stuck on the last step...
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https://www.ebay.ie/itm/New-Workbench-System-3-1-on-4GB-CF-Card-Adapter-Amiga-600-1200-Hard-Drive/284002839910?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item421fe36d66:g:RvwAAOSwwUlfVXOO&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACgBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%252Fn%252BzU5L90Z278x5ickk7PdDazAlGltMLJlUhrWsDwdxBrj0m9AOiSlzn5Rtr3PV%252B0mVuY%252F%252BeCy8%252FB1hmGaOKAad%252BPMcK0OjfLl0J5yOv7J9ewWoqeSete%252F04TXwEAslN2w0gGVfQb8xZZ%252BeOTr76G3ptYTiljFGpNna5pv5G3p4yneydrssMk8E4%252FfnzoZkFsfvtpk01MhpyeRozuv%252FNRxcaZV1qiiLODcP9WbeNBorFRcpdP44eSgJAJan9rY5KdAZAiCgi8Pn49NQv53gV73aclg0UPkde1WmvRrR4GvMQD7wA1XOqskMSxe%252BvaiS3S76BipSEX6RSlJvaZy5uxwiW1u6qVYBoiZc0y3Svx2EdN4WdYCS9zNrTl9qDGXu7KnNkeVydl6ZWQpRZw5fDgHonowfA0ybGBIdgYFW6kCJsx9uYE1jN7L9dD6k%252BYw%252FuS%252BWQahHu7r1QBRfss%252Fb3gD7QhPTLH4ZqBzAQm0GNXstbEYAeqQVfj2OEiibtqbivfI25yxZtfGytfD0ogHL9DJ4sxSxEWV3yIcASUJg968VEqvpG2hl5fAbmOw2R5fHt2WCDaRutVFHWiCq0PrY%252FAW2V4VRhBseJ1Plx5ajPcOe3oK9hbbOwFm4V9kEhmL5nzkghIOLN5Pcd6VG%252FuxJRmeFUZQYj8n5c7S%252BrDitEqYa1KmoL%252FgjdwKQSPFwqaKNLUvc7aMyViQzNE4yOaAVfHgLNsC894ylI6kxKQnXawkdJUxYmPcTvojbPUGVIGA89lbZUx3NFJZ5Idsx%252FsUyEK5fmrEcTe8JwD5IJmymmdIPSAEVjZrNHy%252BG%252F8eK%252FY0%253D%7Ccksum%3A28400283991000180c3d08094e8f8959caf9005f7237%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2334524
I might buy this for the time being? It might help. I can store art on there etc. I am on the waiting list for a vampire board whenever that is available. Although i would like a nice workbench set-up. I see packages online that can be used. My 1200 is stock- nothing extra yet...
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If the files are in the right place, then when you double click on the CF0 icon, be it from floppy, RAM or anywhere else, it should put an extra icon on your desk for the compact flash card.
You don't HAVE to put it onto the WB disk.
The point of trying first is to check whether it works without further hassle.
If you can double click on CF0 icon, and then get an directory for CF0;-
DIR CF0:
That means Gayle is happy and you can transfer files to and from the compact flash card you already have.
The link you posted for an internal hard drive and compact flash, oK that would help. It probably won't be 100% functional without the 3.1 Kickstart ROM chips but it should boot to a Workbench at least.
It does raise the resale value of Amigas by fitting them with working hard drive solutions, and what really boosts the value is getting them recapped (much less likely to suffer damage in future).
The extra cost of a hard drive, Vampire or new Kickstart ROMs is more an investment than a luxury. The Vampire probably less so, not every Amiga use needs one. :)
EDIT:
What probably is not going to work without Kickstart 3.1 is the Datatypes, that is, the sytem to internally convert file formats so the Amiga can read them easily. For instance, loading a GIF file on Deluxe Paint.
Programs like Art Department Pro can convert them internally, so it's not as dire a situation as you might think.
Oh, one extra tip - you can use the jiffy bag the hard drive adaptor came in as insulation. If you keep it in there with the lead poking out to the hard drive adaptor, then it can't touch any other electronics in the Amiga causing damage. More environmentally friendly too.
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What probably is not going to work without Kickstart 3.1 is the Datatypes, that is, the sytem to internally convert file formats so the Amiga can read them easily.
That's not true. Datatypes were introduced with 3.0.
For instance, loading a GIF file on Deluxe Paint.
DPaint does not use datatypes, it cannot load GIF files in any case.
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What probably is not going to work without Kickstart 3.1 is the Datatypes, that is, the sytem to internally convert file formats so the Amiga can read them easily.
That's not true. Datatypes were introduced with 3.0.
What made me cautious is that not all datatypes are Kickstart 3.0 friendly, for instance;-
https://aminet.net/package/util/dtype/PCX-DT43
Fair enough, there is a Kickstart 3 friendly datatype on aminet for PCX (and BMP, GIF etc).
While on the subject of aminet, I couldn't get your latest upload of MMUILIB to decompress on Linux for some reason. GadgetUK had some issues getting an 030 ROM shadowed a few months back, I was trying to check usage (he can't do .guides I think).
For instance, loading a GIF file on Deluxe Paint.
DPaint does not use datatypes, it cannot load GIF files in any case.
Thank you, I was unaware of DPaint's not using datatypes. I thought they worked across applications invisibly.
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What made me cautious is that not all datatypes are Kickstart 3.0 friendly, for instance;-
Yes, but picture.datatype V43 is not part of 3.1, either. It is available seperately with RTG software like CyberGraphics or Picasso96. Its functionality was incorporated into the OS with 3.5 (= V44).
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Exactly. RTG generally barfs on 3,0, but can be functional on 3.1
Down to Commodore making ".1" variants the RTG friendly variants. For developers and power uses displaying in 24 bits with graphics cards.
Doesn't really matter with the stated use in this case, native AGA friendly pictures.
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I tried loading the floppy disk icon- it says cf0: already mounted. No new icon appears. I believe i put the drivers in the correct locations...
My cf card is 16 gigabyte which is connected to the pcmcia card of course- is that more storage than the miggy can handle or?
Sorry about all the questions- i am just determined to get my 1200 running and usable until i get a vampire.
I have a harddrive cf card on the way.
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If it is just one partition, yes it's way too big for an Amiga running ROMs from 1992 (Kickstart 3.0).
Max guaranteed partition size is 2GB. You can have more than one partition, The reason is that a lot of old software will scream blue murder if they detect more than 2GB free on a partition when using old Installer software.
More on the matter at
http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=61666
Your card may not even be compatible with an Amiga. Just try it with one 2GB partition formatted to Fat32 on a PC. 16gb is very likely to be 3.3Volt card, not 5 volt.
More on PCMCIA fitted compact flash;
http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=30757
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https://www.ebay.ie/itm/New-PCMCIA-Adapter-16GB-SanDisk-CF-Card-Transfer-Kit-for-Amiga-600-1200-587/114315319344?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
THAT IS THE ONE I BOUGHT. All set-up apparently.
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Absolutely. On an A1200 or A600 with Kickstart 3.1.4 ROMs, or a heavily patched 3.1, it would show as one big disk.
16 GB hard disks didn't exist in 1992. Neither did Compact Flash.
3.1.4 was released in 2018.
Anyway, it's good news really. You do have an Amiga compatible card. It's just partitioned for a 2018 Amiga.
If you partition it again with a PC, to Fat32, one 2 GB partition (or more than one 2GB partition), it should show as a blank disk as per the advert.
EDIT: If you want pointers on how to do that, it would be helpful if you said what Os you are running on the PC side. And the version.
I'm guessing Windows 7. Or maye you are a Mac user, I don't can't tell.
Personally I use Linux, It can mount Amiga hard drive layouts and the Amiga Fast Filesystem. Less faffing around with this sort of nonsense using FAT32.
I'm in a minority there, most people prefer Windows and WinUAE emulator. They have much faster running Amiga programs than I do, although a Raspi 3b is still a mean emulated Amiga.
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I have a win 10 laptop.
I don't use linux but I am waiting on a Dragonbox Pyra- a mini linux handheld computer.
Yeah, I could try formatting the card to fat32. I think i did it years ago for my old openpandora console.
But yes, a few 2 gig partitions could work. Whats your recommendation? And thanks very much for your help.
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DIsk Manager on Windows 10. You have to run it as Admin.
Youtube videos on using it,
Make sure you select the right disk to partition and Format to FAT32.
Always use quick format option with Compact Flash.
Debian Linux, you can just use Gparted to partition and format, Do all the installs with an Amiga, then something like;-
mount -t affs /dev/sdc0 /mnt <- In a Debian Linux terminal, probably need sudo at the front
To mount the drive and use it with file managers etc. Easy to copy and paste. No need for FAT32. Even Microsoft stopped allowing it for installing their own operating systems. Although formatting and using usb, compact flash and sd card is stil OK on Windows in FAT32.
Anyway, have fun with it. At least having 2 CF flash cards, you can use the PCMCIA as a sandbox to learn with.
4gb partitions are OK if you can at least half fill them with downloads. With experience you'll be able to partioin with the Amiga, copy all the Workbench files over the 16G disk, swap them over, and boot once from floppy to make the 16gB first partition bootable. Then just use the smaller disk for transfers.
It's advisable to have as few partitions as possible unless you expand the Amiga's RAM memory. Doing that also incresaes hard drive access speed very noticeably.
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Oh come on! Don't tell such misleading rubbish!!!
You can have large harddrives with Kick 1.3 if you use the right software.
compactflash.device and fat95 are the right software to use 16 GB and even larger drives on Kick >= 2.0.
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Oh come on! Don't tell such misleading rubbish!!!
You can have large harddrives with Kick 1.3 if you use the right software.
The poster doesn't have doesn't have Kick 1.3
compactflash.device and fat95 are the right software to use 16 GB and even larger drives on Kick >= 2.0.
Maybe so, but the poster cannot currently acesss Aminet from the Amiga, nor any other "Right software".
We can't all fly Tomas, most of us learn to crawl first. And if you can't help, please do not post hostile, nasty comments. Anger isn't going to help this person. Or you.
I hear you mention you didn't feel welcome at Amiga,org. Maybe your mouth wrote a cheque that couldn't be cashed? I go a tar update straight after I downloaded, so prolly a problem at my end with that MMULib download.
Anyway Wraith, if the card still can't be accessed with just one 2GB partition, it's not going to work at all. Definite wrong un, send it back... although at that price, I'd have been tempted to buy it.
And play with Linux, you can probably download a ubuntu Iso and put it onto a usn stick. Most of them let you just use it prior to an install, so you cam keep your Windows and try Linux by booting from the usb stick. Makes sense if you're getting a Linux unit to see just what you'll be playing with.
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I am not sure what you think who you are. I remember you describing that you left the Amiga scene long ago and returned only recently. Since you returned you try to give advice to other users. But many if not all of your posts give a feeling that you never had an in-depth knowledge about the inner workings of AmigaOS and surely you missed all the developments which were made while you were off. You talk in headlines like "Kick 3.1 cannot access partitions larger than 2GB". This sentence is cut out of its context and by itself plain wrong. You never explain why you think that certain circumstances would explain the symptoms. Like in this case you just assume that a 2GB limit (which does not exist) could be the cause of the problem. But if a partition size limit would be a problem, the symptoms would be different. Also you do not investigate the problem systematically, you rather start at the wrong end and tell the user to destroy the product he bought as in working condition. He paid money for it and you tell him to destroy it.
The user has all the software he needs
compactflash.device
fat95
cf0
It's a matter of copying each file to the right place on the Workbench disk. If it still does not work, there are ways to find out more before you start destructive actions. Yes, I agree it is difficult if you cannot get additional software from the internet. But there are some possible things to do.
For example the PrepCard utility should display the vendor and product names of the CF card. If it doesn't, the card is not plugged in correctly.
I am not sure but I think HDToolbox should show the size of the card regardless of its partitioning and format. If this does not work, it's worthless to continue.
If all that works we can check if the needed files are indeed in their required locations. "CF0 is already mounted" is a good start. But it only means that AmigaDOS knows the name CF0. It does not mean that it found all the required files.
In a shell window if you try to access CF0:, the error message should give more clues.
I am writing this from memory, but I think if you access CF0: and nothing happens, it means that FAT95 was not found in L:. If it says "invalid whole number" or so, then FAT95 was found but it could not access compactflash.device. If the message is "no disk in drive" it might be that the card is not plugged in correctly. Only if the message is "not a DOS disk", only then I would perhaps agree that there is something wrong with the contents of the CF card (partitioning, format). But if it works on the PC's card reader, it's unlikely.
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Huh! :o
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From Aminet;--
* should read disks up to 4G (more with direct SCSI option)
https://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/msd95v16
FAT32 file system handler cannot access partitions over 4 gb without upgrading scsi.device. Only way to do that for Wraith is to plug in 3.1.4 ROMs to the A1200 unless he changes the partition size, then he could maybe upgrade scsi.device. Another chicken and egg situation.
I love your stuff, why be angry at me?
FAT95 handler has same issue with pcmcia compact flash-
* up to 4 GBytes of partition size for FAT16
* large harddisk support via TD64 or direct SCSI
https://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/fat95
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... file system handler cannot access partitions over 4 gb without upgrading scsi.device.
That's not true.
Firstly partition size does not matter at all. The 4GB limit applies to the entire drive. Partitions are only limited to the drive size (and maybe by the file system structure).
Secondly if you use compactflash.device, scsi.device is out of scope. It's not used and cannot limit anything.
You posted a link to the 4GB FAQ on EAB. Why don't you read it yourself?
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<shrug> If a filesystem handler's author says it won't work with big partitions, I'm inclined to believe them.
Yes, it certainly is trying to DIR CF0: from the shell. If it won't work there it won't work anywhere else.
HDToolbox, maybe. Cardinfo... I never got much sensible out of the Commodore one. The Aminet one, yes.
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That's the best example. You quote sentences of the readmes and then immediately prove that you didn't even read or understand them.
You don't investigate properly. You don't even try to understand what the technical cause for certain limits is. And you ignore the fact that there are ways to bypass these limits.
And you generalise too much. If you cannot do it, nobody can do it.
It's written in your own quotes:
should read disks up to 4G
It says disks, not partitions.
(more with direct SCSI option)
You just ignored that.
up to 4 GBytes of partition size for FAT16
You ignored FAT16. This limit is a limit of FAT, not of AmigaOS. As the CF card is larger than 4GB it cannot be formatted with FAT16. So this limit does not apply.
large harddisk support
You ignored that.
via TD64 or direct SCSI
You obviously don't know what that is, otherwise you wouldn't ignore the previous part.
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Thomas, you really are being a an adhominen abusive pompous yob.
Grow up. When was the last time you took an 1992 A1200 and tried to get files into it? Nothing but a WB 3 disk?
I don't use FAT95 because I don't have to. I don't use Windows. Nobody has to.
I'm trying to help somebody here, you're just blowing steam for effect.
The way I do it, using Linux, I can put downloads straight onto a card, then plug it directly into the Amiga. Boot from that with Amiga FFs, no more copying required.
It would take quite a while for an A1200 to copy 16gb from one compact flash card to another even if it did work.
Anyway Wraith, Thomas is quite right to suggest trying the compact flash on your laptop at least.
One other point is that CF is hot swappable, so unplugging and plugging in the card is OK. If not your Gayle definitely could do with a fixer plugged into it. Causes a lot of aggravation with A1200 PCMCIA. There are software workaround too they might well be included in that hard drive with IDE adapter if you want to persist with the whole idea.
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I will try again tomorrow-with the pcmcia card. My harddrive should be here tomorrow too i hope.
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It boils down to whether compactflash.device is using it's own TD64 friendly IDE access to the compact flash card over PCMCIA, or whether it's just rerouting the inbuilt versions. Which aren't TD64 on a Kickstart 3.0 machine.
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Well Wrath, if you can't get any joy out of that PCMCIA with 16GB - I'll buy it off you for what you paid for it.
PM me if you don't get any joy out of it.
I can try it in my A1200, could be your A1200s PCMCIA has been damaged (somebody tried to fit wrong card type).
Here's the thing - according to "what has been written", people have got 2GB cards working that way. Bigger cards with Os later than 3.0. But people also reporting no luck with 3.0, Maybe compactflash.device just doesn't work that way.
I'd like to find out.
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I will let you know- I made a 2 gig partition. Will check it in my amiga later today. Hard drive will arrive on monday at this rate.
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Put a couple files on it. Makes it more like what you'll be using it for.
I realize that you can't copy them anywhere, but blank space on a card is set to FFFF... which the Amiga can mistake for "media removed".
The screen shot from ebay showed a drawer, "system volume information" or such. I presume that's windows record keeping, so leave it alone.
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Ah well, no luck. The pcmcia card is not recognized it seems. No idea if my pcmcia port is good or not- This a1200 was likely in an attic or such for a long time. It was damn dirty inside. Man using multiple windows is a nice feature- pre windows too.
I mostly used my 500 for games back in the day.
For whatever its worth here is a single sample sprite of the art I did.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/sl3uajfli2k1skr/YO%20YO%20TOY%20FINISHED.bmp?dl=0
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Hi
I am going to assume you are not David Pleasance... If you are then I am not worthy.
The floppy disk you have is a data disk and it asks that you copy the files to your hard drive. It assumes you have a hard disk:
Workbench on a hard drive will be bigger than on a single floppy disk as the whole installation comes on five disks.
To see the full contents of a Workbench disk you need to show all files from the drop down menu.
On the Workbench is a drawer called devs and this is where various drivers are stored and the CompactFlash.device is just that. And so the first line is asking to copy the device to the devs drawer. This device most likely has some further data written to the 'tool type' icon that mounts the device on boot. Dunno haven't seen it.
Sys is the way the Amiga identifies the boot or workbench and so when you see SYS: it basically means the Workbench disk or the Workbench volume or partition of the computer. The route to devs is SYS:devs/ then the device. You could also type Workbench:devs/device and or DF0:devs/device or HD0: or DH0:. You are in the realms of basic AmigaDOS and how the computer sees the location of the Workbench:devs drawer.
The drawer that is named l or L that is the letter L and not i is where you will find file systems to run your computer like FastFileSystem and CrossDOS etc and to understand the long file names on a Windoes based disk you need the FAT95 system otherwise files will read as XXXXXXX.XXX all the time.. so say you have a file that is myteaisready.info it will be read as MYTEAIS~.INF and it also configures the drive. USB drives tend to be FAT even on NTSC machines. So you need FAT95 in L as the file system and the MOUNT file will have a mount statement calling up the FAT95 from L and will be looking for that on BOOT or when you mount the card.
CF0 is the mount file and auto mount this you would place this in a drawer in devs called DosDrivers. In the DosDriver drawer we can place mount drivers that will auto mount on boot. The tool will have two parts. The icon and the actual tool. To see the split elements of a tool it is best to use a file manager like SID, DOpus, Dir Works etc. That way you can interogate the mount file and the icon. They are in two parts if it has an 'INFO'. You can also check from the Workbench drop down menus for the details of the INFO or information. Mount files can be edited using 'ED' from the shell or a text editor like CED. Learn to use the shell/CLI and start to look at tools/icons.
CF0 is a mount file if you click it, it mounts what ever the mountfile says and that is basically the structure of the device/card plus links to supported filesystems such as FAT95. So to work it really needs to know where FAT95 is and that means you must have booted the Workbench disk with that file in the L drawer.
The PCMCIA is DRAM and can be set up from a PrepCard facility you have on the EXTRAS disk of the Workbench set. I wouldn't suggest doing that cus it will muck up the card.
For me I never use anything over 4GB in size on an Amiga running 3.0. I do use bigger hard drives than 4GB but it means I do a bit of fiddling with the setting up and basically only use 4GB and leave the rest empty. Compact Flash media is not something I use. I only use PCMCIA for the Squirrel, Ethernet and RAM plus an Arcos and QuickDrive I have. I was always tempted to get a CF card but don't like them.
OK the workbench disk not working properly. You need to sort that out. Instead of copying the whole disk copy file by file by showing all files and see if one of the files or drawers is having a problem. It may be someithing incidental. But if the disk has a problem it will simply copy an empty or reduced size file to a new disk and contain the same problem. It would be sensible making sure that all your Workbench disks work before setting up a hard drive.
Chicken and egg. The CF0 needs to be in the devs:dosdrivers drawer to automount the CF card. It would be interesting to see what the Amiga shows from holding two mouse buttons down from the boot and see if the CF0 is there as a boot option. I doubt it. I would think that the card is only really useful as a data store and gets called up by manually mounting by clicking CF0 or like I say sticking it in the devs:dosdrivers drawer on the Workbench.
Next: That disk. Make sure you have enough space on the Workench disk for the device and the FAT95. There may not be space for them.
If you want to see a JPG or a GIF then use something like PPaint. DPaint only supports the IFF/ILBM. Fortunately PPaint saves in ILBM.
What are you trying to do....? The stock Amiga 1200 has but 2MB of CHIP RAM and no extra memory unless you add this via the trap door. Once you load your Workbench and fire up any software you will not have any space for an animation. You will likely get three frames tops of a colour Dpaint HighRes and or 10 frames of black and white. To do any work on an Amiga 1200 you need 4 to 8MB of RAM for starters. Better would be RAM plus an accelerator. Without them life is going to be a struggle. But first you have to put these floppies away and get a hard drive. Plus a good monitor and then you can think about the CF PCMCIA. You came at this the wrong way round. Hard drive to RAM to Accelerator to PCMCIA. I had the same problem in 1993 and I just couldn't do anything till I had the hard drive, RAM and then acceleration. The extra data storage then became a real issue. But thats another story.
As for file transfers between PC and Amiga you will also need to mount a device that can read PC disks. I have no idea how the compact flash drive handles that but I assume it is set up to interpret. Otherwise you may need to set up another config with crossDOS. I assume it works like a CD0 for reading CDs and the FAT95 does all that for you.
I didn't read all the thread but I think your life gets easier with a hard drive. WB 3.0 is fine and shouldn't be a problem. From my understanding the CF hard drives are set up a little different to see bigger drive capacities. Personally I only use 2.5" internal drives and you can still buy them new. Just need to do the trick with the formatting, but they are fine.
Hope that helps.
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Yeah, extra RAM and hard drive on an A1200 make a big difference. Everything gets snappier and more responsive.
The CPU doesn't have any controllers to help do the heavy lifting with hard drive and PCMCIA access. Even when it does work it on a vanilla A1200 using just chip RAM.
Using a hard drive setup for 3.1 or later with 3.0 can be problematic. Bit of a glut with 3.1 chips for A1200 because of the recent release of 3,1,4.
3.0 starts up the quickest though.
Like I said Wrath, PM me and I can send you cash to cover your costs over Paypal. Plus a bit extra to cover postage to UK.
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So, i copied the files to the right places but im not sure about cf0:
Still getting a mount failure dialogue box- it says: Device 'CF0:' is already mounted...
I do have a hardrive installed now with wb 3.1. It works fine
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well, at least you don't have to boot from floppy anymore.
How abou a dir DF0:?
How starting up the machine, then plugging in the PCMCIA card?
If the original driver disk was named "CF0" that would also cause a problem. Once the drivers are in the right places on the hard drive, you shouldn't need it inserted in a drive anyway.
You DO have to reboot the system between copying the drivers and using the PCMCIA card though.
(Very likely, they're already on the hard disk).
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If i had my harddrive/cf card accessible via the rear trapdoor that might work. Then if i put the wb 3.1 cf card in my pc would i be able to transfer files to it and then insert it back in the slot? Would the pc read the wb 3.1 card and allow files to be placed on it?
https://sordan.ie/product/737/amiga-1200-8mb-fast-ram-memory-trapdoor-expansion/
I am thinking of getting one of these... Basically if i can run d-paint or such and transfer 32 colour sprites/frames to the 1200 and make any needed adjustments there i should be good for now. Though an accelerator can be had for 150 euros online. Though i possibly need a specific monitor or old crt? I use a flatscreen at the moment.
Hah, and no i am not the mighty David Pleasance... I took the photo as an avatar years ago- always remembered David's name from back in the day. Believe it or not i got a private message from Petro Tyschtschenko a few years back... he evidently thought I was actually David as the message he sent confirmed it. lol.
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If i had my harddrive/cf card accessible via the rear trapdoor that might work. Then if i put the wb 3.1 cf card in my pc would i be able to transfer files to it and then insert it back in the slot? Would the pc read the wb 3.1 card and allow files to be placed on it?
Yes, that's an ideal way from a hardware perspective. But...
Not with Windows alone, no. You can do it with using WinUAE, to read an Amiga formatted disk (fastfilesytem V40 I think). Or you could just boot Linux on a Usb stick and use that (the Linux will see the Windows partitions and files, and like I've already said, a line of code in a terminal will mount an Amiga FFs disk for use with a file manager to copy files around). 98% using a mouse and graphic interface. And yes, it will see the Windows hard disk as well.
This has always been a Microsoft policy, to exclude "foreign" types of disks from competing operating systems.
EDIT: GParted on Linux does not have to be used to format or partition the Amiga drive, but it comes in very handy for working out which device location to use (for instance sdb1, sca2, whatever) when mounting the drive in Linux.
https://sordan.ie/product/737/amiga-1200-8mb-fast-ram-memory-trapdoor-expansion/
I am thinking of getting one of these... Basically if i can run d-paint or such and transfer 32 colour sprites/frames to the 1200 and make any needed adjustments there i should be good for now. Though an accelerator can be had for 150 euros online.
It can do that without a memory expansion, but the RAM helps make it a less clumsy experience. Do shop around, buy local. Accelerator would be a bit overkill for Dpaint. Would help converting the graphics but a 14MHz 68020 with it's own RAM area is not too shabby.
Though i possibly need a specific monitor or old crt? I use a flatscreen at the moment.
Old television with a scart socket should do just fine, with a decent scart cable. To check your graphics on a CRT. The differences in effect are subtle.
http://ianstedman.co.uk/Amiga/amiga_hacks/Amiga_SCART/amiga_scart.html
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The Amiga has a problem with some cards of 8MB interfering with the PCMCIA slot. So that card you showed is saying that you need to switch to just 4MB so that the PCMCIA works.
Worth watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1dgVTdMUXM&t=282s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEPkGr3TvCg
PS Just cus you can't see an icon for the drive it doesn't mean its not mounted. Maybe its not got an icon. Dunno. Using a file manager will show all mounted drives or SysInfo. Not sure about SysInfo and CF cards.
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Thanks, yes i got it working once i sorted the dos drivers bit. Thanks. Previously i also formatted it to the wrong file format.
So now i have it working but only can access i think 2 or 3 gigs. I will try formatting the card again to restore the 16 gigs.
I have an 020 accelerator incoming and I lucked into an old Crt telly locally. Soon I will have a decent set-up but will buy a vampire a1200 whenever I get notified.
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Most excellent news. ;D
Do let us know if you get the full 16GB on one partition fired up or not. I for one would love to know for sure.
And which filesystem worked on the PC end? EXFAT? Or FAT32?