ENTRY 1
Hi
I knew I shouldn't have moved the Checkmate again. I just needed more
desk space to use it. I tidied all the cables and the like up which
amount to a lot. It has different power for main unit and the A590. The
Checkmate uses a converted PC PSU and the cables are all over the place.
Anyway, I started to get an error on the external SCSI drive that is
connected to the 590. I decided it was time to back it up. First problem
was installing stuff like DOpus and CED so I could edit. I also added a
user-startup to S as this is a 2.05 Workbench and it doesn't exist.
DOpusIV is working now along with CED so I have the quite mammoth task
of backing up 16MB of hard drive onto DDs. Fortunately the machine has
an external array of floppy drives. I'm not tempted to move the machine
again to add a Parnet. My luck the thing would completely fall over.
See how I get on. I like a challenge.
http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz86.htmENTRY 2
Am I unlucky or what I was setting up the Parnet on the Checkmate and
fired up and there was an issue with the mountlist ... so I edited out
the mountlist to suit the machine and reset and the hard drive fell
over. Big time. Just wouldn't boot. Try as I might. Anyway I was able to
get in on the Workbench disk for the A600 and then set about writing a
special Workbench disk that incorporated the Parnet. Finally after an
hour of dodging between the A1200 up here and back to the Checkmate I
was able to remove as much as I could from the A600 disk and incorporate
what was necessary to get the Parnet working.
I have set up the Parnet with a 1200 and now am copying. Fingers
crossed. The tricky part is this. There is a problem with the drive as
is says its not validated. I let the drive run its full spin but still
no joy. I have run the hdtoolbox but after a validation process nothing
has changed. So here is the thing... Whilst I have the two machines
running together and given that the system is currently running off the
floppy... if I can successfully copy the contents of the Workbench to
the A1200 I should be able format the Workbench on the Checkmate, copy
back the node info and then reconnect DOpus on the 1200 to that drive
and simply copy the Workbench back. And all without switching the
machines off.
I have no idea if it will work. I have nothing to lose as the machine
refuses to boot now off that drive and if I power down now who knows
what else might happen. Feel like Jimmy Stewart in Flight of the Pheonix
when he has to use his last spare starter to clear the engine. Here goes
nothing.
scuzz
ENTRY 3
Hi
So imagine for one minute you could do the following.
Have two Windows PCs switched on together and connected with say a
simple NetBeui style crossover cable of old. You then create a partition
on the one PC and copy the entire contents of the one PCs hard drive
over to the other. You then format the PCs hard drive while still
switched on and connected to the other computer without breaking the
link between them. You then simply copy the entire contents of the drive
back to the other PC without ever switching either off and then reboot
and the other computer just performs exactly as it did.
Days were that I could use Norton Ghost to copy a hard drive, but I
would need to physically install another hard drive.
What I just did with the Checkmate is truly amazing in truth. With both
machines switched on throughout the process I was able to copy the
contents of the one Workbench to the 1200 and then format the Workbench
on the Checkmate and then simply copy the contents back to the newly
formatted Workbench on the Checkmate. I then , and only then, switched
off and when the computer came back up it had fixed the problem.
I fear the second SCSI drive, though, may be a bigger issue. One of the
joys of using DOpus and Parnet is that when the process freezes and you
get the checksum on the faulty machine and you can actually read the
file that it halted on , in DOpus, so you can make a record of which
files haven't copied properly. For anyone that hasn't done this before,
it really is as clear as seeing a file being reported on a faulty drive
as being say 250K in size but when copied faulty following a failure
notice will show say only 125K. The checksum means just that, the file
should be 250K, and shows 250K but in truth it really is only 125 of
busted file. The good thing is that now you know which files are damaged
you can go hunt around and mend them all.... on your clean copy. Then
format the drive having checked it for errors and then reinstall.
The Amiga is so wonderful when it comes to disk management. No lengthy
registers with meaningless twaddle as description.
Anyway.. took me best part of the day. I had thought I may just copy the
files over to floppy. But I am glad in truth I was in the throws of
setting up a Parnet. Still one of the most simple ways of copying from
one Amiga to another, though you do need the special cable. I also have
a disk with the files in their respective folders to run off a hard
drive so you can manually install to a floppy when you have issues like
today.
The Checkmate is running fine again. Now I have a copy of the respective
drives so I'm not that troubled. I will now Parnet to one of my other
1200s in the Workshop and get the files onto a ZIP drive and CD. That
way I will never fear not being able to play DragonTiles again... phew
that was close.
scuzz.... More to follow [ Read on ]
