Another DENEB & Thumb Drive question

[Kernel]

I am having difficulty completing a format on multiple partitions on an 8GB flash drive on my A3K w/DENEB.  Here are the specifics...

- O 3.1 with latest updates (or so I believe)
- Using HDInstTools
- Partitons: 512MB, 512MB, 512MB, 2048MB, 3849MB
- First partition appears to format without issue
- HDInstTools will be chugging along and then either freeze indefinitely or reboot with an 8000 0003 task 07020960 GURU.
- Standard WB format will freeze as well after a while
- All the time, the light on the thumb drive will continue flashing
- QUICK format works no problem

The system appears stable otherwise.

Could it be the thumb drive?  Not sure how to low level format it so bad blocks are skipped.  It formats in windows no problem... or eat least nothing pops up indicating an issue.

[Thomas]

You know of the 4GB limit in AmigaOS, don't you?

[Kernel]

You know of the 4GB limit in AmigaOS, don't you?

I thought that was just for partitions?  If it's per disk then I suppose it would make sense but HDInstTools sees the entire drive no problem.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Max 4GB disk, 2GB per partition unless you've added one of the methods of 64-bit access, AFAIR. "Bad blocks" is kinda unlikely, if you think the flash drive is at fault why not just try a different, smaller one? I've always had better luck with HDToolbox rather than HDInstTools.

[wawrzon]

what mode does the poseidon work in? pio or dma? does deneb has the last firmware pdate flashed?

[Matt_H]

I thought that was just for partitions?  If it's per disk then I suppose it would make sense but HDInstTools sees the entire drive no problem.

I assume usbscsi.device is 64-bit friendy, but your file system needs to be as well. If you're using v40.x FFS, I think you'll run into trouble. SFS and PFS should be fine out of the box, as should a TD64-patched FFS.

Also, you shouldn't need to full format a Flash drive. I've done just quick formats on them and they've worked fine.

[Kernel]

I assume usbscsi.device is 64-bit friendy, but your file system needs to be as well. If you're using v40.x FFS, I think you'll run into trouble. SFS and PFS should be fine out of the box, as should a TD64-patched FFS.

Also, you shouldn't need to full format a Flash drive. I've done just quick formats on them and they've worked fine.

Definitely confusing to me... I can try smaller thumb drive sure.  I've got FastFileSystem 43.20 in L: but from more research it appears I should pull the 3.1 version and patch it with the TD64 patch or pull the one from my 3.9 disc?

When I run version against the hard drives and flash partitions I get this

filesystem 40.1 (02/15/93)

so I suspect that there is something else I need to do to get FastFileSystem to be loaded from L: rather than from ROM?

I feel like such a noob all the sudden...

[wawrzon]

mmh. 64 bit filesystem support might really be an issue here. the updates available in romsplit-remus package and unofficial boing bags 3-4 should be fixing this. i would assemble an own kickstart out of updated/patched modules and store it in denebs flash. following instructions its fairly easy even if an annoying work. but done once it serves pretty well.

[Kernel]

OK now this is entirely screwed up.  Mixed results now...

I pulled the OS 3,9 FastFileSystem off of the 3.9 CD and dropped it in place of the 43.20 version  had in L: on my 3.1 install.  I then set the thimb drive to use it in HDInstTools, and started formatting.  Each partition formatted w/o issue except it froze on the last one about 95% in.

So I rebooted and found that the FastFileSystem I had assigned to the drive was gone because I forgot to save the settings.  I set it again and started formatting again from scratch to ensure the FastFileSystem was being taken into account, and the computer GURU'd within a minute.

Frustrated, I turned it off and left it for a while - about 1 1/2 hours.  Then I went back to it.

I booted her up, verified the FFS was  still associated to it, and then started formatting.  Each partition formatted w/o issue.

So now my mid is wondering if it's something with the flah, something with the A3K, something with the DENEB, something with a driver, etc.  So frustrating.

[wawrzon]

i dont think it is a hardware issue.

[Thomas]

The Format program has the same 4GB problem as any other program in 3.1. You cannot format a partition outside the first 4GB. At least you won't ever write to any area outside the first 4GB, instead you just overwrite other areas inside the first 4GB, prossibly destroying data which was already stored there.

Formatting harddrives is not necessary anyway. Quick-format is perfectly sufficient.