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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Software Issues and Discussion => Topic started by: sir_bacharach on August 06, 2013, 07:23:00 PM
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Hi,
I've been using OS3.1 with ClassicWB installed.
I've managed to get my hands on WB3.9 and am hoping you guys can help with how to make a decent custom build.
I think there's far too much stuff I won't use on Classic WB, so here is what I want....
- OS3.9
- Wireless PCMCIA Card Support (I have the card)
- PCMCIA CF Card adaptor Support (I think it needs FAT 95 but am not sure how to install?)
- Directory OPUS
- I want DOPUS to be able to unzip and unrar etc.. (I'm not sure if the standard copy will do that)
- Perhaps looking for a tool that will write an ADF onto a floppy.
- Finally I want WHDload, but without all that front end stuff you can get for it.
I think that'll be it.
ClassicWB has magic menus and Scalos and stuff like that, I'm not really interested in all those bells and whistles.
Things I'm not sure about is if DOPUS will be able to unzip things by default or if I'll need to install other things on OS3.9 so that DOPUS will read them?
Haven't got a clue about the wireless adaptor and what the best browser would be for surfing etc?
Not sure what I need to do to make the OS read PCMCIA CF Cards formatted to FAT95?
ClassicWB does most of this stuff (apart from the WIFI bit) by default, but I just want to make my own clean build based on 3.9
Can anyone give any advice?
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first thing would be to install the 2 official boing bags and then unofficial BB3 and 4.
since you use ClassicWB, you could also use one the declination made for AOS3.9 !
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- Directory OPUS
- I want DOPUS to be able to unzip and unrar etc.. (I'm not sure if the standard copy will do that)
Things I'm not sure about is if DOPUS will be able to unzip things by default or if I'll need to install other things on OS3.9 so that DOPUS will read them?
You are talking about Dopus 4.1x?
The good news is many folks have uploaded their tricked out Dopus config files to Aminet. A printout of those in one hand and the Dopus docs in your other hand will give you examples of how to do almost anything you can imagine. It's not a bad tutorial of AmigaDos in general. ;) If you are serious, this is truly NOT difficult!
The bad news is that everyone organizes their HDs differently, so it is unlikely that ALL features of any given config file will work without a liitle tweaking on your part. IE: moving programs to the path they chose OR editing the paths in the config file to match the locations you prefer.
The other bad news is some of those guys chose some butt ugly color schemes (big grin), but, you can of course customize yours to be very stylish and tasteful.
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You are talking about Dopus 4.1x?
The good news is many folks have uploaded their tricked out Dopus config files to Aminet. A printout of those in one hand and the Dopus docs in your other hand will give you examples of how to do almost anything you can imagine. It's not a bad tutorial of AmigaDos in general. ;) If you are serious, this is truly NOT difficult!
The bad news is that everyone organizes their HDs differently, so it is unlikely that ALL features of any given config file will work without a liitle tweaking on your part. IE: moving programs to the path they chose OR editing the paths in the config file to match the locations you prefer.
The other bad news is some of those guys chose some butt ugly color schemes (big grin), but you can customize yours to your heart's content.
Thanks for that,
Do you think if I take the DOPUS from my 3.1 Classic WB install and drop it onto the HDD of my 3.9 install it will just work immediately with a few tweaks to the setup file? Will it unzip files and unrar etc?
I don't know whether WB has to have unzip programs for DOPUS to try and access etc?
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first thing would be to install the 2 official boing bags and then unofficial BB3 and 4.
since you use ClassicWB, you could also use one the declination made for AOS3.9 !
Thanks for this.
Any idea what extras are in 3 and 4? is it worth installing them or is it just gonna add to the bulk?
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Just use ClassicWB 3.9 which is what ClassicWB 3.1 version have minus Scalos which imho is really nice for the original 3.9 feel but with the extra nice features and awesome customization of DOpus that CWB has.
Stick with BB1+BB2 unless you want to use newer versions of modules.
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Just use ClassicWB 3.9 which is what ClassicWB 3.1 version have minus Scalos which imho is really nice for the original 3.9 feel but with the extra nice features and awesome customization of DOpus that CWB has.
Stick with BB1+BB2 unless you want to use newer versions of modules.
The only problem is that I'm trying to cut down on size as I only have a 4GB CF drive and I'm trying to cram all the games on there as well as the OS.
I think if I install Classic WB it'll be too big to fit the games on. :(
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I think there's far too much stuff I won't use on Classic WB, so here is what I want....
IMHO there's too much bloat in Classic WB, what is it now, like a 200+ MB download? Yikes! You've got the right approach, 3.9 + BB1 through 4 for all the latest modules & libraries, then customize to suit your taste. :)
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I'll have to have a look at how big 3.9 is with all the updates and see if I can save some space on the massive amount of games I've got for WHDLoad, I might just get rid of all the CD32 games and all the CDTV games, I can't imagine I'll ever play them, there's no guarantee they'll work with a regular one button joystick either I suppose.
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My advice: just buy a 16GB card and then just install everything in 5 minutes.
You will save many hours of agonizing over what to install, what not to install, getting mad when you screw something up or forget a file. You will forget files. You will make mistakes.
Amigas came to Earth from Heaven with a 2TB drive size limit (2000GB). So its really fantastically silly to limit yourself to a 4GB drive size. 1985 Amigas are not like 1985 M$ Windoze machines or Apple Mac machines with all sorts of made up limitations to rip you off. Throw a big drive in and copy ALL the WHDLoad games that exist all at once. Spend the time you save with your kids, or your wifes or your grandkids or your friends or have a nice relaxing nap. :)
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.. Spend the time you save with your kids, or your wifes ...
How many wifes are you blessed with? :)
@ sir bacharach
The beauty of Dopus's config file system is that you can swap configurations simply by renaming your config to something you won't forget and then copying theirs to the same location. Then simply restart the program. Everything will be different and can be explored to see how it was done!
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I love ClassicWB too but wanted to have a go at creating my own 3.9 setup.
I created a thread here ages ago about setting up 3.9, might still be of some use to you -> 3.9 Setup (http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=50414)
Some of that advice is now out of date (for example you no longer need IconBeFast, just use the new icon.library).
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I love ClassicWB too but wanted to have a go at creating my own 3.9 setup.
I created a thread here ages ago about setting up 3.9, might still be of some use to you -> 3.9 Setup (http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=50414)
Some of that advice is now out of date (for example you no longer need IconBeFast, just use the new icon.library).
I spent all day trying to mess about with this stuff, I Followed the instructions to the word on Classic WB with no luck whatsoever, I was doing it in WINUAE because of the speed advantages and that I can try it out before I put it onto the CF card.
I didn't really want Classic WB, but could I hell get OS3.9 Read CF0:, I Added all the dosdrivers from the old 3.1 build into the 3.9 folders but even when I used shell to mount cf0: I got nothing, I couldn't even figure out how to install FAT95. PC's are so easy these days, everything you need is in a package, you click install and it's there, with an Amiga you have to have a degree to understand the instructions, you have to learn how to edit config files and learn simple commands. It's never easy.
With that in mind, I gave up and tried to install ClassicWB on 3.9, the install Icon that is supposed to appear would not, so I just knocked the whole thing on the head and reverted back to 3.1 with Classic WB.
Due to transfer times and installation times, I spent all day trying to do it and failed.
I'll probably try again some day and most likely fail again.
I think I'd need to be spoon fed how to do it to actually understand.
The problem is, I don't want all the stuff that people compile into a package, I want CF cards in the PCMCIA to be read, I want WHDLoad to work properly and I want Dopus to work with all the unzipping functions. That's it really, I mean Wifi would be nice, but it's not a necessity. I've just got a Wifi card I bought and never used, so it's a shame it's not getting used.
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It's not hard to hear your frustration in your reply. The Amiga was never really a package system, like Windows or OSX. It seems to me if you go with a package solution, you will be missing out on a great deal power and flexibility. One of Amiga's gratest strengths is user customization (that's why one size doesn't fit all).
It may not seem true to you right now, but, Amiga OS is the most transparent system that I've used. Compare it to Windows, Linux or OSX. Many books have been written to take the user as deep as he cares to go. Nothing is hidden. You simply need to scratch the surface a little deeper.
If a user has no docs or books, didn't someone digitize a tutorial? If not, find the books that came with 3.1. Rob Peck and Denny Atkin wrote good books, too, just to name a few.
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On my 4gb CF Cards I can fit Classic Workbench 3.9 and 2500 WHDLoad Games & Demos and a little space to spare (circa 150mb) :)
You really need more than 2200 Games to play? :D
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I didn't really want Classic WB, but could I hell get OS3.9 Read CF0:, I Added all the dosdrivers from the old 3.1 build into the 3.9 folders but even when I used shell to mount cf0: I got nothing, I couldn't even figure out how to install FAT95. PC's are so easy these days, everything you need is in a package, you click install and it's there, with an Amiga you have to have a degree to understand the instructions, you have to learn how to edit config files and learn simple commands. It's never easy.
You are telling me you can make a custom Windows 7 config that does everything you want and fits on a 4GB CF card? For real? You can do that? Its that easy?
If you insist on abusing your Amiga and starving it of the memory it deserves then I don't know what you expect to happen...
With that in mind, I gave up and tried to install ClassicWB on 3.9, the install Icon that is supposed to appear would not, so I just knocked the whole thing on the head and reverted back to 3.1 with Classic WB.
Due to transfer times and installation times, I spent all day trying to do it and failed.
I'll probably try again some day and most likely fail again.
I am pretty sure someone warned you this would happen :)
I think I'd need to be spoon fed how to do it to actually understand.
Next time get a 64GB storage device and use the FREE ready-made FREE distros that ppl spent thousands of hours making for you to use for FREE so that you would not have a single problem ever.
There must be at least 5 different distros you can download for FREE that have built-in unzip and unlha and that are widely reported to "just work".
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I did what you did but TBH once you've used the classic wb and then go back to a stock workbench you do miss the goodies in classic wb.
Even so if you want to go your own way:
1. Download and install fat95.lha from aminet. Dopus should already be set to unarchive .lha. AFAIR the installer installs fat95 filesystem in L: for you?
2. Download cfd.lha from aminet version 1.27. Do what the readme says to install.
3. open a cli/shell (workbench:system/cli)
type cd workbench:devs/dosdrivers
type ed cf1 (or cf0 if there is no cf1)
make sure the following lines are listed:
Filesystem =l:fat95
Device= compactflash.device
save and exit.
4 For archives you need to download the zip, unrar executables from aminet and copy them to Workbench:C
You then need to configure a dopus button or set up a filetype. I can't remember how this is done!
or just download one of the many unarchiving utilities on aminet.
5. ADF's.
Here's where I do thing a bit different.
1. Download and install vfloppy.lha from aminet. This creates up to 4 virtual floppy discs on your hard drive. Meaning you don't need real floppies and its fast to image the adf.
2. Download and install adf2fms.lha from aminet. Run it and choose FFx unit ie choose which virtual floppy you want to extract the .adf image to.
This allows you to mount the .adf's on your desktop and install from them as if they were real floppy disks.
If you want to use real floppy disks, the I use adf2disk11.lha from aminet.
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@chaoslord.
Some of those "distros" are quite bloated, add menus that are "strange", and can change the workbench look and feel dramatically.
I've set up a CGX 1280x1024 hicolor workbench on my A4000 using 3.1 that pretty much does everything that the "distros" do but is leaner, faster, has no double reset, looks damned nice, is rock stable and all the menus make sense, the tools are where I want them to be and I know what they do and how they install so if something goes wrong I can fix it.
He just wants to unrachive zips, rars and adf's and get his compact flash card to mount in PCMCIA port, and get whdload to work. Why should he bother with every other hack patch utility icon set etc?
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Dopus4.x uses scripts + external commands for uncompressing. If you've been using it and its been working "out of the box", its because the setup youve been using included said scripts + unarchivers.
OS3.9 comes with "unarc" though, so perhaps you dont need dopus for this functionality?
It really is worthwhile learning amigaos though if you want to use the system. You lose so much of the OSes power if you dont, and its quite probably the easiest/most simple OS out there if you spend a little time learning it.
Yes Windows/MacOSX/etc. are perhaps a little more idiot proof "out of the box", but for those that arent overly computer literate do you really know what these installers, etc. are doing ? This is part of why these systems become a bit of a mess and slow down over time because of people not knowing where and exactly what theyre installing.
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Well thanks for all the replies.
I decided to have another go, my PCMCIA Card adaptor on the PC is starting to play up now, but so far this is what I've managed.
I installed Fat95 from Aminet.net and also cfd along with the compactflash.device file.
Was simple enough but the problem I was having as I've had previously was that when the card was inserted the Amiga would freeze for ages. Any activity would be unuseably slow.
It worked fine on ClassicWB install that I had previously though, but the strange thing was that ClassicWB doesn't use CF0 file in the DOSDrivers folder to mount the drive, so I was a bit confused at that.
I overwritten the Amigas compactflash.device file that came from aminet with the ClassicWB comactflash.device and now it all works perfectly.
I've also created a copy of the WB disk with these files so when I boot from it, I immediately have access to the PCMCIA CF Card. This way I can copy the files from that disk onto the hard disk ready for when I install Workbench again. It means I don't have to open up my Amiga and put the internal CF Card into my PC Card reader.
As for Dopus, I think I'm gonna just dump the copy of Dopus from ClassicWB with the config files onto my fresh install of WB then examine the Config file to see what other files I need to copy across to make it work.
That will just leave WHDLoad to install.
Once I've done that I'll install any other programs as and when I see the need.
With regards to the CF Card size, I didn't know you could use anything over a 4GB, but to be honest, I don't really want to spend any more money on CF Cards, instead I've just removed all the CD32 games and CDTV games from the drive and made plenty of room. As far as I've seen, there's no diference in most of them anyway other than BASS which has speech and I have kept.
I should also be able to fit all my demos on there now too. So I think I'll be happy with the 4GB CF drive.
It's only to play old classic games, and maybe I'll get it online one day so I can download files from Aminet direct.
I'm not even sure if I'll bother with OS3.9 either, since I don't really know of any differences that would benefit me. I'll maybe just install some of these icon packs I've seen.
Thanks again for all your help.