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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: outlawal2 on February 09, 2018, 04:39:32 PM
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Good Morning!
Trying to install a slot load CDROM in my 1200.. Bought the special 2 device cable from Amikit that changes it from the 44 pin to the standard 40 pin IDE .. (Standard IDE equipment can use this) I am able to get the CF reader to work no problem, but the secondary channel will not work at all. I have tried (I think anyway) every possible combination of master, slave, swapped each device and tried both connectors etc... I even tried 2 other KNOWN GOOD ZIP250 drives and can't get them to work either...
CLEARLY I am missing something so I decided to once again go to the source of all Amiga knowledge so here I am..
My thanks in anticipation!
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Good Morning!
Trying to install a slot load CDROM in my 1200.. Bought the special 2 device cable from Amikit that changes it from the 44 pin to the standard 40 pin IDE .. (Standard IDE equipment can use this) I am able to get the CF reader to work no problem, but the secondary channel will not work at all. I have tried (I think anyway) every possible combination of master, slave, swapped each device and tried both connectors etc... I even tried 2 other KNOWN GOOD ZIP250 drives and can't get them to work either...
CLEARLY I am missing something so I decided to once again go to the source of all Amiga knowledge so here I am..
My thanks in anticipation!
Have you installed IDEFix97 or equivalent?
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I haven't personally installed this as I bought the machine and it already had the OS on it... I can see a folder that says IDEfix, but no idea if it has been installed or not.. And not sure exactly how to install it.. I figured it was installed but no way to know for sure.. (I kinda figured that if the machine had IDE it had to be installed to work..) Is that not the case?
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I haven't personally installed this as I bought the machine and it already had the OS on it... I can see a folder that says IDEfix, but no idea if it has been installed or not.. And not sure exactly how to install it.. I figured it was installed but no way to know for sure.. (I kinda figured that if the machine had IDE it had to be installed to work..) Is that not the case?
Use a text editor and open the user_startup and see if there is an entry for IDEFix. Also check the main startup file. IDEFix has a self installing program that not only installs the software but autodetects the devices that you have. You also I assume have the device drivers and libraries installed. Something like DOpus is very useful for checking libs and such as it will also read the mount list and check what libs are being called up. Also the old two mouse button down on boot will tell you what you have mounted. If they don't appear then sounds like your OS hasn't got the software installed to mount the device.
Dunno which OS you are running but there maybe a CD0 in the DEVS DOSDrivers drawer. Some of the file systems don't use the DOSDrivers from that location. Sorry... would need more information on your system really.
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OK, I installed IDEfix and was able to get one of my standard IDE CDROMs to work (But of course the slot load drive specifically purchased for this project will not work) Sigh
Anyway, went on to install the easynet software (which is why I needed a CDROM drive to work) Got Easynet up and running finally and can ping the machine from my network. Also loaded the PCMCIA transfer software so i can use CF cards to copy files over from my PC until I can get the network software to work...
Sooo, I copy the Aexplorer files to the PC and shut it down so I can plug the PCMCIA wireless card in, restart the machine.. And now it won't boot.. Flashes like crazy so it is reading from the CF, but after about 30 seconds it simply quits.. NO IDEA why as it was working just fine before, and all I did was copy some files to the desktop.. Didn't even get a chance to run them so why did it die on me now?
The joys of 30 year old hardware..
Anyway, did make some progress and really appreciate the troubleshooting tips..
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OK, I installed IDEfix and was able to get one of my standard IDE CDROMs to work (But of course the slot load drive specifically purchased for this project will not work) Sigh
Anyway, went on to install the easynet software (which is why I needed a CDROM drive to work) Got Easynet up and running finally and can ping the machine from my network. Also loaded the PCMCIA transfer software so i can use CF cards to copy files over from my PC until I can get the network software to work...
Sooo, I copy the Aexplorer files to the PC and shut it down so I can plug the PCMCIA wireless card in, restart the machine.. And now it won't boot.. Flashes like crazy so it is reading from the CF, but after about 30 seconds it simply quits.. NO IDEA why as it was working just fine before, and all I did was copy some files to the desktop.. Didn't even get a chance to run them so why did it die on me now?
The joys of 30 year old hardware..
Anyway, did make some progress and really appreciate the troubleshooting tips..
Yeh.. That's why we do it. Seems you have to have a whole bag of failure to make the joy of it all working pure joy. Just back track what you did. Make a healthy list of notes and then just when you think you have had enough, take a break and just reflect. And always remember its probably not the kit at fault.... seems to be more my errors in the end. The 1200 wasn't really designed with CF at its core so you can't blame the computer.
You'll get there, and when it works you will be over the moon.
Have fun.
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I know some CF adapters want to be the only device on the IDE channel even if it has a jumper to change.
Maybe that is what's going on.
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If you want just CF and cdrom the I would recommend one of these. Its such a tidy interface.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-CF2IDE-Angle-IDE-44-PIN-CF-Card-Adapter-to-40-PIN-IDE-Amiga-600-1200-566-/112379910631?hash=item1a2a5d59e7
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If you want just CF and cdrom the I would recommend one of these. Its such a tidy interface.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-CF2IDE-Angle-IDE-44-PIN-CF-Card-Adapter-to-40-PIN-IDE-Amiga-600-1200-566-/112379910631?hash=item1a2a5d59e7
That looks nice and tidy.. Do you use one? (I ask because i want to make sure it isn't like some of my other ones that don't play well with secondary devices..)
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OK I figured out that the slot load CDROM I intended to use MUST be the master and it appears that the A1200 IDE will only allow booting from master so I will need to find a different CD solution. Well I WAS able to get a standrd internal CDROM to work until I figure out a slot load solution..
So onto the next issue.. I can boot from my CF card (that already had 3.1 on it) but when I try to see the drive in HDtools it is not listed. (This is a problem as I can't setup a new CF card until I can see it in HDtools)
I seem to recall something about the SCSI.DEVICE name possibly being the culprit. I have an accelerator in this Amiga (DKB Power Computing 020?)
Also, how do you stop the constant nag with IDEFIX97? Says it isn't registered and yet no way to get the serial that I can see.. ??
Any suggestions are much appreciated! (And thanks for the help folks)
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OK I figured out that the slot load CDROM I intended to use MUST be the master and it appears that the A1200 IDE will only allow booting from master so I will need to find a different CD solution. Well I WAS able to get a standrd internal CDROM to work until I figure out a slot load solution..
So onto the next issue.. I can boot from my CF card (that already had 3.1 on it) but when I try to see the drive in HDtools it is not listed. (This is a problem as I can't setup a new CF card until I can see it in HDtools)
I seem to recall something about the SCSI.DEVICE name possibly being the culprit. I have an accelerator in this Amiga (DKB Power Computing 020?)
Also, how do you stop the constant nag with IDEFIX97? Says it isn't registered and yet no way to get the serial that I can see.. ??
Any suggestions are much appreciated! (And thanks for the help folks)
You could use one of those 4xIDE adapters so that both drives could be masters...
In the Info for HDToolBox tool type make sure SCSI_DEVICE_NAME=scsi.device and not dkbscsi.device or whatever.
Also if you have AmigaForever then it contains a licensed copy of IDEFix.
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OK I figured out that the slot load CDROM I intended to use MUST be the master and it appears that the A1200 IDE will only allow booting from master so I will need to find a different CD solution. Well I WAS able to get a standrd internal CDROM to work until I figure out a slot load solution..
So onto the next issue.. I can boot from my CF card (that already had 3.1 on it) but when I try to see the drive in HDtools it is not listed. (This is a problem as I can't setup a new CF card until I can see it in HDtools)
I seem to recall something about the SCSI.DEVICE name possibly being the culprit. I have an accelerator in this Amiga (DKB Power Computing 020?)
Also, how do you stop the constant nag with IDEFIX97? Says it isn't registered and yet no way to get the serial that I can see.. ??
Any suggestions are much appreciated! (And thanks for the help folks)
I have to agree with bbond007, a 4xIDE adapter might be your best bet. Especially since you already have confirmed that this CD-ROM works on your Amiga (a lot of them doesn't work at all).
If you are using standard OS3.1 (or lower) HDToolBox, it needs to be patched for it to work with CF cards. Instructions can be found here: http://rhz1.comlu.com/tutorials/making_hdtoolbox_work_with_cf_cards.htm
The Power Computing serials for IDE-fix 97 can be found on various places on the net (just google for them).
They are also included in the IDE-fix 97 AIO packs, which you can read about here: http://rhz1.comlu.com/miscstuff/idefix97_aio.htm
And download from here: https://app.box.com/s/uuyi3kka5smiogq6vwsmn21folkxy983
Or here (ADF image): https://app.box.com/s/ny3is2k70oqdp8qo6phnkv6smz3p71kz
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I have to agree with bbond007, a 4xIDE adapter might be your best bet. Especially since you already have confirmed that this CD-ROM works on your Amiga (a lot of them doesn't work at all).
This is the adapter I'm currently using.
http://amigakit.amiga.store/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=194
It comes with 4xEIDE'99 software which works a lot like IdeFIX but can split large HDs into several 4GB HDs for compatibility for 3.1.
I find it does not play well with BlizKick, but the adapter is available (most seem sold out)
I've got it hooked to a 4GB transcend disk on module. The secondary port I have hooked to a IDE->SATA converter which hooks to 32GB SSD. I have hooked an external CD over ESATA.
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OK SCSI_DEVICE_NAME=scsi.device so no issues there.. (I am using Bloodwychs CF images so it is definitely 3.1 I am just surprised that it wasn't patched already..) Regardless I am downloading one of the 911Boot disks that were listed in one of the links provided by PanterHZ.. Many thanks! And also thanks for the info on IDE97 as that has cleared that issue up nicely...
bbond007 the adapter looks pretty sweet and may be just what the doctor ordered, but I am going to holdoff on ordering as I have been spending too much on this project already... Had I not ordered a Squirrel SCSI yesterday I would have ordered this adaptor already!
Off to lunch and then I will try the 911 boot disk and see how I fare with my CF card..
Thanks for all of the help folks. Really appreciate it and I will let you know how this turns out..
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bbond007 the adapter looks pretty sweet and may be just what the doctor ordered, but I am going to holdoff on ordering as I have been spending too much on this project already... Had I not ordered a Squirrel SCSI yesterday I would have ordered this adaptor already!
That elbox 4xEIDE is kind of expensive for what it is. You could could get an IDEFix-Express for not much more which is twice as fast. If they were available :(
https://amigakit.amiga.store/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=425
I don't know if I'd want my PCMCIA tied up with a CDROM - I use PCMCIA for ethernet.
Good luck with your project :)
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That elbox 4xEIDE is kind of expensive for what it is. You could could get an IDEFix-Express for not much more which is twice as fast. If they were available :(
https://amigakit.amiga.store/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=425
I don't know if I'd want my PCMCIA tied up with a CDROM - I use PCMCIA for ethernet.
Good luck with your project :)
OK confused here as I did not see anything stating that using the elbox interferes with the PCMCIA slot.. ?? Am I missing something?
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OK confused here as I did not see anything stating that using the elbox interferes with the PCMCIA slot.. ?? Am I missing something?
I was under the impression the Squirrel SCSI used PCMCIA. Leaving it unavailable for anything else. For that reason, I'd probably never go that route...
Not trying to confuse you...
I know for a fact that the elbox 4xEIDE works fine with PCMCIA ethernet because is what I'm currently using.
All 4xIDE things should work fine with PCMCIA. In fact, some help the PCMCIA work better.
There are some bugs in the A1200's PCMCIA implementation where the card does not get reset on reboot.
The elbox FastATA clips over the gayle chip for more speed and also contains a PCMCIA fix for the reset problem.
I'm not sure if IdeFix Express also has the PCMCIA fix.
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Ok must have been my mistake.. Yes the Squirrell uses the PCMCIA slot and I understand where you were coming from now. (I thought you were saying the elbox messed with the PCMCIA slot..)
Anyway, I swap devices out left and right so no problem with that! (I would use it for ethernet too but I haven't had any luck getting my wireless adaptor to work with it yet..)
All kinds of things for me to fix / play with!
Thanks
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An IDEFix Express is what I have in my A1200 tower, where a dual CF card adapter is connected to the main port (2 + 8 GB cards), and a dual SATA adapter is attached to the second port. To the SATA adapter, I have currently hooked up a third CF card + a cable that goes to an external port. This one is used for connecting an external harddisk for backup purposes once in a while.
My desktop A1200 (custom case) has a regular IDEFix installed, where a dual CF adapter is connected to the main port (2 + 2 GB cards), and a slim CD-ROM drive is yet again to be attached to the secondary one. I had to disconnect the drive due to power issues, but I have now bought a more powerful PSU.
The IDE-fix 97 software is nice, although I find the documentation to be a bit lacking. One important thing to have in mind, is that it can be a good idea to use the IDEfixPrefs tool for disabling all unit numbers that isn't used by any device. IDEfix have a tendency to hang upon boot if this is not done. If disabling has been performed, it is equally important to remember about this, in case another device is to be connected in the future.
The IDEFix adapters are no longer available, but individual Computers have a tendency to make new batches of their old hardware if the interest is there (like the Buddha). So it is possible that new IDEFix boards may come some time in the future.
As for now, I do belive that a 4xEIDE'99 currently is the best available option.
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I'm not sure if IdeFix Express also has the PCMCIA fix.
Although I can't tell for sure that IDEfix Express has the PCMCIA fix (not using this port on my A1200T), I did use a SquirrelSCSI + CD-ROM with my original A1200 back in the day, and for the most part, I didn't have any serious issues with this.
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Anyway, I swap devices out left and right so no problem with that! (I would use it for ethernet too but I haven't had any luck getting my wireless adaptor to work with it yet..)
I try not to swap stuff too much. The PCMCIA wears out... commodore computers were designed to last 3 years. Had a 1200 with messed up PCMCIA.
I my wireless did great (with WEP/Prism) many years and several routers ago, but I sort of gave up on that. I've wired the house for ethernet.
This is what I'm using now.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/D-Link-PC-Card-16-Bit-10-100mb-Laptop-to-any-Network/181891299983
If i really need wifi on the amiga then I'd probably buy something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-Universal-Ethernet-Adapter-GWU627/dp/B004UAKCS6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1518846430
But I already have a similar thing by netgear.