OS 3.9 installation issues

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Try:  setpatch SKIPROMUPDATES console.device,scsi.device REVERSE NOREBOOT

(no quotes)

One other thought:  manually copy the "AmigaOS ROM Update" file from the CD onto the ERD.  But I think this is where your problem is - you've either got a scratch or degradation on your CD, or just incredibly bad luck with disks and floppy drives.  Work-arounds aren't the answer, you need to get this fixed right.

On the bright side, there's a copy of "AmigaOS ROM Update" inside BoingBag2.  So even if your CD is scratched or degraded, you could get it from there as an alternate source.  The downside is to extract that file from the BoingBag archive you need your Xad decompressors working.  And that's a whole other can of worms for you already.  It's a catch-22 at this point.  You need that file, but no way of getting it from either your CD or your BoingBags.  

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Actually, edit the Startup-Sequence on the ERD and add those two items, if they aren't already in the line.

C:Ed text editor should be on there?  Of course now I'm home and left all my disks at the office, ugh!  

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

It's a decompressor library that works with many types of compressed file formats.  They secured a license to include it with 3.9, but honestly the only thing I've ever used it with is the 3.9 Unarc program, and the "AmigaOS-Update" files for 3.9. Everybody else just uses LHA.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

in the startup-sequence on the ERD there is list of if statements.  The last one says something like:
IF $scsiupdate EQ 1
   setpatch QUIET

Are you saying I would modify this line to
IF $scsiupdate EQ 1
   setpatch SKIPROMUPDATES console.device,scsi.device REVERSE NOREBOOT

Or am I placing this line somewhere else in the startup-sequence?

Okay, if that's what it says (I left all my disks at the office), try:

setpatch SKIPROMUPDATES console.device,scsi.device QUIET

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

A screenshot of the decompressed BB2, for reference:

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Vacaville..to Washington DC..to Sacramento

How many amigas does it take to install an OS???

At this point I could probably install this sucker in 15 minutes if I had it in front of me.  And had a good DF0: floppy drive.  And some known-good floppy disks.  And a known-good 3.9 CD.  :lol:

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

That worked.  It booted from the ERD.  What does this mean, and should I proceed with a 3.9 install from here?

It means exactly what it sounds like.  That big "AmigaOS ROM Update" file in DEVS: contains updates to many of the files that are in your actual, physical ROM.  Device drivers, handlers, libraries, stuff like that.  By Default it tries to use the versions in the file on disk instead of the ones in your (older) ROM.  SKIPROMUPDATES is telling it to use the versions in the ROM rather than the newer versions on the disk.

And, yes!  What the heck, at this point.  Proceed!  Although keep in mind you may need to edit any startup-sequences it creates (S-S is updated with each BoingBag update, also), to keep adding those two commands.  

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

But did I understand you correctly before that perhaps the Rom update in boingbag2 might be a fix that I won't need to SKIP?

It might.  Although the reason I was suggesting it was as an alternative source for a ROM update file, in case the file on your 3.9 CD was damaged/scratched/etc.  

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

At this point you've booted off the ERD with the 3.9 CD in the drive and gotten the "Boing ball" background screen and whatnot, correct?  Here's where you'd prep a partition with HDToolbox, if you haven't already, and start the install.  Go go go!  

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

There are other issues with 3 and 4

Lies!  :p :lol:

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Are you going to stay up all night and "fix" even more? (lol)

Haha, that's a fair point.  

Although I run BB4+ on both my systems with zero issues, stable all day long.  OP's mileage may vary.  

To clarify for OP:  BB1&2 were released by H&P, as updates to the original 3.9 release.  BB3/4 are more "community-sourced", in other words they were put together by Amiga enthusiasts and contain updates to drivers and libraries and other software, beyond what was available when BB2 came out (in 2002).  So by installing 3/4 you're going to get a much more updated system, but maybe without the benefit of some of the more extensive testing H&P did.

My .02 cents, I would always install them, because I want my Amiga to have the latest and most up-to-date drivers and libraries.  I haven't had any problems, maybe just needed a few tweaks to the Startup-Sequence for optimal performance.  But some people are scared of new things (Russian proverb: "New is first enemy of old"), and would rather halt their progress with the "official" BB2 circa 2002.  Or for some people making edits to Startup-Sequence is unfamiliar territory.  Blah blah, try them, if it doesn't work just reinstall again, since now you know how to do it.    LOL

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

well it wont let me to the boingbag1 install because of the "xad missing password" error.
I copied the xad key file you gave me to my S drive and tried again but it didn't make a difference.

Gah.

Drop down to a command line and type:

version xadmaster.library full

Post the output.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Okay, that's an old version, but try the fix suggested in this post, instead:

http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=31637

Copy the entire contents of the BoingBag archive from the CD into either RAM: or onto your hard drive somewhere, and run it from there.  Keep the 3.9 CD in the drive.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

I'm already running it from another partition.  I could try RAM if you thought that was worth a try?

Yes, copy the BB archive to RAM: and try to run it from there, with the 3.9 CD in the drive.

2nd option: manually extract the newer version of xadmaster.library from BB1 using Unarc and try sticking that in LIBS:.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

How far into the installation process does it get before it gives you the error message?  Can you post a screenshot?

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

same results running from Ram.

moving to second option.

its asking for a password to extract that one file (xadmaster.library)
do you know what that password is?

Do you have the 3.9 CD in the drive?  See post 2 & 5:

Read this thread.  If it's not working with the CD in the drive try what's in post #20:

http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=32233