**Need Setup HELP** with Classic Amiga 2000 HARD DISK (Bridgeboard)

[wbrejnia]

I'm BACK.  With a TESTING PLAN.

So I spend last couple of days away from the Amiga.  Was a nice break.

( I did catch up reading some of your posts. Thank you for providing.  I like the one that described that JANUS loads before ISA/Adapters and how they are read into memory order)

I did daydream about next steps (Especially during the countdown on this attraction https://www.greatwolf.com/niagara/waterpark-attractions/swim-splash-slide/wolf-tail

and have formulated a good plan.

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A) The Lo-Tech ISA/IDE Adapter problem on the Bridgeboard has been submitted to another FORUM.   Added to thread  on The Vintage Computer Forum, and James the developer of the Lo-Tech Adapter is there with me.  Hoping to get support from the Universal BIOS X-IDE guru's.  This appears to be a Adapter Initialization problem.

Here is the POST on Vintage Computer Forum:
http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.php?17986-XTIDE-Universal-BIOS/page35

The only thing I'll be doing is some comparison test (BB/486) using RANISH (part -i) command.  It shows IDE drives and memory Location/Interrupt.

But this will be for other forum post.

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B) Tackle the Boot C: Drive problem.

For the C: Drive (WD Controller/RLL HD) boot issue. I am moving things to the 486.

0)  If I remember correctly the RLL Drive Combo, never booted in the 486, so it must be something in common. (Something with the Boot Image or Drive itself)

1a ) Plan is to look into the Boot Image (Using Disk Edit, down to the actual Boot Block)
1b ) I will also look into the Image of the bootable C: drive (using the HARD File on DF2:floppy via Amiga ABoot.init Boot method THAT WORKS).  
  ** Is there anything different about the Partition, Bootblock, etc **

2a) I will try and FIRST get the RANISH boot selector program working on the 486 (WITH THE MAXTOR IDE Drive [MOtherboard BIOS driven] & [NO BIOS using Lotech)
** This worked both was using Standard DOS 6.2

2b) If I can get RANISH boot working on 486/Maxtor, then I'll try the same using RLL Drive

I believe above should either confirm things won't Ever Work (a dead end), or maybe with luck get some things working.

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If none of the above works, all I will be left with is to test further trying to get Jdisk/Jlink/Aread/Awrite working.

[wbrejnia]

[PLAN B]  - RLL Image Dump recovery onto [A Working Hard Disk- Seagate Maxtor IDE drive]

(Very Tricky but possible)

I forgot about this option I have.

I have a "Fragment Image" copy of the original RLL C: Drive Partition.
The files I dumped onto 640K floppies and saved to USB stick.

-I have a copy of all the sectors of the [Original RLL Drive - Bridgeboard Hard Disk]  (PARtITION 1, DOS).
-Only the first couple of sectors were missing (filled with 00h, since Disk Editor couldn't read).  The area that contained the MBR.
-If I'm lucky the dump contains everything starting at the file system.  The directories, and the files within.

From what I understand sectors are sequential, regardless of Cylinders, and heads.

- So I can bring back the sectors dump, into the IDE Seagate drive, even though MBR is blank. (I don't want to play with the fixed RLL drive. YET)
- Then (bit tricky), I guess the starting point of the Partition, and copy in a MBR from new (working RLL drive) (modify it if needed).

I'm not expecting perfection (a full working bootable partition), but enough to see what that original C: Drive (RLL) had on it.  DOS 3.1?  DOS 5.x? etc.  
Was there a config.sys, autoexect.bat [was it designed to be bootable?].  What there a ((( jdisk.com entry in config.sys)))?

It will give me some clues as to if the original RLL drive was originally bootable C: drive?  Or was it a D: drive with an HARD FILE as C:

[wbrejnia]

In my opinion you have to start again from the fundamentals...
.....

I agree with you. (This is a good approach for overall AMIGA/PC ->bridgeboard  <- JANUS -> )
Maybe I have a bad connection on Amiga Motherboard, or bridge board in Slot.
Yes, I could have bad AMIGA bridgeboard files.
Lot's of work, and YES I will do (very soon).

But I just finished joining together the images.
Norton Diskedit (Is amazing.).  I can see my whole OLD C: drive file system (From the IMAGE copy).
 All files intact (I can even see the DOS OS boot file)

I will explain soon. (I am tying PLAN B, just to understand the past setup better.)

[wbrejnia]

Raffaele,

You have my full attention now!!!!

Maybe the card does need cleaning.  Maybe ALL needs cleaning!!
I first thought cleaning cables fixed my problem.
Then I thought it was cabling (Flip) that fixed my C: drive.
But afterwards, I found out ribbon cabling needed FLIP BACK.
So RIBBON cable to RLL drive is like always but now working.

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Plus I like the X-IDE link you found above.

Everything they talk about makes sense to me.

I also played with Jumpers (IO addresss and Base Addresss)
** Both work proper on 486, and on 8086, except 8086 won't initialize **

(I haven't played with x-ide config things.  That is only after you have a C: drive, to speed up I/O)

(Interesting they mention no Support for IRQ (yet), and my WD controller picked up on IRQ3 on 8086, Will check on 486 when I test)

I really like the Explanation of various versions of DOS and limitations.

The problems they had.  But that was at the beginning of X-IDE.
I think many problems were overcome.
But if my Bridgeboard connector is dirty, that could explain why ISA/IDE adapter not doing INIT.

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I still want to test why WD controller/RLL does not boot in 486.
Maybe WD Controller card IS THE REAL ONE NEEDING CLEANING!!

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** I got a view on the orignial C: RLL Image.
** IT was 100% a bootable drive.
** It has C:\autoexec.bat and C:\config.sys
** I still have to work to see contents of both******.
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YOU made a point earlier about corrupt Amiga (eg Janus Files, Jdisk, Awrite.)
I am not using old disks.
Everything is brand new downloads (New made bridgeboard Workbench)
My worry was compatibility and library versions.
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[wbrejnia]

Raffaele,

I looked over the BB and Amiga Motherboard slot connectors.
VERY CLOSELY with HIGH Powered LIGHT.

Everything is perfect.
All contacts are gold plated (Shiny) on BB and slots.
All connectors are fully spring extended.

I don't want to mess up things with Contact cleaner.
Not yet.

Must look at my other test plans first. (like get RLL drive working in 486.  BOOTABLE and see what Interrupts show up, with ISA/IDE adapter)

I just cloned the IMAGE of old RLL drive (with missing MBR) onto Seagate IDE Drive (which works also with ISA/IDE X-IDE adapter in 486).
Will examine and without risk can try to restore MBR.

The maybe put Adapter with Seagate into 8086.

[wbrejnia]

[End of PLAN B - RLL drive Image Restore] Got enough evidence

So I tried many things to bring back the RLL Drive Image (without MBR), onto the SPARE Maxtor IDE Drive.

I tried Disk Edit, Ghost Editor, Recovery tools.  Really close in many ways, but assembling bit-and-pieces to work impossible.

Just too complicated for my limited knowledge.

But I did get enough evidence to know how that RLL C: drive used to work.

FROM BELOW: (Diskedit of Image) you can see the following:

- C drive was bootable (Since it contains DOS, autoexec.bat, and config.sys)
- From size of command.com (it just a little over DOS 3.3, but way under 6.2)
- There was no "jdisk.com or jlink.com" that I could easily see. Which is what I expected.

** I COULD NOT OPEN ANY FILES for viewing, since the POINTERS were off, how I loaded the image
** Best I could get is moving thru directories and see what files were around



So next, I will take out WD-COntroller and RLL drive (move into 486).  

- IT MUST BOOT in 486, to boot in 8086. (maybe jumper, or DOS, or Format, etc)

- TIME to Try Ranish (boot image) (on Seagate MAXTOR IDE drive, then on RLL Drive)

Yes, I will clean contacts, since taking things apart.

[wbrejnia]

486 [RANISH Boot Manager] With MAXTOR IDE Drive (DOS 3.3)

This is was EASY AS PIE!!
BUT it probably won't work on RLL drive, or in Amiga.



1) PARTITION  [1] C: [ 40 Mb] (Created FRESH by FDISK, (DOS 3.3), ACTIVE, Formatted with DOS 3.3, System installed)
2) PARTITION [2] D:  [40 Mb]  (Created by ADISK)
3) Tested to be working (without RANISH Boot manager)
4) RANISH BOOT MANAGER INSTALL (Tested, working)

[wbrejnia]

Raffaelle, (Thank you)

Wow!!  So much information.
I feel like I'm drinking from FIRE HOSE and :juggler:

- I don't care about rebuilding old DOS RLL drive image.  I have enough information, and new Build on REAL IDE Drive should work.
-----> I will later maybe try to fix image with MBR
-----> I was hoping to find simple (Undelete, file extractor), like I have for getting files from SD card. (I use RECUVA).  But it want IMAGE on Physical media, not FILE.  So I would have to copy into Physical media (like Drive, or SD card), but my DRIVE is IDE and Windows machine has no IDE.  Maybe RECUVA will work on my Windows XP machine. (lot of work to move around)

-> I am testing now many configs (486 vs 80860
-> Geting Ranish IRQ from all setups to compare.

-> I am going to build NEW WB, new BB installall (WB 1.2)

THen go back to Kickstart 3.1 and try BB install on WB 1.3, OS3.1, Cross DOS.

[wbrejnia]

But does CF card works now? Is it being seen by 486 just as like 8088?

Do you formatted CF Card with correct 2GB partition parameters before putting it into 8088 and trying booting from it?

LAST TIME (DOS 6.2, messy Parititions)
Compact Flash only works on 486. and
SD Card only works on 486. and
IDE HD only works on 486 and  ** THIS SHOULD WORK ((in Amiga)) with 25 Mb Partition, same as RLL **

NOTHING works on 8086 except WD+RLL.  NOTHING else in AMiga PC !!  (NO C: ) (  no D: ) (no C:-rll + D: )

Trying all above AGAIN (Clean Partition and RANISH booter)

[wbrejnia]

2A) you copy the first two sectors of this brand new MBR into a file, on a Floppy, and then pasting its contents back on its 2 starting sectors on your Disk image?

Once you made this trick, you have a live Disk image functiong and ready to be put again on RLL Drive?

NOT EASY.  I am not expert.  Confusing with DiskEDIT.
Tricky with Diferrent DOS, DIfferent FAT,  Offset to Root Directory, to Data, to File Clusters.  (DISK edit take me to wrong places for files)
I am not sure if my DUMP is correct.  Looks good.  Sequential, but first few sectors confusing since missing.
Maybe other tools you provided will help.

[wbrejnia]

** BEST CRASH EVER *** THINGS ARE WORKING (Not sure what/how)

This is very interesting.  I am VERY EXCITED!!!!  (I didn't expect this, when I double check on PC ICON.  I expected boot from A: floppy)

-->>(PC crashed , or is HUNG)
-->>(AMIGA side is Operational)

I put the newly prepare Seagate Maxtor Drive into the Lo-Tech-ISA/IDE adapter, into the Amiga.

** YES I CLEAN THE Bridgeboard Contact with Conductor Cleaner **

THIS IS VERY PROMISING!!

- It shows INITIALIZATION of Lo-Tech ISA/IDE Adapter (NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE)
- It shows a BOOT Attempt off C: Drive (Ranish)

- **** LOOK!!! Janus HANDLER showed up !!!!!!
- NEVER happened before
- Needed for everything (Format across to Amiga Partition)
- I thinks ERROR reading boot sector is I didn't format AMIGA Paritition yet.




- Since handler showed up.  I am going to try FORMAT on Amiga Side to JH0:
- Going to run SYSINFO (before I power off)

- Now I will take out (JUST drive) (move to 486) and remove RANISH
- Not touching HW (Lo-Tech)

[wbrejnia]

- AMiga Boot was Vanilla (only JANUS.library, in Expansion Folder), NO [DJmount, no PC DISK, no Fdisk on PC side)

I just ran DJMOUNT (new Message), never seen before.

[wbrejnia]

I HAVE NOT POWERED OFF YET. (Try to gather information on this setup)

--> I RAN PC-DISK (Amiga Side)
------> Then CTRL-ALT-DEL to reboot PC.



This time it does not boot from HARD DISK-ISA/IDE-Adapter, and it trying to boot from HARD FILE. (I just picked any Workbench, this was old tester for Hard file)

** MAYBE becuase I left Floppy inside DRIVE **  Trying PC-CTRL-ALT-DEL  reboot, without Floppy  (NO AMIGA REBOOT YET)

[wbrejnia]

I Took FLOPPY OUT.  Want's AUTOBOOT MORE.  

It might have been PC-disk Execution.

** I HAVE ENOUGH EVIDENCE  **

*** MARKING THIS WORKBENCH and FLOPPY combination (Safekeeping [[No Touch)]  ) ***

Rebooting AMIGA to see if this happens again (LO-Tech/Ranish BOoot from Seagate).  ** I HOPE SO***

[wbrejnia]

OH!! OH!!

Clicking on PC window to find out was longest wait ever.

CTRL-AMIGA-AMIGA (reboot)  DID NOT ACTIVATE Lo-tech-ISA-IDE reboot

Trying, Power OFF REBOOT!! (keeping fingers crosssed).

I did not change anything.

[wbrejnia]

NO.  POWER OFF, POWER ON, did not do the job to Boot from C: drive.

I KNOW SOMETHING I DID (just before the IDE BOOT worked)

There was a Aboot.ctrl file when I first powered on. (after installing Lo-tech and IDE drive)

I removed it, then I did a (reboot), not sure if (CTRL-ALT-DEL) or (CRTRL-AMIGA-AMIGA)

I think CONTROl-ALT-DEL

Maybe the Aboot.ctrl File somehow enabled AutoBooting on AMIGA (then removing it, forced reboot to PC IDE since no HARD FILE POINTER)

I am going to try an replicate.