Trouble Getting A2000 to boot from HD

[DazedNConfused]

After years of putting it off I've finally got my Amiga... This one happens to be an Amiga 2000 that I parted together from bits (mostly from ebay). Here's my issue: The system boots fine from floppy (WB 3.1, system has 3.1 ROMs). I've got a SupraSCSI WordSync 2000 SCSI controller with a 2.0 Gb disk attached.

If I boot from the SupraSCSI boot floppy I can see and partition/low-level-format/format the disk just fine. I've partitioned the disk into two 1Gb partitions and set the first partition as bootable with HDTOOLBOX. Heck I've even followed the prompts on the SupraSCSI Boot disk to install WB 1.3.2 on the disk.

When I change the jumper on the card to Autoboot, don't insert any floppy disks, and boot the system I see a long delay (1-2 min) and finally the infamous "insert boot floppy prompt."

If I swap the jumper back and boot the system from the floppy, the HD partitions pop right up and I can copy data between them, and even to an older 50Mb Seagate disk on the same controller... I just can't get the system to boot from any of the HD's.

Interestingly enough, while I can see the HD's from the WB 3.1 Install disks HDToolBox utility (If I tell it to use the suprascsi.device rather than the default scsi.device driver), they don't mount from anything but the SupraBoot disk.

It feels like I'm just missing some configuration on the disks themselves (like a DOS MBR or something?).

I've booted from the WB 1.3 SupraBoot disk (which mounts the HD partitions on both disks), and run Install from the WB 3.1 Install disk. It's put all the relevant files onto the boot partition of the 2Gb disk, but it doesn't boot without the floppy in... Suggestions? I really feel like I'm close to making this system live again...

Thanks in advance.
 :-(

[DazedNConfused]

I hadn't thought of that. The system came with v3.1 ROMs installed, and v1.3 in an antistatic bag... I never thought to try the older ROM... Who downgrades?

I'll give it a shot tomorrow and see what happens.

[DazedNConfused]

Ok, so you found me out... I do have a ROM switcher (it came with the system), but I never installed it. It's one of those things that holds both ROMs (the 1.3 and the 3.1) and you can set it to boot from the non-default ROM by holding down the left mouse button at boot... It just didn't seem that I'd ever WANT to boot from an older ROM, so I poped the 3.1 ROM in and put the rest of the kit back in the bag.

I'll install it later this week.

I've checked the SCSI disks out and they both work just fine... Interestingly, I tested the disks by installing them in my Mac SE. I can see them just fine and format them under Mac OS 7.1 with no problem. When I put them back in the Amiga I can use the SupraTools boot disk to repartition and reformat them, and as along as I'm booting from the SupraTools boot disk I can access the HD's.

The only thing I can't do is get the Amiga 2000 to boot from them (even after a WB 3.1 installation). I'm thinking that there may be an issue booting this A2000 with the 3.1 ROMs from the SupraSCSI WordSync controller.

I'll try it with the older ROMs and get back to the forum with the results.

[DazedNConfused]

Ok, so now I have the ROM switcher installed and working. I pulled a 2.0 ROM from my A500 put it in the default ROM slot and stuck the older 1.3 ROM in the alternate. Now I can boot using either ROM just fine.

Still not able to boot from the HD (50 Mb Seagate), no matter what ROM I use... The 3.1 ROM is totally out of the picture at this point.

With the 2.0 ROM running, booted from the SupraBoot floppy disk, formatted the Seagate drive and installed OS 1.3, then ran the update to OS 1.3.2.

After that I power down, change the jumper on the SupraSCSI controller to allow AUTOBOOT and turn the system back on... Long delay, ~2min? Then I get the ROM 2.0 "Please insert OS disk"

I'm back to thinking that the SupraBoot tools aren't really setting the master boot block on the disk at this point (or whatever it is Amiga's use for that function - can you tell my history is with the PC? - don't hold it against me - I'm recovering).

If I boot from the SupraBoot disk, I can access the HD just fine. I can copy files to and from it. Heck, I can even see a second SCSI disk when I connect that (2Gb disk with 2x 1Gb partitions).

I think that something is missing on the disk itself.

I'll try installing OS 2.1 next to the 50Mb Disk, and I'll check it out with the HDToolBox utilities to see what's what... There doesn't seem to be a copy of anything like HDToolBox on the OS 1.3 floppy disks, so I assume that tool pre-dates bootable HD's?

Is it even possible to boot an OS 1.3 system (with 1.3 ROMs) from a Hard Disk?

I'm fairly certain that it IS possible to boot OS 2.1 (implied by the "make bootable" option in HDToolBox on the Install disk).

[DazedNConfused]

Good suggestion. Tried it all...

Bottom line is I think the SupraSCSI WordSync board has a problem. I swapped in a NexusSCSI board, formatted the same disk, while using the same ROMs, installed WB 1.3 and booted just fine.

I upgraded to OS 3.1, again system boots just fine.

Either the SupraSCSI tools aren't working with this disk or the board has some boot problem.

Anyway, problem "worked around"

[DazedNConfused]

You hit it there... Supra board just wasn't working for me. I had a NexusSCSI board laying around, which was appealing as an alternative, mostly because it includes 4x 30-pin SIMM slots for up to 8Mb of FastRam on the card, but after several days of trying, I failed to get it to boot the machine from anything other than an old Quantum 52Mb disk... And of course I really wanted to use a bigger disk.

In came the A2091 (with 2 Mb onboard)... My A2000 is now quite happy. However, I have been unsuccessful at getting the board to work with a Quantum 2.1Gb disk. I'll check the ROM version on the card. I'll bet it's got the older ROM... Thanks for tipping me off. It works just fine with the all the SCSI disks under 500 Mb that I've thrown at it, but the 1.3Gb and the 2.1Gb disks just wouldn't successfully format.

Assuming I do have the older ROM on the controller, do you have any advice on where to get newer ROMs? A quick check of eBay shows no such items.