A2000 Formatted HELP!

[ddogg66]

I recently formatted the HDD on my A2000 but don't know how to get the workbench software (v1.3) to copy over to the HDD. I have no experience really with doing any of this on the Amiga. I'm a Mac kid who loves the toaster. I use 2.0 software. I have all the software needed including a trump pro disk and workbench 1.3 along with 12 Toaster 2.0 disks. I have never formatted an Amiga before. I thought I'd be able to simply drag the contents from the floppy to the desktop and it would copy like modern OS's but this isn't the case. Can someone help me? Should there be an icon on the desktop for the HDD? What is the first step after formatting? CLI commands? What commands do I use. As you can see I'm totally lost here. Any help would be wonderful!! I have a Trump Pro HDD controller, Rev 6.2 Board, 2 TBC cards and maybe a GVP accelerator?  Would someone pass a life preserver please :-o

[ddogg66]

Ok, guys, first off thanks for all the responses. I love an active forum. Here is my problem as it stands now. I do not know the device name of dh0 on my system. Therefore I can't enter half the commands you all listed. For example when I type:
1> fomat drive: dh0: name workbench (which isn't the real name i suppose) I get a message that says ...[noicons] at the end of the line. Keep in mind that I have absolutely no real experience maintaining an amiga. I find all this very esoteric. No info can be found on the net outside forums like these (that's my experience anyway, please show me different!)

So many responses to my question i don't know who to address first. From what i gather I first need to create partions (default 2) in order to do anything else. How do i do this if I don't know DH0 device name? I held both mouse button at boot and drives listed were: df0 and dh0 so my HDD must be dh0, right? I need to know how to make these partitions, because right now the only icon on my workbench is the icon for the 1.3 floppy-no partitiobns-no HDD (DH0 icon) and How do i make the boot partition OFS?


also do i need to do a low level format on a drive i already formatted? How does one verify a drive for bad blocks? is this not done during formatting?

Too bad one of you aren't here with me to help. I'm sure this is a simple process once you understand how it's done. Any more help would be most appreciated guys. I haven't yet left square one. :-?

[ddogg66]

you have to FIRST define the drive parameters or else the Amiga will NOT know what type of hard drive you have installed.  You MUST then do a Low-Level Format on the NEW hard drive.  What I mean by new is a hard drive that has never been formatted on an Amiga before.

The HD in my amiga was working fine before I formatted. I was running toaster 2.0 soft and workbench 1.3 was on the boot partition, so this HD is not "new" and was formatted with the amiga

Then partition the hard drive.  Then do a warm-reboot

How do I partion the HD? Is a warm boot performed by pressing both left & right amiga keys plus control?

I highly recommend that you get yourself an A2091 SCSI Controller card with the software.  The A2091 Installation Software is so EASY to use, so for beginners it is the perfect solution.  If you follow my instructions IT WILL WORK!      

I don't see why I need to spend any more money as the system was working fine before I formatted (I formatted in order to fix some bad blocks on the HD) I'd love to see your idea work for me, but i don't want to do anymore purchasing as it seems unnecessary.

[ddogg66]

first need to create partitions on the HDD, using 'HDToolBox'

Where can I get it? This seems to be what I need :-D

[ddogg66]

So I will not do a low-level format. Like I mentioned before, the SCSI drive had already been formatted, That is not the issue. What I need to know is this:

Is using HDToolbox the only way I can create partions on my drive? If so, where can I DL this software?

If there is another method for creating partions I need to know. The only way I can boot is with the 1.3 disk. When I do so the 1.3 disk icon is on the workbench but NOTHING ELSE. My HD isn't being recognized. When I type in command like '1> copy df0: to dh0: all clone' i get a bad argument response. Anytime i tell the system to do something to DH0 it says to insert that disk or gives me an output error. If i could make these 2 default partions everyone is mentioning, then I could copy the workbench disk over to my bootable partion, right? At that point I could re-boot and begin installing all my other soft right? :-?

[ddogg66]

OK. I've tried using the GVP disk to make partitions. I tried to boot from my GVP disk but it only works sometimes?? Here is what I did to get the GVP disk to work: Boot on 1.3 disk, hit right Amiga and letter"E", hit return (created Ram Disk) copied WB disk onto Ram Disk, ejected WB disk, inserted GVP disk and opened faastPrep utility. I opened the formatting utility (faastprep) but when I chose SCSI and then 'automatic installation' i got an error message 'can't open gvpscsi.device. /EU& *something* in?, autoboot enabled?, binddrivers?' or something to that effect. Any suggestions? Should I be able to boot from the GVP disk and create partition w/o a prob? I also tried copying both the WB disk and GVP disk to ram disk then inserted WB disk again. Loaded GVP faastprep sof, and i see the interface load that is suppossed to help me partion, but then i get the screen that gives me the "automatic installation" option and the "manual installation" option. When I click on either one i still get the message:

                     'can't open gvpscsi.device.
 *something* in?, autoboot enabled?, binddrivers?'

agh! I'm almost there! Why do i get this error message??

my A2000 is opened up so that I can give you a detailed account of my hardware/software.

•Amiga 2000 Rev 6.2 MBoard Copywrite 1988
•Trump Pro Card
•[Great Valley Products 50 MHZ ?accelorator? board (looks like 2 boards put together, text on both boards. One says A2000-030 Rev. 7 and the other A2000-RAM32 Rev. 3)
•HDD: Quantum ProDrive 210S

OK. Now you know what is in my system (besides a toaster card and 2 DPS TBC cards)

Now here is the software that I do have:

•Workbench 1.3 & extras disk
•GVP Impact Series II 030 Install Disk & Harddisk installation
•Trump Pro Configuaration Utilities Rev. Z.1C

So can I do what I want with the software/hardware I have? I can't belive this is so difficult :-(

Thanks so much everybody. I'd de so totally lost w/o you all!
 :-D

[ddogg66]

I don't see what need there is to copy the WB disk tor RAM:

I have no idea really. Just trying everything I can. :-(

'gvpscsi.device' should be located in the ROM of your accelerator card.
Perhaps you have the wrong device number?

What do you mean wrong Device#? What does that mean? (Remember, I know nothing)

From my memory - you should be able to boot from that disk with out a problem. (GVP disk)

When I do a warm-boot (ctrl+right Amiga key) The disk begins to load, but then my mouse freezes and the drive light stays on w/o anything happening that i can tell, same behavior if I cold-boot (turn system off for 5 seconds and back on with GVP disk in drive)

"I also tried copying both the WB disk and GVP disk to ram disk then inserted WB disk again."
May I just ask why you feel the need to do that? What are you thinking?

Again, I have no idea. This is my very first attempt at doing anything with my A2000 besides turning it on and starting my toaster software. I have no other experience other than that :-(

Try booting from the GVP disk.
Don't copy things to RAM disk when there is no need.
Try some of the configuration display utils on the disk.

I seem to get the error message everytime i try to use faastprep (a tool on the GVP disk) other apps on that disk i have tried but to no avail. I thought it may be because the WB disk wasn't installed which is why i did all the ram disk stuff :-?

Do you have a manual for the card?

Wish i did. Literally, all i got with my amiga was the computer, keyboard, mouse and that is it. No manuals or software. All the soft I do have was copied by a friend for me recently. 8-)
Still up a creek....any  more suggestions would be great!!

[ddogg66]

please disregard this post as i was unable to delete a duplicate

[ddogg66]

 :-D Thanks for caring Wain!

I did a cold-boot with the GVP card inserted. When AmigaDOS started i held down the left mouse button. The DOS screen said it was" restting to 68000 processor" or something. Then it re-booted and all the sudden i have not only the GVP disk mounted, but also a disk called "untitled" and a ram disk!! :-D Whee!! We are getting closer!! What should I do next? I'm going to try and run the faaast prep application again...ok, tried it but still get the same error message as listed before "can't open gvpSCSI.device..."

Should I try copying to untitled disk or formatting?

Thanks again!!

[ddogg66]

here is what I have:
•Amiga 2000 Rev 6.2 MBoard Copywrite 1988
•Trump Card Pro
•[Great Valley Products 50 MHZ ?accelorator? board (looks like 2 boards put together, text on both boards. One says A2000-030 Rev. 7 and the other A2000-RAM32 Rev. 3)
•HDD: Quantum ProDrive 210S

is my trump card IVS? If so i can DL the drivers from the link, move the file to a floppy and install on amiga? When and how should this be done?

[ddogg66]

Trumcard professional

That is the card i have, no doubt :-)

[ddogg66]

Thanks Amigadude!

Here is the info i get AFTER i did what wain said (i am on a mac so I can't copy and paste the info from the amiga :-(  :

Unit:  Size:  Used:  Free:  Full: Errors:  Status:        Name:
RAM   2K       4           0       100%    0        Read/Write RamD
DF0     880K  1754    4       99%       0       Read Only GVP.in
DH0    203M  103      407526 0%    0       Read/Write Untitle

[ddogg66]

Wain, I think you're on the right track! Thanks so much. I could kiss you!!  :-o  :-P  I'll try to do the copy commands others noted in this thread and post my results afterwards:-D

[ddogg66]

Ok, once you have the HD formatted, you need to boot from the WB floppy disk, open it and go into the shell.

Then say:

copy sys: dh0: all clone

"output directory not found" is the message I get. I titled my previously untitled disk "workbench" and have replaced all occurences of "DH0" to "workbench" .

Here is where I am: I have the system booted from the 1.3 WB disk and have my HD now mounted (named "workbench") and a ram disk mounted (3 disks mounted)
So, what do I do now? I'm tempted to drop the WB disk in my "workbench" disk. Will this work or MUST I use the CLI window? If I must use the CLI window, I've tried all the previously mentioned command lines but none seem to do the job.
Let's start over. I have 3 mounted disks and no bootable partition ( i only have one partition it seems) So where to now? How to copy the full WB disk to HD?

Thanks again all!! 8-)

[ddogg66]

But as you've already formatted try:
  copy df0:#? dh0: all clone
When you have the wb1.3 disk in drive

Tryed typing this exactly as you did--bad argument
then typed copy df0:#? workbench: all clone--bad argument

My drive is named "workbench". Should I use that name with these CLI commands or DH0?

What happens if you reset with no floppy disk in?
If you just reformatted and didn't mess with the partitions it should still boot.  But because you formatted the drive it should just come up with a shell prompt.

This is exactly what happens. It boots with a shell prompt (ie 1>)