How To Install WB 3.1 from Gotek

[Pat the Cat]

It's been an awfully long time since I tried running a CLI script...

... From what I remember, the INSTALL command just writes a boot track onto a specified drive (DF0:, HD0: or similar). You can't ever Install CD0:, because that would try to write a boot sector to a CD (read only device, cannot be written on).

If you want to run a CLI or Shell script, you have to EXECUTE it. That could be where the confusion has arisen. You can RUN an executable program, RUN will start up a little separate CLI or Shell for that program. Just typing the program name and hitting the Enter key will start the executable going in the current CLI / Shell.

Hand crafting an Amiga boot partition, I usually;-

1) Format the device.

2) Put a boot track on the device.

3) Copy the Workbench floppy  to the device, keeping same directory structure.

4) Copy custom hardware device drivers (anything ending in device) to the DEVS folder, all the Handler files (everything ending -handler) to the L folder. A lot of these were built into 3.1, like CrossDOS for reading PC formatted disks. Had to be put in by hand on earlier revisions of AmigaDOS,

5. Similarly, if you have custom libraries like icon.library, make sure they go in libs (and of course, you need 68040 library or 68060 library if you have such a processor fitted.

Must admit, never tried the above on 3.1. But it should give you a rough idea on what is needed for a successfully booting Amiga and what isn't. S folder (startup-sequence), L folder (handlers), C folder (commands), Devs folder (devices), Libs folder (libraries) and ENV folder for 2.04 and later systems to remember user-preferences. It is often possible just to read a whole CD-ROM (one that boots on a real Amiga) to your hard drive, put a boot track on the drive (Install HD0:) and your Amiga starts up as if booting the drive... Not always what you want, but it is a starting point for a working, booting Amiga.

One complication for you is probably not having a 3.1 ROM chip in your A2000. That's OK with just about every single Accelerator card, you can set the machine to cold boot from it's internal ROM, then read the ROM you want into accelerated FAST memory and reboot to a warm booted, 3.1 OS. You lose 1MB of fast RAM, and having a real ROM chip saves you a reboot, but technically ROM code executed a sideways ROM will run faster than code run from a ROM chip anyway. Your Amiga boots slower but runs faster when it has finished booting.

Come to think of it, RELOKICK software will let you map fast RAM as a ROM on any Amiga, not just accelerated ones. Of course, you need to have plenty of fast RAM fitted to the Amiga in question in order to make that a useful thing.,,

[Pat the Cat]

Never never never never select "Novice" mode when  installing something with the Amiga installer. Always use "Advanced" or  "Expert" mode. In this case for example it would ask you where to  install to and not silently try to install to the floppy disk.

And always keep your original floppy disks write protected. I don't know  if the Gotek supports this, but you should try at least.

Very, very, good advice.:banana:

No idea what the above instructions are supposed to be for.

It's called dealing with AmigaDOS, Mike. Typing commands into Shells as opposed to clicking on icons.

And it works with any Amiga, so it can be very useful when you are trying to install an operating system on a fresh drive.

It's  the chicken and egg conumdrum. You can't boot an Amiga from a  device which isn't  boot enabled, and you can't boot enable a device  from the Shell until  you have at least booted an Amiga to the point of  having a shell... but if you  can get a system to the point of having a  Shell to type into, the "Copy" command is inbuilt, so you can   physically copy files to where they should be, in order for the system   to fully boot into Workbench. And that is the point where most people  end up after successfully using HDToolBox to prepare a drive for use on  an Amiga - booting drive, no operating system, just stops at a shell  prompt.

If you can just copy an old self booting Amiga CD (magazine coverdisks  are still very very useful sometimes) to your hard drive, it's a damn  sight more useful to begin with than relying on a set of Commodore  floppies, the Cloanto CD, and downloads. I'm not saying it's a finished  install, but it should work well enough for later tweaking.

And if you look at the spec, there's no mention of what ROM chips are plugged into the A2000. They might be trying to install 3.1 Workbench without 3.1 ROMs fitted. Technically possible, but still frowned upon by some people. Having an 060 means they can use a sideways mapped ROM image of 3.1, but it would require a tweak of the startup-sequence to check the operating system fitted, and if needed, map the 3.1 ROM in and reboot, otherwise continue booting using the 3.1 Workbench files stored on the hard drive.

Such a system would technically run a bit faster. Why have fancy hardware if you don't use it?