Finally got my A3000 upto speed!

[alexh]

I dont think you could have KS2.0! Either you have KS1.4 (SuperKickstart that loads kickstart files from the hard drive) which then loads KS2.0 or you have KS2.04!

If you had KS1.4 I could have sent you the 3.1 files ;-)

If you are going to order a IDE->CF adapter, why not consider a back panel one? Makes it relatively clean and easy to install and gives you access to remove, transfer to the PC and copy over files.

If you use the CF card as a way to transfer files to the Amiga you wont need a network card or transfer kit. You'll be able to transfer files 10x faster than either too!

The A3000 case is a very nice case, I would not be in a hurry to get rid of it for some s#!t quality PC tower case which doesn't quite fit the Zorro slots with the back panel!

If you want an optical drive, why not use an external SCSI enclosure and a SCSI drive (ignore the photo in this advert it is not a 303S DVD drive) and connect to the A3000 external SCSI connector? Remember when you get the Amiga (25 pin D-type) to SCSI-1 (50-pin Centronics) cable it needs to be wired MAC style

But trust me you won't need an optical drive if you get a CF card or a network card. I've not used my Amiga optical drive in years and years!

Unless they are broken... just clean your keyboard and mouse. If you take the keyboard to bits and wash them you'll be amazed how well they come up.

[alexh]

tonyyeb wrote:
You are right. It is 1.4 but upon booting (without double mouse button hold) it goes into 2.0

?? You should not need to hold down both mouse buttons. I notice you have a floppy disk inserted in the photographs... do you need that to boot? You wont soon

If you hold down both mouse buttons after you switch on the A3000 you will be prompted to choose the operating system version to use. You can either bootstrap Kickstart 2.x and Kickstart 1.3 from hard disk or from floppy disk. BUTIf you don't hold down any mouse buttons the boot ROMs will bootstrap the Kickstart from hard disk, using the partition with the highest boot priority. Normally, this is the Kickstart 2.x boot partition.

tonyyeb wrote:
You can still send me the 3.1 files if you want while I wait for the ROMs to arrive.

Sure, see PM (in 5 mins). Do you know what to do with it?

The hard disk partitions must be named "WB_2.x" and "WB_1.3" (note: these are devices names like "DF0", *not* volume names) and the Kickstart files must be in "WB_2.x:devs/kickstart" and "WB_1.3:devs/kickstart". The partitions must be formatted either in standard filing system or fast filing system format.

You copy the file I'll send to Devs: (so you have a file called Devs:kickstart).

You'll probably have to rename your hard drive partition (not it's icon name) using HDToolbox to WB_2.x to get it to work.

You do not need a WB_1.3 partition if you do not want to.

Obviously the 3.1 Superkickstart file goes in the WB_2.x partition :-)

[alexh]

tonyyeb wrote:
So simply replace devs/kickstart with the one you have and away I go. Boot to 3.1?

Yup. You'll need to upgrade Workbench etc. to 3.1 to get any real benefit but yeah.

As you probably know using a SuperKickstart eats 512Kbytes of RAM which you'll get back once your real ROM's arrive.

[alexh]

I'm sure I dont need to tell you this, but back up your old devs/kickstart just in case.

[alexh]

Have you considered a gfx card? While a little extravagant, especially if all you use your Amiga for is WHDload, they bring the Amiga desktop alive. And unlike an accelerator they are relatively cheap. Picasso II+ would be good? Cybervision 64/3D?

In order to fit an accelerator (with SCSI) in your A3000 you will have to check to see if the INT2 modification has been done to your A3000 motherboard. You might want to do this before you start screwing things back together, perhaps at the same time you are soldering in the battery as it requires the motherboard to be removed from the case. It's not particularly difficult, but you'll need a good quality soldering iron (not a maplins £9.99 one) and some practice on something that can be thrown away (An Atari ST or something!)

It would also be good to consider checking what Buster you have before getting any cards / accelerator and perhaps investing in a rev 11?

[alexh]

amigadave wrote:
Edit: The Dell PC Card Reader is USB which explains why it can be hot swapped, so I guess I have answered part of my question myself.

Yup. PATA-IDE is never(?) hot-swap, not even in a PC.

amigadave wrote:
Will this 4way buffered IDE interface be much faster than the slow mobo IDE controller on the A4000?

It connects to the slow mobo IDE controller and so it will be the same speed. The only interface which can accelerate the internal IDE is an "IDE-Fix Express" which does not work in the A4000.

If you want fast IDE on Amiga you have to get either a FastATA from Elbox or a Deneb and USB->IDE adapter.

[alexh]

doctorq wrote:
getting a CV64/3D would be a waste, when he can get a CV64 with a build in monitor switcher instead. The CV64 is the ideal card for an A3000.

I disagree, the price difference means that if you have a dual input monitor then consider get a CV64/3D

[alexh]

tonyyeb wrote:
Whats the difference between the two cards in relation to the monitor?

One of them has a built in monitor switcher so you plug the VGA out of the A3000 into the gfx card and then the gfx card into the monitor and when there is nothing on one of the screens it automatically switches to the other. Basically it switches between workbench (which will come from the gfx card) and games (which will come from the A3000 motherboard) automatically. Very similar to the old Voodoo cards if you remember those?

tonyyeb wrote:
Whats the cost of the two cards?

The CV64/3D is usually about £65-85 and the CV64 is £120-150. But they can both go for much more if there are two people who want one. Over £150 you are entering PicassoIV prices.

[alexh]

tonyyeb wrote:
Hmmm, reality check. Bought a 8800GTS for my PC three weeks ago for £45 inc P&P second hand!

Amiga hardware is roughly 2x the price of PC stuff. So £45 becomes £90!

But like I said, a gfx card is an extravagance if all you want to do is play WHDload games.

How much RAM you got? 2+16?

[alexh]

tonyyeb wrote:
Just a quick question about changing the kickstart file. If when I do it and I reboot, what do I do if it doesn't boot? How do i restore the old one?

You are using a PC and UAE to transfer the file? Back up the old one to devs/kickstart_old during the copy process and if it doesn't boot (it will!) you just put the drive back in the PC and rename the old file back?

Once you've confirmed that the kickstart file works, put it back in the PC and install Workbench 3.1 (or 3.9) :-)

[alexh]

D'oh of course. KS1.4 probably doesn't support loading via anything other than the internal SCSI anyhow.

Make a SuperKickstart floppy disk using this tool?

http://aminet.net/package/util/misc/MakeSuperDisk

With this emergency disk.. if anything goes wrong you'll be able to recover.

[alexh]

tonyyeb wrote:
Now I guess installing Workbench 3.1 is a matter of putting in the install 3.1 disk and double clicking install?

You will need to insert the other (5?) disks when prompted : Workbench, Locale, Storage, Fonts, Extras

Workbench 3.9 is of course a CD (ISO)

I still recommend making a SuperKickstart disk in case of emergency until you KS3.1 ROM's arrive. If the hard disk gets wiped you'll be screwed without one. (Although you might be able to use the secret 1.4 widget in the top corner of the KS selection screen to get a floppy disk to partially boot)

[alexh]

@Kin-Hell
You'd have to screw around with ASSIGN if you did that??

[alexh]

Nice to hear.

Shame you already bought the Buddha or I would have recommended a (£15-20) Acard AEC-7720U SCSI-IDE adapter. You would have been able to connect your 2.5" drive (or 3.5" drive) direct to the internal SCSI.

If you've not already bought it... please consider registering WHDload. Perhaps the best software for classic Amiga's and at £15 it's a steal!

Plus Bert and the others are great guys and deserve our support.

[alexh]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290184276927

Not faster, but being DMA it would use less CPU power.

£38 is not a bad price. Below the W.A.F. price