Installing games on my 1200 HD

[Flashlab]

OS is not important; filesystem is. Make sure the CF-card is FAT16 formatted (this is what Windows can read) and that your Amiga can read FAT16. If you bought the CF-card system from an Amiga dealer chances are that you already have the needed software for Workbench to mount the CF-card with FAT16 and read it on your Amiga.

[Flashlab]

Just use the PC to format is FAT16.

Then look here. Download this and use a 720k floppy to get this to your Amiga; your Amiga can read these disks when you mount PC0: which is in your Devs/Storage drawer if you have a correctly installed WB on your HD.

This takes care of the filesystem. How to mount this CF-card I don't know unfortunately as I don't have the hardware. I use FTP with a network card for my transfer needs.

[Flashlab]

WHDLoad will fix the problem of saving the game on HD, but you need to install it there first. What are the problems with the HD installation? If it works on RAM: it should be the same for your HD.

[Flashlab]

Make sure the whdload executable is in the C drawer of the disk you booted from and that the icon you use to launch the game has WHDLoad as the default tool in the icon information menu. This menu can be opened by clicking the icon once and then select Icons and then Information from the right mouse button menu.

[Flashlab]

So I reckon you don't have the install disk then. In that case just copy the contents of all disks to the HD root drawer. Make sure you copy all files and not just icons when you use Workbench.

In your case I would just make one partition of 80mb (sure you don't want a bigger HD; I use several gigabytes already); make sure it's bootable.

[Flashlab]

You can find a lot of Amiga software on Aminet.

[Flashlab]

Like I said in my previous post; make sure the partition is set as bootable in HDToolbox (the program you use to make the partitions with).

If there's still anything wrong with it then you won't get the purple rom screen but a shell window.

[Flashlab]

That's what I'm saying; the HD doesn't boot. That's why you get the purple screen. To fix this make sure the partition you copied the WB disks to, is set as bootable in HDToolbox.

[Flashlab]

So you do have the Install disk. Do this then:

1. Boot from the Install disk.
2. Use HDToolbox to make one partition for the full HD.
3. Make sure it's bootable and save the changes.
4. Quickformat the partition. It should have an icon on WB.
5. Use the Installer to install WB BUT don't use the Novice install! This is important as it will stupidly try to install onto your floppy disk itself. When you use Intermediate you'll be able to select the destination for the install. Choose the root of the partition you just made.

[Flashlab]

You have probably set the boot priority of the HD higher than the floppy. Hold the two mouse buttons on boot and select DF0: as the boot device. Make sure you have the floppy already in the drive. This will override the priority of the HD for one boot sequence.

In HDToolBox you can set the bootpriority for your HD to something else. Floppy is normally 5. The higher the number the higher the priority. My boot partition DH0: has priority 1.

You can see these numbers in the early startup menu by holding the two mouse buttons during boot/reset.

[Flashlab]

CC0: is the PCMCIA device. Anyway if your HD0: has priority 0 then your 1200 will boot from floppy before HD. Remember the higher the number the higher the priority. So there's nothing wrong there. As far as I know you can't change the floppy priority.

Are you sure the disks you're using are ok? You haven't overwritten them by accident by trying to install Workbench? Are they still write-protected?

[Flashlab]

Good idea! I'm afraid though that he busted his WB disks... The Novice install mode really can be annoying; especially for novices... the irony.

[Flashlab]

I'm afraid you bleeped up your disks. Are you sure you didn't overwrite part of them?

As a last resort you can try this:

1. Unwrite protect you disk.
2. In the shell write "install df0:".

You need to have booted from a disk that has the install command in the C drawer. This command will make a floppy bootable. Make sure you write protect the disk again!

[Flashlab]

Hurray!