Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Author Topic: My final attempt at using a zip drive on my amiga..  (Read 4768 times)

Description:

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline JaXanim

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2002
  • Posts: 1120
    • Show all replies
    • http://www.intuitionbase.com/waveguide/home.html
Re: My final attempt at using a zip drive on my amiga..
« on: January 07, 2005, 09:49:03 PM »
Hello Gav,

There are several things you need to check.

First, make sure any IDE software not provided with the PowerFlyer is deleted. This includes programs like IDEfix, EIDE.device, etc.

Check that the Zip drive has its jumper configured correctly for Master (MA or M). I guess it has since ATA3Prefs sees it OK. (ATAPIPrefs??)

Check that the Zip0 icon (in Devs:DOSdrivers) has the correct ToolTypes (Workbench Icon/Information menu) as follows:

DEVICE=trackdisk.device
UNIT=2
ACTIVATE=1
DONOTWAIT

This is the correct unit number for the Secondary channel Master device. If you move the Zip to another position on the PF interface, you must change the number to suite. Info is in the PF manual, but here they are:

Primary Channel Master   unit=0
Primary Channel Slave    unit=1
Secondary Channel Master unit=2
Secondary Channel Slave  unit=3

(If you ever fit a hard drive on the same channel as a Zip, it will only operate at the data rate of the Zip...slow! The speed is indicated by the PIO setting in the ATA3Prefs gui).

Check if you have a MountList associated with the Zip0 icon.
The PF manual says all ATAPI devices should have a MountList, but then it says that Amiga formatted Zips don't need one. PC formatted Zips certainly need a new MountList. MountLists are text files associated with the device icon.

I use one with my Zip to be on the safe side. You'll find it by running a word processor or a text editor and loading 'Devs:DOSdrivers/Zip0', the path/name of the Zip icon. If there is a MountList it will appear as a text file.

There are numerous MountLists available for Zip drives. They usually come with the icon. If you don't have a MountList, it may not matter, but the following is what I use:
 
**Enables FastFileSystem on 100Mb Zip cartidges**

Flags=0
Surfaces=2
BlocksPerTrack=64
SectorSize=512
Mask=0x7ffffffe   **That's six-f's**
MaxTransfer=0x100000  **That's five-0's**
Reserved=2
Interleave=0
LowCyl=0
HiCyl=1535
Buffers=50
BufMemType=0
StackSize=600
Priority=10
GlobVec=-1 **That's minus one**
DosType=0x444f5301

**End of MountList**

If you need it, copy this and save it as a text file (Devs:DOSdrivers/Zip0). The most important thing with Amiga formatted Zips are the icon ToolTypes given above.

I was surprised to read that you initially formatted the Zip as a hard drive. Using the PowerFlyer interface, HDToolbox shouldn't list a Zip drive cos it's not a hard drive. That also means that Zips don't work like HDs with PF. You can insert and eject Zip disks just like floppies and their icons should pop on and off the WB screen like floppies. Anyway, let's know how you get on.

Cheers,

JaX

PS: For some reason, my PF uses DF6: as the default icon for my Zip Disks (unless the disk has its own Zip icon). Haven't got around to fixing that. I'm running OS3.9/BB1/BB2


Be inspired! It\\\'s back!