Can't get any display with OS 3.9

[orb85750]

I just received my new (old) A1200 from the UK with OS 3.9 installed on the CF drive.  The problem is that when it boot up, all I get on my 1084 monitor is a messy bar that scrolls up the screen (although the hard drive light works for quite a while, so I think it actually boots fully).  If I remove the CF card, I do get the usual 3.1 ROM insert disk animation.  So I'm thinking there is some screen mode set in OS 3.9 that I cannot use with my 1084?  But is there some way to change it?  I tried a couple of other boot options with the early start-up menu and all I got was a black screen.  This my first-ever experience with OS 3.9.  Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

[orb85750]

3 possibilities:

1) If you have the VGAOnly and VGAOnly.info in your Devs:Monitors directory and it might be causing a problem. copy them back to Sys:Storage/Monitors/  and delete them from Devs:Monitors


2) your monitor does not support the saved screenmode

boot without startup-sequence and delete the

screenmode.prefs in SYS:Prefs/Env-Archive/Sys


cd SYS:Prefs/Env-Archive/Sys
delete screenmode.prefs

3) does pressing spacebar in boot menu (hold two mouse buttons) have any strange effects?

Thanks for the suggestions.

I first deleted the screenmode.prefs file as recommended by Daedalus and you in #2 above, but it had no effect.

I then followed your advice in #1.  It did have an effect, but not the right one.  The upward scrolling still occurs, but it is clearly slower than it was before I moved the VGA stuff out of that directory.

As for #3, hitting the spacebar (or any other key) is just toggling me between the PAL and NTSC modes.

Any other possibilities???  Thanks again.

[orb85750]

if you can see the early boot menu than you must see the Workbench screen too.  They use the same frequency


Try moving the PAL monitor file to storage as well like you did with the VGAonly file.


What happens when you boot without startup-sequence and use the command loadwb  from there?

also try choosing ntsc from the display option and click use and click boot.

I removed the PAL and PAL.info files, which appeared to have no effect.

When I typed loadwb, a requester for 'volume ENV' came up.

Choosing the NTSC option at boot-up resulting in a plain black (or very dark grey) screen.

There's a bunch of stuff in the devs:monitors directory but nothing for 1084.  That's not unusual is it?

[orb85750]

Actually it is very unusual. Why did you copy all that stuff there? The Devs:Monitors directory should be almost empty with only those drivers in it your monitor supports. If you put drivers in there which you monitor does not support, you can even kill the monitor.

If your 1084 is NTSC, then put NTSC into Devs/Monitors, if it is PAL, put PAL into Devs/Monitors. Nothing else. And before you put the CF card into your Amiga run Prefs/ScreenMode in WinUAE and select a screen mode the 1084 supports (either PAL:Highres or NTSC:Highres).

Thanks for the info.  I didn't put anything in that directory.  This is exactly how the computer came to me from the UK.  It is a PAL unit.  My monitor?  I thought the 1084 was compatible both with NTSC and PAL??  As for WinUAE, I know absolutely nothing about it.

[orb85750]

Still getting a black screen with nothing in devs/monitors (same as with only PAL and/or NTSC stuff in there).  I am connected directly from the RGB port to my 1084S.  I just received this A1200 yesterday.  I have no idea what the previous owner had for a monitor set-up.  He has not replied to any of my messages (at least not yet).  Is there somewhere else I should be looking possibly to change/delete things when I boot up without the start-up sequence??

[orb85750]

Please describe how the 1084 is connected to your Amiga.  What port on your Amiga is the cable plugged into?

Yes 1084 is fully PAL and NTSC capable.

Here are my theories:
1. Connected together wrong.
2. P96 or CGX is installed and forcing the workbench onto some impossible frequency.
3. Your monitor or tv is from Europe and you are in USA so you are using the wrong powersupply.

Since you can see the early startup screen that actually rules out 1 and 3.

So it must be #2.

What is P96 or CGX?  Anything I can do to remove/modify?

[orb85750]

Do you have the Workbench disks and a spare harddrive or a card so that you can do a fresh install of AmigaOS ?

He sent me what appears to be a pirated CD copy of OS 3.9 (blurry image on front of CD and no case).  I have no idea if it works.  There is a built-in CD drive in the back of this A1200! (also no idea yet if it works properly).  I do have an extra CF card.  Should I be able to do a fresh install, or does the CD drive need to be mounted somehow from within the existing OS?

[orb85750]

P96 and CGX are hack patches that modify AmigaOS into being able to use a pc gfx card.  If it is installed and your workbench is trying to load up onto a gfx card screen then you will not get a picture on your RGB port.

The easy way to remove it is to just delete the appropriate monitor driver out devs:monitors/

But copy them to another safe place first before deleting in case u want them back someday.

Do you have any monitor drivers that contain the words Virge, Voodoo or anything pc or windozey sounding?  .... hmmm u should post us a list of all your monitor drivers so we can see if anything suspicious is lurking about in there.

No, there was nothing like that in the directory.  That directory is completely empty now, but I still just get a black screen.  How can I get OS 3.9 to boot in the same exact screen mode as the 'boot without start-up sequence' option? (which looks perfect)

[orb85750]

Can you copy your S:Startup-Sequence and S:User-startup to your internet computer and post them here?

There has to be some sort of hack installed that is breaking your workbench.

Let's see..... Is there some way to access a CF card in the PCMCIA slot when in this mode?

[orb85750]

Crap, I don't have a floppy drive in my Windows PC.

[orb85750]

OK, good news is that I simply got rid of the user-startup by renaming it and now OS 3.9 boots for me!  The screen is rather unimpressive, but I'll fumble around with the user-startup until I sort of understand what's going on inside it.  

Thanks, everyone, for your offers of help.  Much appreciated and solidifies the fact that most Amiga users are cool and willing to help others.  :-)

[orb85750]

@ChaosLord
Sure, I will copy it over here soon -- though I'm done for tonight!

[orb85750]

This evil user-startup file was the culprit (for anyone interested).
Perhaps it only makes sense along with the startup-sequence file
-- forgot to copy that over, I'll get it later.

;Assign CON: DISMOUNT
;Assign RAW: DISMOUNT
;Mount CON: from DEVS:KingCON-mountlist
;Mount RAW: from DEVS:KingCON-mountlist

run >nil: nil:
Assign ncomm: sys:s

SetPatchMrgCop

;BEGIN MUI
if exists "WorkBench:MUI"
   assign MUI: "WorkBench:MUI"
   if exists MUI:Libs
      assign add LIBS: MUI:Libs
   endif
   if exists MUI:Locale
      assign add LOCALE: MUI:Locale
   endif
   version >nil: exec.library 39
   if not warn
      if exists MUI:Docs
         if exists HELP:dummy ; do not remove
         endif                ; this entry!
         assign add HELP: MUI:Docs
      endif
   endif
endif

Assign JPEGTMP: "sys:T"
Assign DOPUS: Workbench:Dopus
Assign F1GP_Disk_#2: Games:RacingGames/GrandPrix
Assign ImageFX: "Graphics:ImageFX2"
SetEnv ImageFX/JPEG_Smoothing ON
Assign Breathless: Games:doomclones/breathless
Assign Screech: games:RacingGames/Screech
Assign Breathless: "Games:DoomClones/Breathless"
Assign Motorola1: Games:Shootemup/MotorolaInvaders
Assign Motorola2: Games:shootemup/MotorolaInvaders
Assign L3: Games:platform/Lemmings3
Assign DPaintV: " Graphics:DPaintV" defer
Assign Obsession-1: Games:Games
Assign Obsession-2: Games:Games
Assign glf1: Games:Games/pgagolf
Assign glf2: Games:Games/pgagolf
Assign fifa_1: "Games:Games/FIFA"
Assign fifa_2: "Games:Games/FIFA"
ASSIGN FIFA_3: "Games:Games/FIFA"

Assign >NIL: JPEGTMP: RAM:t
Assign >NIL: PPaint: Graphics:PPaint

Assign FMS: WorkBench:FMS_Disks
C:Mount ff0:
C:Mount ff1:
C:Mount ff2:
C:Mount ff3:
C:Mount ff4:
C:Mount ff5:
C:Mount ff6:
C:Mount ff7:
C:Mount ff8:
C:Mount ff9:

;BEGIN JPEG DataType
Assign >NIL: JPEGTMP: RAM:t
;END JPEG DataType

;GEGIN ActivateCrossIDEfix
;;;ActiveCrossIDEfix ALL
;END ActiveCrossIDEfix

;BEGIN CacheCDFS
;END CacheCDFS
;BEGIN ViNCEd
; Remove the ; default console handler CON:
; Entfernen Sie das ; die Standardkonsole CON: verwenden wollen.

; Remove the ; gadgets with new functions from ViNCEd that can be set with prefs tool ViNCEd.
; Entfernen Sie das ; Fähigkeiten von ViNCEd in Texteingabefeldern wollen. Diese konfigurieren Sie
; auch mit dem Voreinsteller ViNCEd.

;StringSnip >NIL: INSTALL

; Remove the ; assigns in pattern matching commands.
; Entfernen Sie das ; Unterstützung der mehrfach Assign in Dateinamensmustern wünschen.

;TrueMultiAssigns
;END ViNCEd
;BEGIN Genesis
assign AmiTCP: "Workbench:Internet/Genesis"
;END Genesis