CD Trouble (because I meddled)

[X-ray]

Sometimes I really shouldn't meddle, especially when I haven't used the Amiga for so long. Anyway I meddled. I installed a CF+adapter onto my IDe connector in my A4000T. I copied my system to it and changed its boot priority so that it is my boot disk.
The CF (scsi.device)and the other devices (2nd.scsi.device) show up together in HDToolbox, and I had to change the CD SCSI ID because it was set to 0 which is what the CF is. So it is now Unit 1. No SCSI conflicts anymore. Quite a few assigns had to be changed, as well as settings for the CD-rewriter in MakeCD. Everything seemed okay, but I have noticed that when I insert any CDs into the drive, no icons come up on Workbench.
Now, I have edited the CD0: dosdriver so that it says 2nd.scsi.device instead of scsi.device and I have changed the Unit number in the tooltypes of the dosdriver icon from 0 to 1. But no joy.
Funny thing is, any program I use that has its own settings for a target CD drive works okay: MakeCD can burn to the drive fine. I just changed the SCSI device name and unit number in the MakeCD settings. Also, audio cd player tools work once I tell them the SCSI device name and unit number. But I can't get icons, can't access the CD via Workbench, shell or Diskmaster.
Other info: I am using AmiCDFS, 3.1, when I double-click the CD0: after boot-up I get the 'device already mounted' message. I'm sure this is something stupid, like a handler or something, but as these are binary files, I don't know what to do further. I used AmiCDFS to reinstall the CD but to no avail. To make matters worse I lost the spare system boot disk so I now have only the post-CF-install system, otherwise I would just undo everything and start again. Of course I have backups of my original system partition, but on CD!!!! :lol:

Any ideas what I should try now?

[Hyperspeed]

Hrrrm, AmiCDFS is pretty simple to mess with unlike AsimCDFS.

I'm curious as to why you needed to change the unit number for your
CompactFlash drive though.

The A4000's scsi.device is the IDE isn't it? I thought it was only the
A3000 that had REAL SCSI on scsi.device...

If MakeCD is accessing the drive though you must have the Unit numbers
correct as if there was a conflict then both would shoot themselves
clean off the radar.

:-)

You'll have to do a bit of elimination work. Try getting Phase5's
UnitControl v2.17 - this will assure you that no two devices are using
the same Unit number and are active on the chain.

You have L:AmiCDFS there as well as CD0: and CD1: in Devs/DosDrivers ?

[adolescent]

You can't have SCSI ID conflicts on seperate devices (that is of course as long as they aren't connected SCSI chains).  As stated, SCSI.DEVICE is actually the IDE in a 4000T and 2ND.SCSI.DEVICE is the SCSI.

[X-ray]

@adoloescent and Hyperspeed

That's what I don't understand: when the CD was Unit 0, I couldn't see it or the CF. If I took the CF out, the CD came back. If I took the CD out, the CF came back. And the weirdest thing was that HDToolbox brings up all the 2nd.scsi.devices together with the CF (scsi.device).

I think what I have done is mess up the CD filesystem somehow. I just want to try to fix the software problem rather than lug the A4K out from its little nook under my desk and have to open it up...

Any other ideas? Also, there must a relationship between the IDE port and the onboard SCSI if the SCSI device names were automatically changed on both, when I added the CF.

[X-ray]

Update:

Okay, I had to open it up.
I couldn't get any joy if the CD was on 2nd.scsi.device and the CF has to stay on scsi.device (I don't think its possible to make the Amiga 'think' it is a difference 'Unit number').
Its confusing, it is on an IDE port but it is behaving like a SCSI device, with ID conflicts and all.
Anyway, I have a fix. I dug out my CyberSCSI again (yuk) and now the CD is attached to that. Just edited the dosdrivers and unit numbers. It's all good, MakeCD works, CD players work, and I now can access my CDs from the Workbench. I wish I knew what caused the original problem.
I just have to sort out my external Zip drive now, I must have a dosdriver problem there too because when I insert one disk (Amiga or PC formatted) I get 4 NDOS icons!

By the way, does anyone remember if the 'FormatZIP' utility by Alexander Feigl actually works? I found it in my C directory and I can't remember why I had it, or if it works. The readme file says it is version 0.2 and explains why the Amiga format commmand and CrossDOS cannot be used to format Zips for PC on the Amiga.

[X-ray]

Okay, I'm done meddling (famous last words)
I have the ZIP sorted out, and I have found that the FormatZIP tool does in fact work. I formatted a ZIP disk fully in Amiga format (took a hell of a long time) and afterwards ran the tool (couple of seconds). The Amiga ZIP icon went to NDOS and the ZPC icon said ZIP-100. I copied some mods onto that, and besides the 8x3 file limit they played fine on the PC.

[Hyperspeed]

Yes, very unusual.

You don't have one of those CompactFlash adaptors being discussed on
another thread - the ones that play havoc with Amigas?

:-)

Anything on the internal IDE header shouldn't affect SCSI one bit, IDE
can only have one unit number unless you have a Powerflyer or
Master/Slave.

Is the SCSI terminated fully?

Also those CF adaptors aren't hot-swappable so for it to be recognised
as a drive you need to put it in and boot, only removing when the
machine is off. If you try to hot swap it might confuse the OS.

It was really daft naming the IDE controller scsi.device, that was
bound to create confusion, but then I suppose it's related to the
A3000. Better if they had made an ide.device and a scsi.device though.

:-)

What do you mean "format zips", I thought ZIP was a PC archive system
like LHA? The only trouble you'll get is truncation to 8.3 character
filenames. The Tools/Commodities/CrossDos program shouldn't have the
text filter gadgets clicked either if you are putting ZIPs to disk as
this might alter their binary (causing CRC errors maybe).

As for your Compact Flash thing, personally I would go for a 6-in-1
internal 3.5" SCSI multi-card reader. Not only is it externally
accessible, can have 2x cards active simultaneously and has all the
benefits of SCSI... but you are also keeping your internal IDE pins
free for a backup drive. Maybe even a SiliconTech 800mb flash-drive!

:-)


----------------------

EDIT:

Oh sorry, Iomega ZiP drive disks...   DOH!

;-)

Yeah, they can play hell with the OS if you don't have a patch from
Aminet. As do Jazz and Syquest.

[Piru]

What do you mean "format zips", I thought ZIP was a PC archive system like LHA? The only trouble you'll get is truncation to 8.3 character filenames.

You're confused.

There's ZIP archive format and ZIP drives.

The 8.3 truncation is NOT due to zip archive format (zip handles long filenames just fine), but FAT filesystem. If you use VFAT long filenames are ok. The AmigaOS provided CrossDOS only does old FAT though and is thus limited to 8.3 names.

[X-ray]

@ Hyperspeed

The CF has been well-behaved, just had to find a jumper and make it 'master' (once I took the CD out of the equation). I can't fault the CF card, much as I would like to.
I'm really puzzled by the whole scsi.device vs 2nd.scsi.device thing. I don't know why it wouldn't work if I had a unit 0 on 2nd.scsi.device.

[Hyperspeed]

@Piru

I've always been confused...   ;-)

What I meant was older version of CrossDos (Pre v7) would truncate all
filenames down to 8.3 with capital letters if you were to transfer via
a disk format such as ZiP disks.

@X-Ray

Does a device need to be labelled as Master if there is no Slave? Or
do you just park the jumper at Master and it'll know it doesn't have
another drive?

I've heard discussions on 2nd.scsi.device before but I can't remember
what was said. Are you sure that Unit 0 is not the controller's ID?

A SCSI controller has to steal it's own ID in the chain, the Phase5
SCSI-IV kit has a SCSI ID of 7. This means you can only use 0-6, which
still leaves you with seven devices.

Do some SCSI controller interfaces have Unit 0, others Unit 7?

You didn't alter the LUN did you? Logical Unit Number is an old
standard for allowing you to use 7x SCSI devices on 7x SCSI
controllers (49 devices!!!) but it's so complex I doubt anyone uses
it.

Keep LUN to 0.

You might want to check on Reselection as that has a habit of messing
up setups that aren't totally compatible with it.

Also, you aren't being limited by the <4.2Gb limit are you? When you
stray over this the older AmigaOS would start back from the first few
bytes of the drive. I doubt this is the case though as your problem
involves multiple drives.

CD0: has the tooltype C:Mount in it's icon right?

:-)

[X-ray]

@ Hyperspeed:

1) the CF to IDE adapter that I got came shipped without a jumper, which means it is setup as 'slave.' You have to put a jumper on it to make it 'master.' I tried it without the jumper and it is not recogniseable as a slave. So it has to be 'Master'.

2) the default onboard SCSI ID on my A4000T is 7. The problem I had was with two 0s, the CD and the CF. I suppose the IDE is 0? Doesn't matter, because I can't change it. It is not logical to me that the IDE affected the SCSI, but it has somehow. I use active termination (as set on the DIP switches on the onboard SCSI.

3) I don't have any devices over 4gb, but I run patches anyway.

4) I know that I haven't messed with LUNs and reselection and haven't got any new hardware since the late 90s (except the CF).

5) It's a mystery (compounded by my lack of knowledge on these matters