WHDload and ADF for dummies...

[shufflemoomin]

Hey guys,

I'm new to this whole Amiga with an HDD and CF stuff. It was just floppies when I was a lad.

I'd like to figure out two things: The basics of how to use WHDload to install games to the HDD and if I can install from, or run, ADF files directly from the CF card.

I can't find any basic tutorials for noobs like myself. Can anyone answer these questions, give advice or point me to somewhere that covers the basics for me?

Thanks to anyone who can help,
Shufflemoomin

[Bazzaq]

adf's are floppy images, ok for running in winuae, but you have to write them back to floppy disc before use on amiga. I dont think there is any virtual floppy support, although i think somebody was working on a floppy replacement that run from an sd card..

Once you have dumped them back to floppy, you can use a whdload install script to take them from floppy, onto your harddisk.

the whdload installs are over at whdload homepage.

[shufflemoomin]

Thanks for info. I know ADFs are floppy images, but I hoped there was a way to install them direct from CF without the middle step of copying to disk. I guess it's a necessary evil.

Thanks for the help
Shufflemoomin

[Thomas]

I dont think there is any virtual floppy support

What about these:

http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/fmsdisk
http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/VirtualFloppy
http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/xfs
http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/diskimage
http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/diskimage_device-os3

[Thomas]

I hoped there was a way to install them direct from CF without the middle step of copying to disk.

Many WHDLoad installers are made for original game disks only, they don't work with cracked copies like ADF images, even if they were written back to floppy disks.

[jj]

I can say for defo that I used to write adfs to virtual floppies to use whdload installs.  Works a treat

[BooBoo1200]

Like Thomas says the installs are for origanls and not cracked ADFs the odd ADF might work better to use IPFs under UAE

[jj]

though IPFs are not readily available or not through legit means anyway

[Bazzaq]

I did not know you could mount trackdisk/ndos. I knew you could mount RAD: disks.

[TheGoose]

FYI -Whdload dose not always work well. I have been doing this:

1. go get beloved .ADFs from internet.
2. use 'adf2disk' (on aminet) to extract to real floppy(s).
3. install game to HD.

4. Be happy cause it will always work and not crash.

This assumes the game / software is not a NODOS type floppy.
Assumes the games /software was HD installable to begin with.
Assumes, manual/copy protection codes, still apply.
Assumes you might need a registration key for some wares ...

And is probably a more legal pursuit of retro gaming. Whdload, you
will find lots of hacks, cracks and cheats built into the install slave.

On this matter, just recently, been there done that.

[KatManDEW]

Is is easy for mere mortals to create WHDload installs from floppies? I thought you needed to have some special knowledge to do that.

If you create the installs yourself, will it setup the correct environment for your system (WB version, CPU type, etc)?

I've been downloading premade WHDLoad installs, and the majority of them do not work on either my A2000 or A1200.

[TheGoose]

@KatManDEW

I think you are mostly right. It is an investment to get into .slave making. Oh dear that does sound bad. And most don't.

"will it setup the correct environment for your system (WB version, CPU type, etc)?"

No. Those are set at a global level or on the icon for that .slave file. Icon settings will override the global.
Global don't make a lot of sense, as each game (slave) will do better with different settings.

Example - some games are PAL you would use this on the icon, but does make sense for the global config.

[shufflemoomin]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Some of the terms are over my head, such as RAD and NODOS. I guess I have some stuff to learn.

I have many original floppies here too. Can someone take a noob like me through the steps of installing WHDload and getting the game on the HDD? The WHDload site doesn't really have a basic tutorial. I find their info more confusing than helpful to be honest.

Anyone able or willing to help me along here?
Thanks again for all the great help.
Shufflemoomin

[motorollin]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Some of the terms are over my head, such as RAD and NODOS. I guess I have some stuff to learn.

RAD is a portion of RAM which is used for a separate disk. The contents of it are able to survive a warm reboot. NDOS is a disk format which is not AmigaDOS. You can't access it through the CLI or Workbench. The software usually uses a custom loader when you boot it to access the files.

I have many original floppies here too. Can someone take a noob like me through the steps of installing WHDload and getting the game on the HDD? The WHDload site doesn't really have a basic tutorial. I find their info more confusing than helpful to be honest.

1. Download the WHDLoad usr package, unarchive it and use the installer inside it to install it to your hard drive. That's the core WHDLoad package.
2. Download installers from whdload.de for any games you want
3. For each game, extract the installer and run it. It will ask you to feed the floppies in one by one and install them to hard drive

--
moto