Not Happy with the Xsurf

[Lemmink]

> Its on an Amiga 3000 with the WorkBench 38.35 with system 2.1

In that case you have quite a bumpy road ahead of you. OS 2.x is missing so much that is seen by most of the modern programms as a matter of course that you have to be quite experianced to get it working with this config.
I am into Amiga for 10 years and I doubt that I could install and set up a TCP/IP connection under OS 2.x in a reasonable time (or at all).

My advise, get 3.1 ROMs and OS3.9 and see that you have at least 4 MB of Fast-RAM, but that will probably cost you at least half of what you paid for the A3000 already.

[THEWASP]

I understand the rom and os upgrades. By the time I get all this I will have 600$ into it. Coulda bought a nice Pentium machine and run an emulator.

I think the biggest thing that burns me is they dont tell you this when selling the card.


THEWASP

[Markus_Bieler]

Well I understand that you are frustrated, but Kickrom and OS 3.1 is at least the configuration everybody as now.

I would buy OS3.9 with Kickrom for the A3000 from Softhut. (perhaps they have os3.1 with the kickrom for the A3000) AND a cd-rom is also a must have. 3.9 is on cd (3.1 is on six 880KB disks)

Markus

[mrsad]

Sorry to hear that but, i had no problems at all with my xsurf on my a1200. I guess people are used that everybody has a cdrom in his system, and basicly they cost less then an xsurf these days so it would somehow seem logical. and lets not forget that the latest AOS releases were also made on CD.

anyway, i hope you get it working, it is a great card.

[Lemmink]

> I think the biggest thing that burns me is they dont tell you this when selling the card.

They don`t tell you that you have to have electricity when you buy a washingmachine either...
It`s just common assumption that everyone that is useing an Amiga today has upgraded to at least 3.1 years ago.
Newcomers (apart from retrogamers) aren`t very common in the amigacommunity, I guess that`s why they didn`t bother.

Anyway 3.1 ROMs and an OS 3.9 CD (if you are short on money 3.5 will do too) and an external SCSI CD-ROM don`t cost that much.
You should get it all together for 80 bucks max. Cheaper if bough used (then again the priceing in the US seems to differ from here in europe)

[melott]

Since you have an A3000, you don't have a 5 1/4
drive bay( unless your machine is a tower).
You could do what I did for my A500.
I used an old PC AT mini tower for a drive case.
Just strip all the junk out except the power
supply. I ran 2 HDs and 3 CD Roms in the case.
Worked great. Just run a SCSI cable from the SCSI
port on the back of your machine.

[patrik]

@THEWASP:

Getting the X-Surf card to work using your existing Workbench 2.1 it is not impossible... Ofcourse, some things you wont be able to do with Workbench 2.1, but most things can be done although in some cases with some limitations imposed.

My suggestion is to try one of the available demo versions of either Miami or Genesis.

First download LhA 1.38 which is a self extracting archive containing the LhA archiver/extractor.

As both Miami and Genesis relies on a gui-library called "MUI" you must have it first (I know Miami can be made run with other gui-libraries ). Download MUI 3.8, extract it with the LhA mentioned above and then install it via the "Install-MUI" icon found in the directory extraced from the archive.

If you choose Miami, download:
Miami 3.2b2 main archive
Miami 3.2b2 68020+ archive
Miami 3.2b2 MUI archive

Then extract those archives to the same destination and install it via the "Install_Miami" icon found in the directory extracted from the archives.

If you choose Genesis, download:
Genesis 1.04 demo

Then extract this archive and install it via the "Install" icon found un the directory extracted from the archives.

I have never used a X-surf card, but I downloaded the driver archive for it from Individual Computers. In the devs directory of the drivers you find some files named x-surf.device0x0. You should copy the file corresponding to your cpu (in your case, assuming you have a standard A3000 - x-surf.device020) to DEVS:Networks/x-surf.device

I guess there are many questions unaswered to get the TCP/IP stack of your choice up and running, but you should atleast get a bit on the way with this.

Good luck!


/Patrik

[THEWASP]

Thanks for the help there Patrik. I downloaded as you said and got MUI and Miami installed.  The Xsurf install script just flys by spitting out error after error. When looking the script it appears it should be asking me questions but it never gives me the option to answer anything it just rips through the script and exits. I am gonna look at it on paper and see if I can manually do it.



THEWASP

[THEWASP]

Well trying to watch the script as it runs and following it on paper it appears to not be finding some commands it needs?!?!  Am I missing some commands on this 3000 I bought off ebay. Perhaps I have a system with a limp?! Not part of 2.1?

The script is supposed to ask me questions. It does not ask a thing. It rips right through it and ends.

One command up from its calling for is env:tcpchoice
env:proceed
env:tcpchoice
env:tcpstack
17 commands it calls for in the script area. At the very end of the scrip it has

echo"Exiting"

delete >nil: env:proceed

And all the other commands it called for?!?!

I find no place in the script where it copys these commands to the env:  ?!?!?!?! So is my system lame and not putting commands into ENV: at boot up?

I cannot find these commands anywhere on the HD or install cd of the xsurf.


THEWASP

[patrik]

@THEWASP:

As the X-surf install script doesnt seem to work I suggest that you do the required steps manually. I dont have access to the X-surf CD, but I downloaded the X-Surf drivers from Individual Computers homepage.

These drivers should ofcourse exist on your cd somewhere, but as I dont have access to that cd I am using these X-Surf drivers I downloaded as a base for the manual installation instructions. To install the drivers correctly, first extract the archive. After the archive is extracted start an Amiga-Shell (also known as CLI) and change directory to where you extracted the archive. Now type these three lines in the Amiga-Shell:
1. copy devs/x-surf.device020 devs:networks/x-surf.device
2. makedir envarc:sana2
3. copy x-surf.config envarc:sana2/

After this is done and all disk-activity has finished - reboot your machine.

If the previous steps were done correctly, the X-Surf drivers are now installed and ready to use.

Now Miami needs some configuration. Click away to the directory where you installed Miami start the guided configuration via the icon "MiamiInit". Before you continue I urge you to read the instructions given in MiamiInit for each step thoroughly. At the first step just press "Continue". At the second step choose "other SANA-II driver" from the list and press "Continue". Now at the third step you will get to choose device for the X-Surf. In the "Device" field you shall write "devs:networks/x-surf.device". Now when you press "Continue" MiamiInit will try to determine a lot of things about your network automaticly. If your network cant give this information to MiamiInit, just press "Skip" on those requesters and enter the correct information. When you are finished with all the steps of MiamiInit, it should have created a MiamiInit.config file for you in the Miami: directory. Now start Miami via the "Miami" icon. It should ask you if you want to import the MiamiInit.config file settings. If it doesnt, use the menu "Settings->Import From MiamiInit V3" to import the settings from the MiamiInit.config file.


/Patrik

[THEWASP]

Thanks! Its working now! I had tried to manually install the drivers but I messed up one part! Its using the Miamiping right now and pinging my web site.


Now the next question is where to obtain a registration code for Miami! I went to nordicgloabal and most of the links no longer exist.


THEWASP

[patrik]

@THEWASP:

You could always place an ad to buy a registration second hand.


/Patrik

[billchase]

You can try www.nordicglobal.com and see if you
can find an email for Holger Kruse.  If you find one,
you might be able to contact him about registration.
Seems like this topic has already been covered
(Miami Registration), so search the forums for more
information.

[THEWASP]

Well I thank every one for the help getting the xsurf going.    But I must say the Miami deal really piss's me off. If he no longer supports it then he should just release a key file for all to use. I am here with money in hand to buy a key from him.


I need a key for miami and I dont care how I get it?!? If someone can help send me an email!


THEWASP