I was given an A4000/040, kind of new to Amiga so I have a few Qs

[TommyROM]

Greetings everyone,

Until recently I had been a (very) casual A500 owner (although a C64 owner since 1983). With the 500 I primarily did gaming and dabbled in AmigaBASIC. Then Friday I was very kindly given an Amiga 4000/040.

System configuration:

A4000/040
KS: 40.68
WB: 44.2
OS 3.5?
RAM: 2MB/16MB
20GB HD (two partitions)
HP 8200 CD Writer (internal)
CyberVision64 (ShowConfig says Prod=8512/34)
1084S Monitor

My goals with this system are gaming, viewing demo scene demos, and just exploring a more modern Amiga than the 500.

Which OS do you recommend for this system?

Other than the OS, there's no software on this system at all. What is some of the "must have" software?: Looks like WHDload is essential for gaming.
  - What about some kind of unarchiver program?
  - Do I need Anti-virus SW?
  - Slideshow software for viewing pics?

The HD has two identical partitions (both have the same files e.g., System, Devs, Storage, Expansion, etc.). How can I tell which partition is the boot partition? Should I delete the existing drawers from the non-boot partition? Can I safely rename the non-boot partition?

I have a Tektronix VGA multisync CRT monitor that I can hook up to the CyberVision64. Do I just need to get an Amiga to VGA adapter and run that to the CyberVision64 input, then connect the VGA monitor to the CyberVision64 output?

What should I do with the empty RAM disk? I read somewhere that the WB can be copied there on boot. How do I set that up? (I Googled this and didn't find anything)

I'm not sure how I'm going to download stuff on my Mac and transfer it to the A4000. Burn a CD-RW? What CD format do I use?

Even better, what does it take to get my A4000 on the internet?

Sorry for so many questions. I'm just really excited about my new Amiga.

Thanks!

- TommyROM

[ChaosLord]

The HD has two identical partitions (both have the same files e.g., System, Devs, Storage, Expansion, etc.). How can I tell which partition is the boot partition? Should I delete the existing drawers from the non-boot partition? Can I safely rename the non-boot partition?

I don't think they are identical.

Probably one partition is for full 100% AmigaOS compatiblity.  No gfx card hackpatched into the system.

And the other partition is for using your gfx card.  This will break Deluxe Paint and many other law-abiding AmigaOS programs.

This multiple bootable partitions thing is just what Amiga users usually do.  Though sometimes they have 2 different boot partitions for slightly different reasons.  You can have as many bootable partitions as you want.

You should try booting off the other partition to see if you notice anything different.  It might be obvious... or it might be all "under the hood".  I donno how he had it setup.

Hold both mousebuttons down while turning on the power.  You will get to the secret bootup menu

[TommyROM]

Hey thanks for the response.

You're right, they're not identical. IDH0 has something called AsimCDFS on it, IDH1 does not. When I boot normally I briefly see a message that says "Mounting AsimCDFS..." so it must be booting from IDH0. If I boot with the mouse buttons held down, I can choose from DF0, IDH0, IDH1, and DF2. Choosing IDH1 results in the animated "insert floppy" screen.

The WBStartup drawer on IDH0 has another drawer inside called WBStartup-disabled. IDH1 does not.

That's confusing, if IDH0 is the boot partition. (?)

[mechy]

Hey thanks for the response.

You're right, they're not identical. IDH0 has something called AsimCDFS on it, IDH1 does not. When I boot normally I briefly see a message that says "Mounting AsimCDFS..." so it must be booting from IDH0. If I boot with the mouse buttons held down, I can choose from DF0, IDH0, IDH1, and DF2. Choosing IDH1 results in the animated "insert floppy" screen.

The WBStartup drawer on IDH0 has another drawer inside called WBStartup-disabled. IDH1 does not.

That's confusing, if IDH0 is the boot partition. (?)

Asimcdfs is a cdrom filesystem. i guess it has a cdrom drive in the 4000?
IDH0 sounds like the main boot drive,the other may of been a basic workbench back up or ...who knows..you get the boot screen because IDH1: is not bootable.

mech

[Rob]

I have a Tektronix VGA multisync CRT monitor that I can hook up to the CyberVision64. Do I just need to get an Amiga to VGA adapter and run that to the CyberVision64 input, then connect the VGA monitor to the CyberVision64 output?

I think Cybervision64 input is only for video pass through so you'd need a scandoubler in order to display most Amiga native video modes through it.  Scandoublers are expensive but can at least be bought new.  Otherwise you'll need a separate display to play games on.

I'm not sure how I'm going to download stuff on my Mac and transfer it to the A4000. Burn a CD-RW? What CD format do I use?

Even better, what does it take to get my A4000 on the internet?

ISO 9660 format CD/CDRWs should be fine.

There are no Amiga network cards produced these days and sourcing one second hand or getting an Elbox Mediator + PCI NIC will be very expensive and not really worth it for the convenience of downloading software direct to the Amiga.

[rockape]

Hi Rob,

See  http://www.wonkity.com/~wblock/a4000hard/main.html

also

See  http://www.amiga-resistance.info/bboahfaq/index.php?action=artikel&cat=7&id=1861&artlang=en

For info about the A4000.


Kind Regards, Michael

aka rockape