Amiga Tower display problems

[technium]

OK heres the USER STARTUP - Ive not done caps, if its important let me know but its easier to type without putting in capitals - here goes

;begin vinced
; remove the ; default console handler con:
; entfernen sie das ;die standard Konsole con: verwenden woollen.

;setvnc quiet mount override as con:

;remove the ; gadget with new functions from vinced that can be set with prefs tool vinced.
; entfernen sie das ; fahigkeiten von vinced in texteingabefeldern woolen. diese konfigurieren sie
; auch mit dem voreinsteller vinced.

;stringsnip >nil: install

; remove the ; assigns in pattern matching commands.
; entfernen sie das ; unterstutzung der mehrfach assign in dateinamensmustern wunschen.

;truemultiassigned
;end vinced
;begin mixer
path sys:prefs add
;end mixer
;begin genesis
assign amitcp: "workbench:internet/genesis"
;end genesis
;begin picasso96
;end picasso96

and thats all the user startup

ok any ideas from that lot?

[technium]

And finally here is the list of the wbstatup directory

AMIDOCK
CLASSACTION
DEFICONS
FEEWHEEL
OXYPATCHER.PREF
RAWBINFO
WHEELDRIVER


And thats the lot.

thanks for looking.

[Boot_WB]

Hi Technium,

Try changing the line in the startup sequence
DEVS:Monitors/VGAOnly
to
;DEVS:Monitors/VGAOnly

(don't worry about capitals at the moment)

and reboot.

Hopefully you should now be able to get back into workbench and have it displayed through your scandoubler.

I think the vgaonly monitor driver is preventing your scandoubler from doubling the scan rate, whilst not raising the scan rate enough to display on your monitor.

Hopefully this has worked - IF SO READ ON - IF NOT, THE REST IS IRRELEVENT FOR NOW.

Now - go into Devs/monitors  create a new folder called temp - move all the monitor files in the devs/monitors drawer into the new temp drawer.

Once you have done this reinstall picasso96 from your OS3.9 CD (I think it is in the "contributions" drawer).  
Pick the option which does it as a first installation.
Choose Cybervision643d as the graphics card.  

When the installer has finished start the Picasso96 installer again.
Choose 'update an existing installation'
A few screens later a list of installation options appears.  Deselect all the options except 'update monitor type' (or something similar - I think it is the third one from the bottom).
Go through the installation - choose the highest frequency supported by your monitor.

When THAT has finished go into devs/monitors.  
Select the CVision3d monitor file (or whatever it is called).  
Holding down the right mouse button select Icon/information from the menu at the top of the screen.
Click on the ICON tab - In the big box called tooltypes change the entry "card=cvision3d" to "card=voodoo" (it may be 'driver' or something rather than 'card' - I'm doing this from memory)
Click 'save' button.
Rename the 'cvision3d' monitor file to 'voodoo'.
Double-click the new 'voodoo' file icon.

Now - go into prefs & double-click P96mode
Holding down the right mouse button select the 'boards' menu.  There should be an entry labelled 'Board0:voodoo' (or something similar) - select it and release the right mouse button.

If the only entry is 'BOARDS:NONE PRESENT' your voodoo card has not been detected, and we'll need to look at why that is - if this is the case the rest of this post is irrelevent.

Click on SAVE (or save settings or whatever).
P96 mode will tell you it needs to reboot - fine, let it reboot.

When workbench reloads go into prefs:screenmodes

You should now see voodoo screenmodes in the list (I use voodoo:1024x768:24-bit should do the job).

Click the 'TEST' button.  It displays the monitor output through the VOODOO card for 10 seconds - so you have that long to change the monitor cable from your scandoubler socket to the voodoo socket to see if it is working :-).

Once you have a screenmode which you are sure works through the VOODOO click SAVE, exit, reboot (just to be sure the screen initialises ok on bootup).

NOTE: even with the voodoo working you won't be able to see the boot menu using your voodoo card - you'll still need to plug your monitor into the scandoubler.

When this is all done OK let us know - any problems, you know where we are :-)

[technium]

were on about the startup sequence right, not user startup?  well ive checked the startup sequence and its in there so made the change you said and put the ; infront but its made no difference

thanks again mate

have to goto bed now, up early for work but if you want me to do something next let me know and I will do it tomorrow when I return.

cheers

Colin

[Boot_WB]

Hi Colin,

Goddamit! Amiga.org keeps logging me out - every time I think I've posted a reply I have to re-write the damn thing because it hasn't posted!  

Anyway, for now I think the best thing you can do is connect the amiga to the TV to get the software side sorted out.

There are two ways to do this:
1   via the 'composite out' (yellow) port using a phono-phono lead to connect it to an AV port on your tv
2   using the RF modulator (reddish-brown) port (next to the power connector) using a phono-coaxial lead to connect to your TV aerial port and 'tuning in' to the amiga signal.

Obviously no 1 is easiest, but requires your TV has a 'composite in' port.

Once you have done this you should be able to boot into workbench, then follow the instructions in my previous post to reinstall Picasso96 and set up your voodoo screenmode.

Don't know why the scandoubler socket is coming up 'out of range' on your monitor - I have read that some monitors have trouble with low-resolution screenmodes, so this may be why.

By the way - what accelerator card do you have installed?

[technium]

ok back again, back to square 1 again.

I plug an aerial from my old A1200 to go from back of computer in the rf modulator brown connection and tuned in the tower and stored channel, but I had a floppy in there so actually tuned it into a game...anyway took out floppy, rebooted and loaded workbench well I assume it was as the signal when all funny like it wasnt quite tuned in so I tried re tuning it but nothing just kept getting same signal so turned off and booted holding mouse buttons and screen comes up clear as day but as soon as you try to boot to wb the screen signal goes funny so why would that be, its obviously must be something to do with the wb resolution maybe, perhaps not, i dunno just clutching at straws now

anyway im here should you want me to try hitting it with hammer or something

[Boot_WB]

Hi Technium, I'm going to be with my Amiga today for a couple of hours (we live 60 miles apart at the moment :-(  ), so I'll do some experimenting then.

Will post later this afternoon.

[technium]

ok thanks Boot_wb, in your own time mate, im not going anywhere its all set up so im just gratefull for you help.

cheers

Colin

[Mugo]

         Hello Technium,

     Let me try and help you . . .
     Your problem seems to be easy.
     For sure, there's some monitor driver being activated in the startup, that's out of the range of your monitor/TV, and that's not being processed by your Scandoubler as well. There are some weird resolutions on the Amiga world :-)

     Well, just boot with no startup-sequence.
     Once in the AmigaDOS screen, typethe following lines, followed by an enter:

     cd devs:monitors
     makedir temp
     copy #?.#? temp
     delete #?.#?
     dir

     Just confirm if the "temp" folder is the only file showed by the dir command.
     If there are more files, please copy them one by one to the same temp folder, and after that, delete them.
     Now reboot your Amiga, preferably running on your TV.
     The Workbench screen "should" appears.
     If it's true, follow the instructions given by Boot_WB, for installing the Picasso system again.
     By the way, let us now what's in that devs:monitors/temp folder :-)

     Regards.
     
     

[technium]

Wuhu that works, now into workbench, so onto what boot_wb said, back soon

[technium]

ok back

Reinstalled picasso96 as suggested and that went fine, then did the update as suggested and that went fine, then when I right click on cybervision3d icon and goto info then icon tab I had the following

BOARDTYPE=Voodoo - Changed from whatever it was to voodoo like suggested
SETTINGSFILE=SYS:DEVS:Picasso96Settings
(BORDERBLANK=YES)
(BIGSPRITE=YES)
(SOFTSPRITE=YES)
IGNOREMASK=YES
(DISPLAYCHAIN=YES)

Then I renamed the icon from cybervision3d to VooDoo and then when I double clicked it nothing happens so I goto workbench menu and choose "show last message" and all I get is "attempting to load voodoo" but nothing actually happens when you double click on the icon.

so we are getting somewhere.......sort of.

thanks again for all your help guys

[Boot_WB]

@mugo - the exact solution I'd just come to too :-)

@Colin - Re: nothing actually happens when you double click the icon
don't worry about, that is normal and fine - double-clicking just activates the driver - you then need to go into p96mode, do the changes there, then activate the screenmode.  Just carry on following the instructions on my long post.

Glad you're finally getting somewhere mate.  

[technium]

ok here goes -

I went into prefs then picasso96mode and double clicked and got another screen with settings and resulutions and stuff as mentioned at the beginning of this thread somewhere, but when I right click I have the following

PROJECT which has OPEN, SAVE, SAVE AS, ABOUT & QUIT
SETTINGS which has BATCH CHANGE IDS
MODE which has PRINT MODE
ATTATCH SETTINGS TO which has NO BOARD

So I guess that means its not detecting the p96?

[Mugo]

ATTATCH SETTINGS TO which has NO BOARD

So I guess that means its not detecting the p96?

Not exactly. It means that the P96 is not detecting your Voodoo card.

Just open a shell window (right Amiga key + E, the type newshell), and type:

pciinfo

Please copy the output here, so i can see if there's something wrong. I had problems in the past, and it was caused by a bad contact between the Voodoo board and the Mediator. Just pulling the Voodoo card out, and plugging it back on did the trick. But the other boards can have the same effect as well.

I would suggest you to leave only the Voodoo board attached by now.

Now as a side note, to your own sanity, contact Elbox.
Tell them you bought a second hand Amiga with a Mediator board, inform them the serial number (it's on a stick on the board), and ask how you can receive the update files for the drivers.

Tell them that you don't have the MMCD as well. That the old user didn't supply you one. And see what they tell you.

Without these files, you can be stuck in a case like this.

[Mugo]

Boot_WB wrote:
@mugo - the exact solution I'd just come to too :-)

:-)

It's easy to come up with the more complex solutions, and neglect the simpler ones :-)

I don't know how it took so long, to someone give this simple suggestion . . .

Anyway, i hope we can help our friend Colin ! This kind of problem is a pain in the arse !  :boohoo:

[technium]

ok cant do amiga keys as I have a tower with pc keyboard.

did what you said but loads of text flashed up, I guess thats for the different cards in the mediator pci thing.

I cant copy and paste as im typing this on my pc and trying to fix the amiga but if you want me to tyr and type it all up let me know unless you want me to look for something specific and I can tell you?

Also would it be simpler for you guys if I just reinstalled the OS or would that make not make any diffence?

thanks again guys

Colin