3.0 ROMs in amiga 2000?

[runequester]

My 2000 has 2.0 ROMs in it currently.
Is it possible to install 3.0 ROMs in a 2000 and would it be worth the effort?
What does the actual process of replacing ROMs involve?

[save2600]

My 2000 has 2.0 ROMs in it currently.
Is it possible to install 3.0 ROMs in a 2000 and would it be worth the effort?
What does the actual process of replacing ROMs involve?

Yes - replace the 2.0 ROMS, but skip 3.0 and go for 3.1 (unless you happen to have 3.0 laying around begging to be used, but even then... nah).

What's involved is actually a pain in the ass. You have to remove ALL of the screws on the drive/power supply cage (at least 7 of them), unhook the power supply. Unhook a hard drive if it's sitting in a floppy bay. Unhook the floppy connectors and lift that beast out of there. Then you have to located the Kickstart chip next to the 68000 and yank her carefully and then insert your Kickstart chip made specifically for an A500/A2000.  

Reassemble and install Workbench 3.1    

Of course, some may ask what you want to do with the machine.... if you're only going to be playing games off floppy, sure - maybe leave 2.x in there and forego all the hassle, but the installation of 3.1 will open up many a new door of opportunity for your machine in the not so distant future  

[LoadWB]

While you have it apart, you might as well go ahead and change the battery.  It's only a few more screws to remove

[amigadave]

I wonder if there were ever any 3.0 ROMs produced for the A500/A2000/A600/CDTV?  When I think of 3.0 ROMs it always reminds me of the first A1200's and A4000's that were manufactured before the bugs could be worked out and the 3.0 ROMs were replaced with 3.1 ROMs, but as I did not own any A1200's or A4000's when they were first released, I can't remember how long the time lag between 3.0 and the release of 3.1 was.

@runequester,  The A2000 uses only one ROM chip like the A500 and A600 and CDTV (and even the A1000 with an after-market Kickstart ROM board installed), but when AmigaOS3.0 was first released it was only in the A1200's and A4000's which both use two Kickstart ROM chips with half the ROM image in one chip and the other half it the other chip.

As others have suggested, buy a 3.1 Kickstart ROM chip for your A2000 from one of the remaining Amiga dealers and forget 3.0.  If your A2000 is not accelerated and has no hard drive, I would suggest that you continue to use your existing 2.0 Kickstart ROM chip.  Or you may wish to get a Kickstart ROM switcher and install 3.1 ROM on one side and 1.3 ROM on the other and forget about your existing 2.0 ROM and any 3.0 ROM chip you have or are thinking of getting.

[runequester]

well, at the moment, it has no hard drive, and I am mainly intending to play floppy games, so I guess there's not much need?

Down the road, I wouldn't mind getting it set up with a hard drive and CD ROM.

So from the above it sounds like there's no rush on the 3.0/1 ROMs then?


Any difference as far as floppy game compatibility? Would 3.1 be more compatible than 2.0 for older games or no ?


Sorry if these are dumb questions...

[save2600]

Nope, you're just as screwed using 2.x as you would be 3.x when it comes to games. If something doesn't work, try holding in your two mouse buttons on startup and change the graphics to OCS.

Otherwise, I do know of a disk that magically transforms your 2.x or 3.x to boot into a REAL 1.3 scenario. This is handy if you have a floppy based system only. If you're eventually going to go the route of CD-ROMS and HD's - then back to the top of this thread you go!

[runequester]

Nope, you're just as screwed using 2.x as you would be 3.x when it comes to games. If something doesn't work, try holding in your two mouse buttons on startup and change the graphics to OCS.

Otherwise, I do know of a disk that magically transforms your 2.x or 3.x to boot into a REAL 1.3 scenario. This is handy if you have a floppy based system only. If you're eventually going to go the route of CD-ROMS and HD's - then back to the top of this thread you go!

Thanks for the tip! My old machine back in the day was a plain A1200 so the 2000 is a bit of new ground for me.

The disk you are referring to is that relokick or something else?


I'll bear the advice given in mind, once I get the urge to build this system out more

[save2600]

Thanks for the tip! My old machine back in the day was a plain A1200 so the 2000 is a bit of new ground for me.

The disk you are referring to is that relokick or something else?


I'll bear the advice given in mind, once I get the urge to build this system out more

Yep - Relokick should do the job  

[TjLaZer]

Nope, you're just as screwed using 2.x as you would be 3.x when it comes to games. If something doesn't work, try holding in your two mouse buttons on startup and change the graphics to OCS.

Otherwise, I do know of a disk that magically transforms your 2.x or 3.x to boot into a REAL 1.3 scenario. This is handy if you have a floppy based system only. If you're eventually going to go the route of CD-ROMS and HD's - then back to the top of this thread you go!

Actually from what I recall Kickstart 3.1 was more compatible than 2.x ROMs for old games!

[zipper]

I wonder if there were ever any 3.0 ROMs produced for the A500/A2000/A600/CDTV?  When I think of 3.0 ROMs it always reminds me of the first A1200's and A4000's that were manufactured before the bugs could be worked out and the 3.0 ROMs were replaced with 3.1 ROMs, but as I did not own any A1200's or A4000's when they were first released, I can't remember how long the time lag between 3.0 and the release of 3.1 was.

No. Some kickstart switchers could take 2-chip 3.0 ROMs in addition to 1.x and 2.x - must have been made before 1-chip version of 3.1 came out.