Can't get any display with OS 3.9

[orb85750]

I just received my new (old) A1200 from the UK with OS 3.9 installed on the CF drive.  The problem is that when it boot up, all I get on my 1084 monitor is a messy bar that scrolls up the screen (although the hard drive light works for quite a while, so I think it actually boots fully).  If I remove the CF card, I do get the usual 3.1 ROM insert disk animation.  So I'm thinking there is some screen mode set in OS 3.9 that I cannot use with my 1084?  But is there some way to change it?  I tried a couple of other boot options with the early start-up menu and all I got was a black screen.  This my first-ever experience with OS 3.9.  Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

[Darrin]

Have you tried using the RF out or the RCA video jack with a TV?

I remember using my UK A1200 in the States with my old A1081 monitor with no problems.  The RF out was obviously PAL, but I also had access to a really old TV on which I could adjust the vertical hold to get a steady B&W picture (I had to use it like this while I waited for my A1081 to arrive).

[Daedalus]

Well, if you can get the early startup screen, you should be able to boot with no startup-sequence. Once you do that, simply get rid of the screenmode.prefs file to set it back to the PAL (or NTSC) defaults. At the prompt, type

cd envarc:sys
delete screenmode.prefs

and reboot. You should then get the same screenmode that the early startup screen is, and from there use the preference programs to change your screenmode preferences as you need to.

[Ancalimon]

3 possibilities:

1) If you have the VGAOnly and VGAOnly.info in your Devs:Monitors directory and it might be causing a problem. copy them back to Sys:Storage/Monitors/  and delete them from Devs:Monitors


2) your monitor does not support the saved screenmode

boot without startup-sequence and delete the

screenmode.prefs in SYS:Prefs/Env-Archive/Sys


cd SYS:Prefs/Env-Archive/Sys
delete screenmode.prefs

3) does pressing spacebar in boot menu (hold two mouse buttons) have any strange effects?

[orb85750]

3 possibilities:

1) If you have the VGAOnly and VGAOnly.info in your Devs:Monitors directory and it might be causing a problem. copy them back to Sys:Storage/Monitors/  and delete them from Devs:Monitors


2) your monitor does not support the saved screenmode

boot without startup-sequence and delete the

screenmode.prefs in SYS:Prefs/Env-Archive/Sys


cd SYS:Prefs/Env-Archive/Sys
delete screenmode.prefs

3) does pressing spacebar in boot menu (hold two mouse buttons) have any strange effects?

Thanks for the suggestions.

I first deleted the screenmode.prefs file as recommended by Daedalus and you in #2 above, but it had no effect.

I then followed your advice in #1.  It did have an effect, but not the right one.  The upward scrolling still occurs, but it is clearly slower than it was before I moved the VGA stuff out of that directory.

As for #3, hitting the spacebar (or any other key) is just toggling me between the PAL and NTSC modes.

Any other possibilities???  Thanks again.

[Ancalimon]

if you can see the early boot menu than you must see the Workbench screen too.  They use the same frequency


Try moving the PAL monitor file to storage as well like you did with the VGAonly file.


What happens when you boot without startup-sequence and use the command loadwb  from there?

also try choosing ntsc from the display option and click use and click boot.

[orb85750]

if you can see the early boot menu than you must see the Workbench screen too.  They use the same frequency


Try moving the PAL monitor file to storage as well like you did with the VGAonly file.


What happens when you boot without startup-sequence and use the command loadwb  from there?

also try choosing ntsc from the display option and click use and click boot.

I removed the PAL and PAL.info files, which appeared to have no effect.

When I typed loadwb, a requester for 'volume ENV' came up.

Choosing the NTSC option at boot-up resulting in a plain black (or very dark grey) screen.

There's a bunch of stuff in the devs:monitors directory but nothing for 1084.  That's not unusual is it?

[Thomas]

There's a bunch of stuff in the devs:monitors directory but nothing for 1084.  That's not unusual is it?

Actually it is very unusual. Why did you copy all that stuff there? The Devs:Monitors directory should be almost empty with only those drivers in it your monitor supports. If you put drivers in there which you monitor does not support, you can even kill the monitor.

If your 1084 is NTSC, then put NTSC into Devs/Monitors, if it is PAL, put PAL into Devs/Monitors. Nothing else. And before you put the CF card into your Amiga run Prefs/ScreenMode in WinUAE and select a screen mode the 1084 supports (either PAL:Highres or NTSC:Highres).

[orb85750]

Actually it is very unusual. Why did you copy all that stuff there? The Devs:Monitors directory should be almost empty with only those drivers in it your monitor supports. If you put drivers in there which you monitor does not support, you can even kill the monitor.

If your 1084 is NTSC, then put NTSC into Devs/Monitors, if it is PAL, put PAL into Devs/Monitors. Nothing else. And before you put the CF card into your Amiga run Prefs/ScreenMode in WinUAE and select a screen mode the 1084 supports (either PAL:Highres or NTSC:Highres).

Thanks for the info.  I didn't put anything in that directory.  This is exactly how the computer came to me from the UK.  It is a PAL unit.  My monitor?  I thought the 1084 was compatible both with NTSC and PAL??  As for WinUAE, I know absolutely nothing about it.

[Daedalus]

Hmmm... Yeah, it's normally not a problem to have extra monitors in there, but might be the cause of your particular problem if you have some sort of customised setup. Normally, without screenmode.prefs, the Workbench is exactly the same screenmode as the early startup screen, so it's very strange that it's still happening. Perhaps the previous owner had a scandoubler or some funky monitor drivers for a weird monitor. Copy everything out of there, reboot and see how you get on. The 1084 should be able to do PAL and NTSC modes - my one did anyway until it died...

[Ancalimon]

Do you have some kind of internal scan doubler?

or do you use some kind of external display adapter?  You should connect your 1084 directly to your Amiga without anything between them.

[ChaosLord]

Please describe how the 1084 is connected to your Amiga.  What port on your Amiga is the cable plugged into?

Yes 1084 is fully PAL and NTSC capable.

Here are my theories:
1. Connected together wrong.
2. P96 or CGX is installed and forcing the workbench onto some impossible frequency.
3. Your monitor or tv is from Europe and you are in USA so you are using the wrong powersupply.

Since you can see the early startup screen that actually rules out 1 and 3.

So it must be #2.

[orb85750]

Still getting a black screen with nothing in devs/monitors (same as with only PAL and/or NTSC stuff in there).  I am connected directly from the RGB port to my 1084S.  I just received this A1200 yesterday.  I have no idea what the previous owner had for a monitor set-up.  He has not replied to any of my messages (at least not yet).  Is there somewhere else I should be looking possibly to change/delete things when I boot up without the start-up sequence??

[orb85750]

Please describe how the 1084 is connected to your Amiga.  What port on your Amiga is the cable plugged into?

Yes 1084 is fully PAL and NTSC capable.

Here are my theories:
1. Connected together wrong.
2. P96 or CGX is installed and forcing the workbench onto some impossible frequency.
3. Your monitor or tv is from Europe and you are in USA so you are using the wrong powersupply.

Since you can see the early startup screen that actually rules out 1 and 3.

So it must be #2.

What is P96 or CGX?  Anything I can do to remove/modify?

[Ancalimon]

What is P96 or CGX?  Anything I can do to remove/modify?

Do you have the Workbench disks and a spare harddrive or a card so that you can do a fresh install of AmigaOS ?

If you are seeing the early boot menu properly in both ntsc and pal modes, there's something wrong with your Workbench install.  Probably some library is a wrong version.