Can't get any display with OS 3.9

[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.

[orb85750]

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

He sent me what appears to be a pirated CD copy of OS 3.9 (blurry image on front of CD and no case).  I have no idea if it works.  There is a built-in CD drive in the back of this A1200! (also no idea yet if it works properly).  I do have an extra CF card.  Should I be able to do a fresh install, or does the CD drive need to be mounted somehow from within the existing OS?

[ChaosLord]

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

P96 and CGX are hack patches that modify AmigaOS into being able to use a pc gfx card.  If it is installed and your workbench is trying to load up onto a gfx card screen then you will not get a picture on your RGB port.

The easy way to remove it is to just delete the appropriate monitor driver out devs:monitors/

But copy them to another safe place first before deleting in case u want them back someday.

Do you have any monitor drivers that contain the words Virge, Voodoo or anything pc or windozey sounding?  .... hmmm u should post us a list of all your monitor drivers so we can see if anything suspicious is lurking about in there.

[orb85750]

P96 and CGX are hack patches that modify AmigaOS into being able to use a pc gfx card.  If it is installed and your workbench is trying to load up onto a gfx card screen then you will not get a picture on your RGB port.

The easy way to remove it is to just delete the appropriate monitor driver out devs:monitors/

But copy them to another safe place first before deleting in case u want them back someday.

Do you have any monitor drivers that contain the words Virge, Voodoo or anything pc or windozey sounding?  .... hmmm u should post us a list of all your monitor drivers so we can see if anything suspicious is lurking about in there.

No, there was nothing like that in the directory.  That directory is completely empty now, but I still just get a black screen.  How can I get OS 3.9 to boot in the same exact screen mode as the 'boot without start-up sequence' option? (which looks perfect)

[Ancalimon]

boot without startup-sequence

now type the following:

S:
ed startup-sequence

take clear pictures of your startup-sequence text (a couple of them since it should be a long text, simply scroll down and take other pictures) and show them to us.

[ChaosLord]

Can you copy your S:Startup-Sequence and S:User-startup to your internet computer and post them here?

There has to be some sort of hack installed that is breaking your workbench.

[orb85750]

Can you copy your S:Startup-Sequence and S:User-startup to your internet computer and post them here?

There has to be some sort of hack installed that is breaking your workbench.

Let's see..... Is there some way to access a CF card in the PCMCIA slot when in this mode?

[Ancalimon]

I don't know about the CF card;

But you can try mounting pc0  to read and write to 720kb double density pc floppies.

I guess it would work when you boot without startup-sequence? anyone?

try to write the following:

sys:storage/dosdrivers
mount pc0:

if it works, you'll be able to copy files to a pc formatted double density floppy this way:

copy S:Startup-Sequence to PC0:

[orb85750]

Crap, I don't have a floppy drive in my Windows PC.

[Ancalimon]

go and get one from the nearest shop!

or take a couple of clear photos to show us what's in your startup-sequence and user-startup files.

[orb85750]

OK, good news is that I simply got rid of the user-startup by renaming it and now OS 3.9 boots for me!  The screen is rather unimpressive, but I'll fumble around with the user-startup until I sort of understand what's going on inside it.  

Thanks, everyone, for your offers of help.  Much appreciated and solidifies the fact that most Amiga users are cool and willing to help others.  :-)

[ChaosLord]

There is an evil hack in your user-startup that is fraxx0rizing your sweet innocent workbench.  I would really like to know which hack caused your problem so we will know what to tell the next victim who comes along.

Here is my next guess:  (and it isn't even an evil hack
You have ModePro or some similar hack in your user-startup and it was set to promote your workbench to some impossible thing.

Or maybe it was Planes2Fast.  That will make all workbench gfx disappear.

I wish u would show us ur user-startup

[orb85750]

@ChaosLord
Sure, I will copy it over here soon -- though I'm done for tonight!

[orb85750]

This evil user-startup file was the culprit (for anyone interested).
Perhaps it only makes sense along with the startup-sequence file
-- forgot to copy that over, I'll get it later.

;Assign CON: DISMOUNT
;Assign RAW: DISMOUNT
;Mount CON: from DEVS:KingCON-mountlist
;Mount RAW: from DEVS:KingCON-mountlist

run >nil: nil:
Assign ncomm: sys:s

SetPatchMrgCop

;BEGIN MUI
if exists "WorkBench:MUI"
   assign MUI: "WorkBench:MUI"
   if exists MUI:Libs
      assign add LIBS: MUI:Libs
   endif
   if exists MUI:Locale
      assign add LOCALE: MUI:Locale
   endif
   version >nil: exec.library 39
   if not warn
      if exists MUI:Docs
         if exists HELP:dummy ; do not remove
         endif                ; this entry!
         assign add HELP: MUI:Docs
      endif
   endif
endif

Assign JPEGTMP: "sys:T"
Assign DOPUS: Workbench:Dopus
Assign F1GP_Disk_#2: Games:RacingGames/GrandPrix
Assign ImageFX: "Graphics:ImageFX2"
SetEnv ImageFX/JPEG_Smoothing ON
Assign Breathless: Games:doomclones/breathless
Assign Screech: games:RacingGames/Screech
Assign Breathless: "Games:DoomClones/Breathless"
Assign Motorola1: Games:Shootemup/MotorolaInvaders
Assign Motorola2: Games:shootemup/MotorolaInvaders
Assign L3: Games:platform/Lemmings3
Assign DPaintV: " Graphics:DPaintV" defer
Assign Obsession-1: Games:Games
Assign Obsession-2: Games:Games
Assign glf1: Games:Games/pgagolf
Assign glf2: Games:Games/pgagolf
Assign fifa_1: "Games:Games/FIFA"
Assign fifa_2: "Games:Games/FIFA"
ASSIGN FIFA_3: "Games:Games/FIFA"

Assign >NIL: JPEGTMP: RAM:t
Assign >NIL: PPaint: Graphics:PPaint

Assign FMS: WorkBench:FMS_Disks
C:Mount ff0:
C:Mount ff1:
C:Mount ff2:
C:Mount ff3:
C:Mount ff4:
C:Mount ff5:
C:Mount ff6:
C:Mount ff7:
C:Mount ff8:
C:Mount ff9:

;BEGIN JPEG DataType
Assign >NIL: JPEGTMP: RAM:t
;END JPEG DataType

;GEGIN ActivateCrossIDEfix
;;;ActiveCrossIDEfix ALL
;END ActiveCrossIDEfix

;BEGIN CacheCDFS
;END CacheCDFS
;BEGIN ViNCEd
; Remove the ; default console handler CON:
; Entfernen Sie das ; die Standardkonsole CON: verwenden wollen.

; Remove the ; gadgets with new functions from ViNCEd that can be set with prefs tool ViNCEd.
; Entfernen Sie das ; Fähigkeiten von ViNCEd in Texteingabefeldern wollen. Diese konfigurieren Sie
; auch mit dem Voreinsteller ViNCEd.

;StringSnip >NIL: INSTALL

; Remove the ; assigns in pattern matching commands.
; Entfernen Sie das ; Unterstützung der mehrfach Assign in Dateinamensmustern wünschen.

;TrueMultiAssigns
;END ViNCEd
;BEGIN Genesis
assign AmiTCP: "Workbench:Internet/Genesis"
;END Genesis

[Ancalimon]

run >nil: nil:

SetPatchMrgCop


I bet it's SetPatchMrgCop.

I don't even know what they are for!

the first one looks like maybe the person you bought the machine from made a script which clears the memory.


simply put a  ;  in front of those lines to comment them out (or simply delete those lines) and save the file.  Won't be causing any more problems.

[Ancalimon]

run >nil: nil:

SetPatchMrgCop


I bet it's one of these two.

I don't even know what they are for!


(the rest are mainly assigns to installed programs&games and some lines added by AmigaOS3.9)