SD hard drive on A2386SX

[curtis]

Okay, so I finally got the 2GB SD running on my SCM media reader.

I would now like to use this as a dedicated "hard drive" for my 2386SX bridgeboard.

Read through the entire manual on the BB and there's nothing about any configuration like I want.

Read through the manual on the GVP 2000 HC-8+ and it says to run the "Install BB" program on it's install disk.

Seeing as I'm using a GURU ROM 6.13 instead of the stock GVP ROM, not sure if this would work and SURPRISE!!!  IT DIDN'T!!!

Install BB program goes about half-ish through and asks for the PCInstall disk.  HUH?  Insert Janus disk, nope!  GVP install diskette?  Already in the drive!

So, what is the PCInstall disk it's asking for?

Is there an better/easier way to get a SCSI drive/SD card to act as the PC hard drive?

MakeAB?  That sounds like it would just create a pseudo hard file on a disk when I would prefer to use the entire drive.

I'm open to suggestions.

[giZmo350]

So, what is the PCInstall disk it's asking for?

 Hmmmm, a DOS install disk such as MSDOS 6.22 maybe?

[curtis]

Tried that.

Hard drive isn't recognized from the Amiga side SCSI chain!

DOS install tries to install to floppies which is obviously NOT what I want!

[giZmo350]

Tried that.

Hard drive isn't recognized from the Amiga side SCSI chain!

DOS install tries to install to floppies which is obviously NOT what I want!

 I could be wrong but, I thought that the Amiga side would not recognize until MSDOS side file system was installed. And then seen on the Amiga side  utilizing Amiga's FAT driver. Or can you see the drive on the Bridgeboard side?

[curtis]

Well, one mystery solved.

PCInstall is the original Janus software.  Don't want to do that since I'm running the 386SX and Janus 2 software.

I'm thinking I'm going to have to tinker with the mount command and to be totally honest, I've never done that!

I know the GVP Combo 030 board had a method to set up and entire Amiga hard drive for DOS use, just need to find out how they did it!

[mechy]

Well, one mystery solved.

PCInstall is the original Janus software.  Don't want to do that since I'm running the 386SX and Janus 2 software.

I'm thinking I'm going to have to tinker with the mount command and to be totally honest, I've never done that!

I know the GVP Combo 030 board had a method to set up and entire Amiga hard drive for DOS use, just need to find out how they did it!

 You answered this before i saw it

[curtis]

Okay, found a small error in my first post.

It wasn't the 030 combo board with the separate drive for DOS setup.  It was the PC286 for the A500-HD8+ sidecar that talks about separate drives for Amiga and DOS.

Still, should be able to set up a separate drive strictly for DOS use and not an Amiga file pseudo drive or a virtual drive.

[curtis]

That's the problem.  I cannot see the drive on the DOS side.

I need to figure out how to tell the Amiga side the SD card is for DOS use and get the DOS side of the machine to see it!

I could be wrong but, I thought that the Amiga side would not recognize until MSDOS side file system was installed. And then seen on the Amiga side  utilizing Amiga's FAT driver. Or can you see the drive on the Bridgeboard side?

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Still, should be able to set up a separate drive strictly for DOS use and not an Amiga file pseudo drive or a virtual drive.

Does the A2386SX support this?  Not familiar with the board at all but from the description in Amiga Hardware Database it sounds like it may need a dedicated ISA controller to use a PC "hard disk" (aka your FAT32-formatted SD card)?

[giZmo350]

That's the problem.  I cannot see the drive on the DOS side.  I need to figure out how to tell the Amiga side the SD card is for DOS use and get the DOS side of the machine to see it!

 Perhaps you're perceiving the drive setup process just the opposite of what it should be....  First, setup the Bridgeboard drive for DOS use and "then" get the Amiga side of the machine to see it.

Perhaps, I perceive, that you perceive, the process in the opposite manner I describe, but maybe my perception of what's actually happening is totally cockeyed...:lol:

[curtis]

I perceive that as a lot of perceiving!:)

Anyway, I thought I'd try the MakeAB and see what that would do.  Max partition is 32MB and it's been running long enough now that I've did some ebay shopping, ate supper, fed the dogs (2), came to a.org and couple of times to check on this thread and it's still running!

32MB!  Over an hour!  REALLY?!?!?!?!?

There has got to be a better way.

I had considered using an XTIDE interface and going the CF route, but for some reason, the bridgeboard and XTIDE don't seem to get along.  The extended ROM isn't even recognized and I've tried all the suggested address settings!

I'm starting to get another headache, so this may be postponed until tomorrow...

Perhaps you're perceiving the drive setup process just the opposite of what it should be....  First, setup the Bridgeboard drive for DOS use and "then" get the Amiga side of the machine to see it.

Perhaps, I perceive, that you perceive, the process in the opposite manner I describe, but maybe my perception of what's actually happening is totally cockeyed...:lol:

[curtis]

Let it churn for over 4 hours and nothing happened!

Interesting and quite frustrating!

[spirantho]

I bought an EIDE card and a Disk-on-Module 4GB SSD. Far, far faster than a shared drive, and most importantly easily fast enough to run Ultima VII comfortably

[curtis]

That's pretty much what I was wanting to do, but since I already had the SCSI system in the 2000, I wanted to use a second drive, in this case a SD card,  for DOS.

I may have to end up going the separate IDE route after all.

Out of curiosity, did you have any problems getting the DOS side to see the drive?  I remember usually EIDE drives are not set up in the BIOS.  Any troubles there?

[spirantho]

If you make sure your EIDE card has its own BIOS it's no problem. Finding a decent ISA EIDE card can be a challenge though, most ISA cards are just IDE.