A1200 Floppy Drive Issue

[scuzzb494]

May sound odd but I rarely use the DF0 on my workhorse A1200. The machine has an external HD drive, ZIP, CD and SCSI hard drives so I have very little use for it.

I had a request for three ADF images of some very old 17 Bit Software PD disks and was firing up ADFBlitzer when the floppy drive appeared to fail. I say fail, cus in truth it may be performing as intended as this machine was acquired from someone else.

The A1200 is running OS3.9.

If I put a floppy in it throws up the usual Amiga floppy image and a PC image icon on the screen. The drive then locks the computer to that disk. So when I remove the floppy the drive does not eject the icons from the screen. Also, if I put in another floppy it will not be recognised.

The process ignores the reboot as when it fires back up both floppy images are still on the screen and you cannot load another floppy in the drive.

The external HD drive works without fault.

The workaround [ there always is a workaround with the Amiga ] is to wait for the boot screen and when you see the pause in the text as it attempts to load the Squirrel, I then insert the floppy I want to use, and like magic it becomes the floppy on the screen. This is of little use if you want to swap the disks.

The drive works without fault, because if I stick my Cannon Fodder disk in and boot it will recognise all DF0 disks and the swap overs for various disks. The machine just locks the first disk inserted when in the OS. And it even ignores a hard boot with the power off. The machine just locks the DF0 to the disk, whether it is there or not.

If I wasn't such an eternal Amiga optimist I would even suggest it could be a virus. My optimism suggests though its a hardware setting. I am not so pessamistic to think its hardware failure. That never happens [ fingers crossed as ever ]

Anyway disks have been sent out into the world so preserving some Amiga demos for future generations.

[ElPolloDiabl]

Post your startup sequence here. Found on the hard drive in the s directory.

[scuzzb494]

Post your startup sequence here. Found on the hard drive in the s directory.

; $VER: Startup-Sequence_HardDrive 45.2 (19.1.2001)
; Startup-Sequence for AmigaOS 3.9

If EXISTS C:SquirrelSCSI
    C:SquirrelSCSI
EndIf

Set SCSIUpdate 1
If EXISTS C:IDEFix
    C:IDEFix
        Set SCSIUpdate 0
EndIf
If EXISTS SYS:Expansion/XSurfIDE
    Set SCSIUpdate 0
EndIf
If EXISTS SYS:Prefs/Env-Archive/NOSCSIUPDATE
    Set SCSIUpdate 0
EndIf
If $SCSIUpdate EQ 1
    SetPatch QUIET
Else
    SetPatch SKIPROMUPDATES "scsi.device" QUIET
EndIf
Unset SCSIUpdate

C:Version >NIL:
C:AddBuffers >NIL: DF0: 15
FailAt 21

C:MakeDir RAM:T RAM:Clipboards RAM:ENV RAM:ENV/Sys
C:Copy >NIL: ENVARC: RAM:ENV ALL NOREQ

Resident >NIL: C:Assign PURE
Resident >NIL: C:Execute PURE

Assign >NIL: ENV: RAM:ENV
Assign >NIL: T: RAM:T
Assign >NIL: CLIPS: RAM:Clipboards
Assign >NIL: REXX: S:
Assign >NIL: PRINTERS: DEVS:Printers
Assign >NIL: KEYMAPS: DEVS:Keymaps
Assign >NIL: LOCALE: SYS:Locale
Assign >NIL: LIBS: SYS:Classes ADD
Assign >NIL: HELP: LOCALE:Help DEFER
BindDrivers
C:Mount >NIL: DEVS:DOSDrivers/~(#?.info)

C:LoadMonDrvs

SetEnv Language "english"
SetEnv Workbench $Workbench
SetEnv Kickstart $Kickstart
UnSet Workbench
UnSet Kickstart

C:AddDataTypes REFRESH QUIET
C:IPrefs
C:ConClip

Path >NIL: RAM: C: SYS:Utilities SYS:Rexxc SYS:System S: SYS:Prefs
SYS:WBStartup SYS:Tools SYS:Tools/Commodities

SYS:System/REXXMast >NIL:

IF EXISTS S:User-Startup
  Execute S:User-Startup
EndIF

Resident Execute REMOVE
Resident Assign REMOVE

C:LoadWB
EndCLI >NIL:

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

If it works fine when you play off multiple-floppy disk games, then the drive itself is probably okay.

You're saying every time you insert a floppy after the OS loads, however, it puts two icons up on the screen for it, one of which is the PC icon (i.e., something like PC0:)?

What files do you have in Devs: dosdrivers and WBStartup?  Also S:User-Startup?

[scuzzb494]

If it works fine when you play off multiple-floppy disk games, then the drive itself is probably okay.

You're saying every time you insert a floppy after the OS loads, however, it puts two icons up on the screen for it, one of which is the PC icon (i.e., something like PC0:)?

What files do you have in Devs: dosdrivers and WBStartup?  Also S:User-Startup?

In simple terms when I put a disk in DF0 and only DF0 it locks that drive to that specific disk until it resets after a time the computer is switched off. So if say insert a disk labelled MYDISK as an Amiga disk it will put an icon on the Workbench of the DF0:MYDISK and the PC0 disk icon that is not recognised as its not a PC disk. Then if I remove the disk the drive does not eject the disk as normal and remove the icons from the screen. They stay. Also the drive is locked and if I put another disk in nothing happens. I can even switch the machine off and switch back on and the drive will be locked and the df0:MYDISK will still be active on the screen. If I go into DOPUS even the contents of the removed disk are visible.

The contents of the WBStartup are

AmiDock
AsyncWB
BenchTrash
DefIcons
RAWBinfo
Virus_CheckerII

I have placed on the website images of the startup, user startup and Devs. A bit unorthadox but I took photographs as for me with a none networked and no internet based Amiga its the easiest way to get the information to you. Here is the link.

http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/scuzzblog1510.htm

I have multiple SCSI devices attached to the machine though there is no conflict. I sense it may be a bit of hardwear failure mixed with a virus checker that is playing up and locking the drive for some reason cus it can't read the boot block on the PC0 and wants to remove it. The virus checker does not read the disks that boot outside of the OS so they are fine. Doesn't explain why the external high density floppy drive works without fault.

Dunno.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

The icon isn't going away because something is accessing the disk.  Probably the virus scanner.  It's the same thing like when you stick in a disk and open it's window - the disk icon won't disappear until after you close the window.

Remove PC0: through PC3: from Devs: Dosdrivers unless you are using them.  Remove the virus checker.  Does the problem continue?

You may have some other issue such as whatever version of dos.library you have installed, but the Amiga should be smart enough to detect whether you've installed an Amiga-format disk or a PC-format disk, and display only the correct icon.

My money is on the virus scanner trying to scan the bootblock of the disk.

Side thought - your install of 3.9 is screwed up.  Just from your car10150014.jpg screenshot.  Those icons are wrong.  Did you install 3.9 and then install some old version of CrossDos on top of it?

Side thought 2: - line #3 of your user-startup is wacky.  Not the way it's supposed to be done with 3.9 but not the cause of your problems either.  

[scuzzb494]

I removed the virus checker and all the drives from Devs but sadly made no difference. The machine tries to activate the floppy from the getgo on boot and clicks like when its trying to access a floppy but failing. Then we get to the SCSI boot text which loads on the screen and it halts and the floppy does the same thing again. Then when the Workbench screen pops and there is an icon that says DF0:unreadable and greyed out. The PC0 is no longer there or that would also pop up. There is no virus checker and no rogue drivers being activated. The DF0 is not priority from the boot screen and even if I disable DF0 from boot the same thing happens.

The floppy is not accessible unless I actually place a floppy in the drive on boot at the point the SCSI Squirrel is loaded in.

My conclusion... The drive is busted.

[AndyFC]

Before concluding that about the drive, boot from a floppy disk that takes you into Workbench. The more stripped down the WB is, the better. Many PD disks do this.

Then see if the behaviour continues when you change disks. If it doesn't it's caused by some software that's part of your normal WB install. If it does continue, it's probably hardware or the same software is somehow still running on startup.

[paul1981]

I removed the virus checker and all the drives from Devs but sadly made no difference. The machine tries to activate the floppy from the getgo on boot and clicks like when its trying to access a floppy but failing. Then we get to the SCSI boot text which loads on the screen and it halts and the floppy does the same thing again. Then when the Workbench screen pops and there is an icon that says DF0:unreadable and greyed out. The PC0 is no longer there or that would also pop up. There is no virus checker and no rogue drivers being activated. The DF0 is not priority from the boot screen and even if I disable DF0 from boot the same thing happens.

The floppy is not accessible unless I actually place a floppy in the drive on boot at the point the SCSI Squirrel is loaded in.

My conclusion... The drive is busted.

Surely you have a spare floppy drive to try? Or one from another m/c?

There's the 'disk present' switch and 'write enable/disable' switch, also the 'HD' switch if it's a modified hd drive. I'm assuming you've cleaned those with wd-40? Apply oil and work the switches to clean the contacts.

[scuzzb494]

Surely you have a spare floppy drive to try? Or one from another m/c?

There's the 'disk present' switch and 'write enable/disable' switch, also the 'HD' switch if it's a modified hd drive. I'm assuming you've cleaned those with wd-40? Apply oil and work the switches to clean the contacts.

You would be amazed that floppy drives are something I struggle to get. I have an A1200 sitting on the side at the moment waiting for a floppy and some keys. Been like that for a year. This A1200 has been badly hacked about and the guy even managed to screw straight through the front casing. It has a 3.5" hardrive inside. Been flakey since I got it in 2002 off Amibench. Kinda thing you can hit with a BSA screwdriver [ hammer ] and it still works. Just has this annoying problem. The machine was in store for a couple of years, don't recall it being this way but could be wrong. I use the DF1 high density generally and the machine has ZIP which I use for moving to other machines, plus CD and external drives. Just needed the floppy for ADF which insists on the DF0.

[scuzzb494]

Before concluding that about the drive, boot from a floppy disk that takes you into Workbench. The more stripped down the WB is, the better. Many PD disks do this.

Then see if the behaviour continues when you change disks. If it doesn't it's caused by some software that's part of your normal WB install. If it does continue, it's probably hardware or the same software is somehow still running on startup.

Sadly doesn't change anything. I switched off all the stuff connected to the Squirrel and booted from a 3.1 floppy and the drive is inactive after boot. You can access the contents of the floppy but doesn't recognise any disk swapping and it doesn't click when the disk is out. I do think the drive is the problem and I guess I'll have to look into it when I get a moment.

Thanks for the idea though. Never mind.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

You would be amazed that floppy drives are something I struggle to get.

Why?  AmigaKit sells them brand new for the princely sum of $22 USD.  Even though I hate floppies and hate swapping them out, I have five in a box, "just in case".

http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=294