Bootable CDTV whdload

[MrZammler]

Hi,

I'm trying to create a bootable cd with whdload for my CDTV. Just one game at the moment (Gianna Sisters). The CDTV has kick 2.05 and ECS Denise.

So, I've created a minimal root structure, with c, s, and the Gianasisters directory. However, even though the cd boots and starts the game, it hangs just after the initial screen.

I'm pretty confidend that it should run (it does run on my 1MB A600 if I boot without SS).

I'm thinking that the only difference now between the 600 and CDTV setups is that the boot filesystem is not writable in the case of the cdtv. My ss is pretty basic, i.e.

c:makedir RAM:ENV
c:assign ENV: RAM:ENV
c:rmtm
cd gianasisters
c:whdload gianasisters.slave

Is there anything I'm missing?

Edit:Tried also Batman and Xenon 2, both stop loading at a black screen.

Thanks.

[jotd]

Hi,

I'm trying to create a bootable cd with whdload for my CDTV. Just one game at the moment (Gianna Sisters). The CDTV has kick 2.05 and ECS Denise.

So, I've created a minimal root structure, with c, s, and the Gianasisters directory. However, even though the cd boots and starts the game, it hangs just after the initial screen.

I'm pretty confidend that it should run (it does run on my 1MB A600 if I boot without SS).

I'm thinking that the only difference now between the 600 and CDTV setups is that the boot filesystem is not writable in the case of the cdtv. My ss is pretty basic, i.e.

c:makedir RAM:ENV
c:assign ENV: RAM:ENV
c:rmtm
cd gianasisters
c:whdload gianasisters.slave

Is there anything I'm missing?

Edit:Tried also Batman and Xenon 2, both stop loading at a black screen.

Thanks.

At least you miss READDELAY option. Bert states that 150 is a good value. It's required for CD32 whdload compilation. I made a CD32 JST compilation in the past, and without my delay option, no game which needed OS swap ever loaded.

For GGSisters, you could set PRELOAD and I think you'd have enough memory. The problem with WHDLoad is that when it cannot allocate enough memory to quit back it doesn't even start. JST started, but you were unable to quit: it was possible to load a 1MB-requiring floppy game such as Magic Pockets on the CD32 with JST without any OS swaps.
With WHDLoad you cannot (but WHDLoad was and is still superior to JST in most aspects...)

Other problem with CDTV: I just read in WinUAE docs that CDTV drive is not emulated, which means that you cannot test your CD on a WinUAE config. You can with a CD32 compilation. It saves time and money (CDTV and CD32 don't accept CD-RW neither, damn!!)

bye

[alexh]

The problem with WHDLoad is that when it cannot allocate enough memory to quit back it doesn't even start.

Because this is a CDTV, with a 68000 CPU, WHDload probably doesnt even try to allocate memory to quit back because without the relocatable VBR (68010+) it cannot.

I would recommend trying to dump out the available RAM to the screen before loading the slave... this will give you an idea of what you have to work with. You can then try to use negative add buffers, programs such as "add21k" etc. until you can get enough RAM to preload.

I've noticed that some WHDload slaves on 68000 dont work well if they cannot be preloaded, some slaves dont work well regardless (Turrican III), some slaves just dont work at all if all you have is a 68000 :(

Great Giana Sisters is a VERY old slave, developed on a 2Mbyte 68020 AGA A1200 with Kickstart 3.0+

Your CDTV probably has KS1.3 and your A600 KS2.05 which might be why it works on one and not the other?

[Wepl]

Because this is a CDTV, with a 68000 CPU, WHDload probably doesnt even try to allocate memory to quit back because without the relocatable VBR (68010+) it cannot.
Thats not true. There is no special handling for the 68000. All works exactly the same way as on other CPU types. Because there is no VBR WHDLoad cannot move the vector table, that is correct.
I would recommend trying to dump out the available RAM to the screen before loading the slave... this will give you an idea of what you have to work with. You can then try to use negative add buffers, programs such as "add21k" etc. until you can get enough RAM to preload.
Yes, with 1 MB only you wont have much fun with WHDLoad. Only installs which require not more than 512 KB memory can work at all.
I've noticed that some WHDload slaves on 68000 dont work well if they cannot be preloaded, some slaves dont work well regardless (Turrican III), some slaves just dont work at all if all you have is a 68000 :(
Its possible that installs dont work with 68000 because none of the authors test them on 68000. Please report such problems that these installs can be fixed! All non AGA installs should work on 68000.

[MrZammler]

@all

thanks for your replies. I've left this a bit, cause I was waiting for a proper adaptor to connect a keyboard to the cdtv to make life a bit easier.

Anyway, still no go. READDELAY is there (tried up to 600 or something), what makes me wonder is that both the A600 and the CDTV are identical as far as specs are concerned (68000, ECS, 1MB chip), and things work on the A600, so it cant be the slave's fault. Tried preload, but that would really require fast mem, right?

I know I can only run games that require 512k of chip, but that's fine by me. (If things worked, the cdtv can be expanded to 2MB chip and 4-8MB fast, costly but can be done).

Anyway, I'm out of ideas.

[Chain]

cdtv doeznt have 1mb chip free after boot, there is alot space wasted for cd-driver, uknow

[MrZammler]

I know. It's about the same as the A600 with the ide driver.

If the mem wasnt enough for the slave to load, then whdload would complain about it.

[Wepl]

Have you tried to start WHDLoad from a floppy? This should work well for installs fitting on a disk.

[MrZammler]

Have you tried to start WHDLoad from a floppy? This should work well for installs fitting on a disk.

Almost. I've created a bootable floppy with whdload in it, but the slave was on the cd... Now that I think about it, I could as well put the slave itself on the floppy and point DATA to the cd.

(Dont think I can find a complete install which fits on a floppy)?

[alexh]

Can you not use negative "addbuffers" for DF0: and CD0: (or whatever the CD is mounted as)?

Try adding to your startup script

addbuffers -999 df0:
addbuffers -999 cd0:

(make sure cd0: is the right device on a CDTV)

If you dont have your floppy drive connected then I dont think you need to remove buffers for df0:

Could you also use the program "add36k (http://www.aminet.net/package.php?package=util/misc/add36k.lzh)" to claw back some RAM? I guess WHDLoad does some of that for you?

[MrZammler]

I'll try the addbuffers trick, thanks.

Already run add44k too each time before a whdload slave.

[alexh]

add44k = AGA
add21k = OCS/ECS on the CDTV.

Running add44k on the CDTV will be the same as add21k.

add36k is / was better last time I tried.

Here is an old thread where I was trying to get back RAM for WHDload on an A600

http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=16446

[ziovax]

Hi MrZammler!

In order to make bootable CD for CDTV, you need the file CDTV.tm ....

See the FAQs here http://eab.abime.net/faq.php?faq=cd32_faqs#faq_cd32_howto_item in section "CD32-compilation HOWTO by Frostwork" point 4 "using ISOCD".
Burning an ISO without CDTV.tm will not make bootable CD for CDTV.

Hope this help, but for memory issue I can't help you better than other friends already done.

;)

[MrZammler]

add44k = AGA
add21k = OCS/ECS on the CDTV.

Running add44k on the CDTV will be the same as add21k.

add36k is / was better last time I tried.

Here is an old thread where I was trying to get back RAM for WHDload on an A600

http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=16446

Hmm, interesting info, thanks!

[MrZammler]

@ziovax

I've already got the bootable part working, but thanks anyway ;)