AMI-PC Link Floppy

[Fingerlickin_B]

Hi folks,

I purchased this transfer package called AMI-PC Link.

The whole reason for this was so I could get files like .ADFs from my PC.

The supplied floppy (for the Amiga) is no good, in fact it is totally ruined:banghead

I need a copy of this floppy if anyone can get me one.

Please help:crying

PZ.

[alexh]

Which Amiga do you have?

[Fingerlickin_B]

I have an A500 with KS 3.1 ROMs.

PZ.

[Fingerlickin_B]

Stuff it, I just got on eBay and bought another :great

PZ.

[Fingerlickin_B]

Just replying in my own thread so I can have a winge about transfer nosense!!!!

Ok, so my 600 is a while off and I still want to play games I've downloaded off the 'net.

Farrrrrk, as an .ADF take up the full 880k of the floppy I can't transfer it (after formatting floppies they don't have 880k free).

NO HARD DRIVE = HARD F*CKING LUCK!!!! :banghead :bash :guru :mad

Looks like I'll be selling my 500's (provided KS & WB 1.3 will work in a 600...will they?
(got 2.05 & 3.1, but still wunna' use 1.3 from time to time :nervous )

PZ.

[alexh]

No offense mate but you sound like a bit of a girlie computer user. (or you are just thick :nuts )

With no hard drive and only 512kbytes of RAM how did you expect to transfer the ADF image to the Amiga in the first place?

Get a lap-link cable and use a tool such as transdisk or AmigaExplorer to stream the disk image to your Amiga's floppy drive from the PC!

If you have 1Mbyte of RAM, split the disk image into two sides (440k). Use CROSSDOS to transfer the file to the Amiga on 720kbyte DD PC formatted disks. Use a RAM disk to hold each side of the disk image as you write it back to disk.

KS1.3 and WB1.3 will of course work in an A600 but you will have no access to the PCMCIA port or the IDE port without additional drivers (i.e. no hard drive access).

[Fingerlickin_B]

I guess I'm just f*ckin' thick dude, as I've no idea how to split images or "hold them in a RAM disk".

I thought the image could be transferred using Twin Express or any of the other applications I have tried, but no.

Obviously this whole Amiga thing was just trouble waiting to happen for me, as I don't know a bloody thing.

I'm a C-64 user and after using all the easy transfer gear and applications for the older machine, I saw an Amiga for sale and went "yeah, slightly newer, maybe better games, there is stuff to download...lets go".

Sorry to offend you with my stupidity...but why even own an A500 if you can't do this stuff easily?!?! :scream

I'll build up my 600 and go from there, as at least it looks like I'll be able to use it with my retarded computer skills :o

PZ.

[Fingerlickin_B]

KS1.3 and WB1.3 will of course work in an A600 but you will have no access to the PCMCIA port or the IDE port without additional drivers (i.e. no hard drive access).

Well, that's good news at least and thanks (oh and shock, horror, I actually knew that I wouldn't be able to access those devices running 1.3...at least I have learned something :laughing ).

PZ.

[alexh]

I thought the image could be transferred using Twin Express or any of the other applications I have tried, but no.

If you have a TwinExpress cable then you have a null modem cable.

If you have a null modem cable you can stream disk images to your Amiga from your PC.

What tools do you need? The easiest is AmigaExplorer from Cloanto but it is not free. http://www.amigaforever.com/ae/

You plug in the cables... launch the app on the PC and select send application over serial. Load workbench on the Amiga, open a cli window... type a few commands. Insert a blank disk on the amiga. Drag the ADF image over DF0: in AmigaExplorer on the PC and WAIT.

[Fingerlickin_B]

Well, I've already been suckered into buying sh*t off eBay twice that first time had a rooted disk (which I found to be freeware anyway) and second time was just PC & Amiga floppies for Twin Express...so I'm not buying any more transfer software.

:bowdown An A600 will fix everything :bowdown

[Fingerlickin_B]

If you have a TwinExpress cable then you have a null modem cable.


I'm not that dumb as to not know what kind of cable I have...in fact I've now got two of them that came with sh*tty freeware that I should not have paid for, plus one I already had :laughing

[DamienD]

Hey Fingerlickin_B,

If I still had a "real" Amiga 500 then I would try to write you step-by-step instructions... Unfortunately I don't though (since '93) :sad

From what I've read in this forum I would much prefer having an A500 than and A500+ or A600...

Have you tried looking at the guides in the >> FAQ << i.e. How do I transfer my old games to the PC? How do I transfer my ADFs to my Amiga? (http://eab.abime.net/faq.php?faq=amiga_faq#faq_games_xfer_faq) and in particular §ane's ADF Sender tutorial (http://eab.abime.net/faq.php?faq=games_xfer_faq#faq_adfsender)?

[Fingerlickin_B]

Yeah Damien, I've been trying Tequilla all night, but with problems...see this thread:

Linky linky (http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=27055)

PZ.

[DamienD]

Hmmm, not good :sad

Did you try ADF Sender also?

Edit: looks like others have tried to do what you want to achieve and it seems ADF Sender is the way to go Transfer PC -> Amiga500 with just 512kb ram (http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=2543)

[DamienD]

As for splitting / joining files, you could try this program JsplitIt (http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/JsplitIt) and TransADF (http://ftp.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/disk/misc/TransADF.lha) (which Jope talks about here (http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=235386&postcount=7))

As for using a RAM disk to hold each side of the disk image, I can't help you here... Could some kind Amiga expert please assist Fingerlickin_B with this part?

[ppill]

Well, it's all pretty straitforward:

An .ADF file(uncompressed) has a size of 901120 bytes.
11264 bytes per track
80 tracks altogether numbered from 0 to 79.
80*11264=901120

So let's assume you have an amiga with just half meg of RAM -- 512 kb
A PC formated DD floppy can hold 720 kb.
If you split the adf file in half you'll get two 450560 byte files. One of these will fit on the floppy but not neccesarly into Amiga's memory.
You need to divide the file into even smaller fragments keeping in mind that the size of each of these parts must be a multiplication of 11264 bytes.
So for example:
spliting the file into four parts
adf.001 225280 bytes; sectors 0-19
adf.002 225280 bytes; sectors 20-39
adf.003 225280 bytes; sectors 40-59
adf.004 225280 bytes; sectors 60-79

Put the Boot floppy with all the necessary software (transadf, fat95, dos commands like COPY, DELETE etc.)
Open a shell and type:

copy c:copy ram:
copy c:delete ram:
copy c:transadf ram:
path ram: add

Insert the PC floppy and type:

copy PC0:adf.001 ram:

transadf drive df0: file ram:adf.001 start 0 end 19 write verify

Put a formatted floppy (before you hit enter) into the drive or add the format switch to the end of the comand above if necessary. After the transfer has finished type:

delete ram:adf.001

then you do the same with the next files remembering to change the sectors and swap disks:

copy PC0:adf.002 ram:
transadf drive df0: file ram:adf.002 start 20 end 39 write
[...]

BUT
This involves lots of floppy swapping and you still need a amiga boot floppy with drivers on it that would enable you to read PC formatted floppies like fat95 from aminet and COPY, DELETE commands from the Workbench and TRANSADF sitting in RAM: and, and, and...

That's why serial or parallel transfers are so much better for low-end amigas.

[DamienD]

Your a saint and a gentleman ppill :bowdown

I'm sure your excellent step-by-step guide will greatly assist Fingerlickin_B :great

[ppill]

Always happy to lend a helping hand :)

[DamienD]

Yeah me too when I can ;)

[Fingerlickin_B]

Well guess what...

Due to using a dodgy external drive adaptor the other night my Amiga is now f*cked :crying

Taking an enforced break until my A600 arrives now :rolleyes

PZ.