grrr.no mercy for the bad......

[ToTalXS]

OK I finally got an amiga that works....A500 with 512k expansion and 1mb supraram 500rx....It came with two workbench 1.3 disks(they were coipies not the originals :(..) so I though cool I automatically have a backup.....well I booted both disks and it worked fine so I started to go through a few games that I got with it......I tryed to load "Spaceport" and it wouldnt boot up...The disk says "load first kickstart" so I assumed that I needed to boot work bench then start the game from there........but when I tried to load the workbench disks nothin...it just kept the boot screen(handand disk) and wouldnt load work bench.....either disk........did I do something wrong or are those disks suddenly crap....I just thought it was weird that both of them went belly up at the same time....virus maybe?....All of the other disks that I have work....word perfect....deluxe paint II...and some games......any and all assistance is greatly appreciated.......thanx.......

[Overdoc]

Yes, sounds like a virus to me.
Do you have a viruskiller ?
Some viruses don't really destroy the disk ( at least I think so ), but they only make the disk useless until the virus gets removed. After removal it will work again as it should. I think e.g. the 'Lamer Exterminator' is a virus of this kind.

So try installing the disks with a viruskiller or install them manually with the install command when you can get another workbench from somewhere or another program that lets you use the CLI.

[ToTalXS]

I have another A500 on the way it shoulkd be here in a couple of days....It has original wb 1.3 so I'll wait until then to try the virus killer thanx.....

[Twistin'Ghost]

Just make sure all disks remain with the write protect tab up. Are the disks you already tried write-enabled? That is also a handly clue as to the disks' fate.

[ToTalXS]

yep...after I realized that they wernt going to work I checked the write enabled tab.and guess what ? it was write enabled........guess I should have checked before I used them....bummer for me......When I get my other copies of wb1.3 can I just format these two disks? would that rid me of the virus or is the disk junk until I remove the virus?....thanks

[Overdoc]

Sure, if you format the disks then everything, including the virus is deleted on the disk !
But you don't have to format the disk to get rid of the virus:
Just delete the bootsector of the disk and overwrite it with a clean one.
You can do this easily with the command 'install' from the Shell or CLI. Just put the sick disk in DF0: and write: INSTALL DF0:
That's all.
But be carefull and don't use the install option from the Workbench menu as this isn't a install, but a format instead !
This is a very confusing Workbench option in my opinion :(
Or you can also use a viruskiller if you've got one :)

[Akira]

Interesting... In Wb2+, the install command puts a bootblock on the disk!

I didn't know it wasn't like that in 1.3.

Edit: I just checked a 1.3 config on the crapulator... it says Initialize... Which workbench says Install? And I read it all wrong, I know the command does teh same in both, I was just... sleeping :P

[Overdoc]

Ooops, thanks Akira for correcting that !
I was writing bullshit due to lack of sleep or something and confused install and initialize with each other.
Of course you are correct and install writes the bootblock and initialize from the WB menu does a format like when you write format from CLI.

Sorry for the confusion !