Ami<>PC network purchase

[Djay]

can someone tell me this is worth buying.. considering i have never networked Amiga/PC

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2046324525

[Bloodwych]

I refer you back to the answer I gave you in this thread (http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5719)

All the info on this "solution" you should have read already Djay! :) Links galore in the above thread.

I mean look, it can be bought for £15, that's not much above the price of a laplink cable anyway. Just be warned, not many Amiga transfer programs support 4-way laplink parallel cables, usually they'll use serial. Amiga Explorer and twinexpress for example don't support parallel transfer. Ami2PC (the software provided in your link and available free on aminet) does.

Parallel transfer is much faster than serial however - I get 40K/s Amiga->PC and 24K/s PC->AMiga with an 68020 using Ami2PC. This is opposed to 14K/s max with serial cables and software.

[Djay]

Thx Bloodwych... sorry being annoying... just the collective gave too much information..... ermm...

[Bloodwych]

Ok Djay, let's keep it simple! ;)

Windows XP/NT/2000 OS, less speed, good reliability=> buy a serial cable and use free software ofg aminet.

Windows 9x/ME, more speed, occasional problems with connection => buy the above parallel package.

Cash to spare => Grab a compatible ethernet PCMCIA card for the A1200 and a network card for the PC. It's easily the best network solution and compatible A1200 cards often popup on e-bay. Read this thread and search for others (http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4077&highlight=PCMCIA)
This is the solution I'm going to adopt in the near future. Probably cost about £35 to setup inc postage costs.

[Djay]

i've gone for the above Parallel package cos of Win98SE.... and because its all set-up for me (yes... i'm lazy;) )

thx for your advice Bloodwych...

i presume i can send NDOS adfs back to the Amiga and save on a floppy??!!??

[Bloodwych]

It's a dream solution for sending ADF's across! Depending on the direction, it'll take 20-40 secs for transfer.

When you get the package, drop a post for some hints N tips. Here are a few now:

Ignore the instructions and use the non-resident PC software - it's faster.

Always use a program like Dopus to transfer files - it's more reliable than dragging them between windows.

The PC software runs in a dos box and allows long filename compatibility. It can't be disturbed. Select the dos box and have nothing else running on your PC. Use the DOS box properties to disable any screen savers or background tasks, as these WILL break the connection.

[Djay]

non-resident PC software

whats the name of this (or am i being really stupid)

Use the DOS box properties to disable any screen savers or background tasks, as these WILL break the connection.

does this include a connection to Broadband and antivirus software etc.....

should i unplug my Rj45 connection and reboot the PC?


Thx Bloodwych, you are being most helpfull to an OLD FOOL!!!

[Bloodwych]

Originally posted by Djay
[B]

whats the name of this (or am i being really stupid)

[B]

See the pic below for the correct file. I didn't use the software they provided, but downloaded PC2Am308 (http://uk.aminet.net/pub/aminet/comm/misc/PC2Am308.lha). It's essentially the same software, but has better Amiga install scripts and instructions.

The non-resident version is a lot faster when copying files from the Amiga to the PC. :D

Originally posted by Djay
[B]

does this include a connection to Broadband and antivirus software etc.....

should i unplug my Rj45 connection and reboot the PC?

[B]

Hmmm. Don't really know since I don't have broadband. All you can do is experiment.

The connection is more reliable if you transfer one large file (eg ZIP) rather than lot's of small files, so get in the habit of zipping stuff up if you have a directory of loads of files to copy across. For instance when I transfer my Classic WB over for testing, I have no probs copying over a 18MB zip. If I was to copy the WB over unzipped, I'd get packet loss errors from time to time - may be once every 5-10 minutes.

[Bloodwych]

Woops, forgot the pic. :hoo

[Djay]

PC2Am308
this is for the Amiga side, Yes?... i think i'm using the same software as yourself on the PC side (same filename)

i disconnected Broadband, disabled Anti-Virus & Firewall etc.. etc..

and managed to transfer an ADF from the Amiga to the PC... it worked!!!

gonna do my personal utility disk soon!!!

Thx 4 your help Blood

[Djay]

i've upload my utils disk to the zone, but the zip don't work... so i'll have to send it to Spooner via msn and he can upload for me..

i've also adf'ed Deluxe Galaga 2.3 (not sure why)... i've got a few others to do...

a few bods asked me if i can transfer their disks to the PC, if you guys PM me again we will sort this out.

i would encourage anyone thinking of setting up an AMI<>PC network, to do so... its really cool...

thanks to the internet, and a few of you guys i have every Amiga title on the planet, my A1200 has never been so grateful!!!

--
I do however, need a Ami program that can read/write adfs to other drives apart from DF0: (ie.DF1: & DF2:, i have a twin external drive), as my internal drive is a bit sketchy, any ideas?

thanks again to Bloodwych for all his help getting this sorted out

-- 2002:My Amiga Is Reborn --

[Bloodwych]

No problem! :)

As for an ADF utility, you are talking to bloodwych classic WB extraordinaire!

Two options. Packmaster off Aminet supports many archive types including DMS and ADF's. It's included in my Classic WB as well as......

Tracksaver, a stand alone ADF util and one of the best (http://uk.aminet.net/pub/aminet/disk/misc/tsgui.readme)

Download (http://uk.aminet.net/pub/aminet/disk/misc/tsgui.lha)

[Djay]

what software do i need to have on my Amiga, to extract lha files?
and where can i get it...
---
lets say that i get my hands on a larger HD (mine is currently 85mb), and install it into my Amiga 1200, what exactly do i have to do... i.e is there any partitioning to do, to i have to tell the Amiga i've stuck a new HD into the machine????


God i feel like a newbie all over again!!!

[Djay]

Just "Emulated" TrackSaver... looking good, cheers Bloodwych!

[Bloodwych]

Originally posted by Djay
what software do i need to have on my Amiga, to extract lha files?
and where can i get it...

What spec machine do you have? Just use my ClassicWB, it has all the best software pre-installed. All you have to do is follow the instructions - you can have a fully featured workbench setup in minutes to examine and learn from rather than keep asking what software you need. :D

For this solution, grab packmaster and any archive executables off aminet. For instance, search for LHA, ZIP, DMS etc and whack the executables in the c directory. Packmaster acts as a GUI for these executables in order to archive/extract. :)

Originally posted by Djay

lets say that i get my hands on a larger HD (mine is currently 85mb), and install it into my Amiga 1200, what exactly do i have to do... i.e is there any partitioning to do, to i have to tell the Amiga i've stuck a new HD into the machine????


God i feel like a newbie all over again!!!

It's SOOOO easy! You slap the new HD in the A1200, load up the 3.0 install disk and run HDtoolbox.

Then use the option of auto-detecting your HD and save the fetched details to disk. Next partition and Format the partitions ready for use.

You can get more technical and change buffer size, mask and maxtransfer but unless you have issues with the default values then it would only serve to confuse. Generally buffer size depends on how much RAM you have, mask tells the HD controller how to access the RAM and maxtransfer should be set no larger than your HD cache (usually 128K on older drives). In most case the default values are fine.

If you want the best file system for your HD and more details of the above, Read here and on the net. (http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5811&highlight=hdtoolbox)