Trying to get my Catweasel MK4 Plus working in WinUAE

[paulo_becas]

So now i'm trying to put my catweasel running on winuae but when i tried to download the files here http://www.winuae.net/cw.html, they aren't available.
I'm reaching for Toni, can you check winuae website so i can download all the files needed so i can try to make my catweasel to work?

Thank's

[amigoun]

Forget about using your CW with WinUAE - only joystick ports can be used, floppy support is far from being usable.

[paulo_becas]

Unfortunaly yesterday after i post this thread i read about it on the web, it's a shame.
Let's see if Toni can make it work in the near future.

[Toni Wilen]

You don't need any extra files, just download latest catweasel driver from manufacturer. If you have 32-bit Windows.

No 64-bit drivers = It is completely unsupported in WinUAE.

[paulo_becas]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

You don't need any extra files, just download latest catweasel driver from manufacturer. If you have 32-bit Windows.

No 64-bit drivers = It is completely unsupported in WinUAE.

Thank's Toni, my catweasel PC has Windows XP Pro 32 Bits but i'm not using the latest drivers with catweasel because i run in to some problems when using them so i decided to stick with version 2.4.0.
Is this enough or do i have to use ver 2.6.0?

So i just need to tick catweasel option in expansions?

Is it going to be possible to use catweasel as DF0 eventually?

Thank's for the help, you're the man

[prowler]

Originally Posted by paulo_becas

... my catweasel PC has Windows XP Pro 32 Bits but i'm not using the latest drivers with catweasel because i run in to some problems when using them so i decided to stick with version 2.4.0.
Is this enough or do i have to use ver 2.6.0?

Hi Paulo,

If you are finding the version 2.6.0 drivers problematic, the latest beta version provides some fixes.

The latest (16/11/2009) version of the Catweasel 32 bit Drivers and Tools may be downloaded here.

[paulo_becas]

Originally Posted by prowler

Hi Paulo,

If you are finding the version 2.6.0 drivers problematic, the latest beta version provides some fixes.

The latest (16/11/2009) version of the Catweasel 32 bit Drivers and Tools may be downloaded here.

Thank's Prowler, i'll give it a go, my catweasel was sitting down for a while and i didn't knew that a new beta driver was released.
My problem was writing ADF to floppy, the 2.6.0 version simply refuses to work, only with 2.4.0 version i was able to successfuly write a floppy.

[prowler]

I have been using the latest beta drivers since I started using my Catweasel MK4 with intent about a year ago, and the only problem I've had is setting the cwconfig.ini file initially, because the attached drive types are not auto-detected.

Since then, it's performed flawlessly under WinXP SP2.

I should mention that I have always given the Catweasel its own dedicated drives, because I have heard that it is less reliable when sharing the Windows floppy drive(s).

If you need any advice with setting up your cwconfig.ini file, please let me know. I may be able to help.

[paulo_becas]

Originally Posted by prowler

I have been using the latest beta drivers since I started using my Catweasel MK4 with intent about a year ago, and the only problem I've had is setting the cwconfig.ini file initially, because the attached drive types are not auto-detected.

Since then, it's performed flawlessly under WinXP SP2.

I should mention that I have always given the Catweasel its own dedicated drives, because I have heard that it is less reliable when sharing the Windows floppy drive(s).

If you need any advice with setting up your cwconfig.ini file, please let me know. I may be able to help.

Well, yesterday i've tried the beta driver it all went ok i managed to make a few ADF's with the new Imagetool but i have no luck recording them to new floppy's, it keeps telling me that the floppy is write protected. I have WinXP SP3 on my emulator PC and i also decided not to share the floppy controller with the one on the PC. I managed to configure cwconfig.ini well so i don't know what i'm doing wrong.
I have an Alps Electric drive in it, it's one of the most reliable drives i found, even when i modded them to use on a real amiga.
The worst happen after i tried to put the old drivers back (2.4.0), i followed all the uninstall instructions in the catweasel manual but when he detects new hardware after a clean boot, when it asks for the joystick port 1 driver, i choose it, and it gives me a blue screen.
After messing around for a couple of hours last night i went to sleep and try out late today.
Can you send me your cwconfig.ini file so i can compare it to the one i have?

[prowler]

Originally Posted by paulo_becas

Well, yesterday i've tried the beta driver it all went ok i managed to make a few ADF's with the new Imagetool but i have no luck recording them to new floppy's, it keeps telling me that the floppy is write protected. I have WinXP SP3 on my emulator PC and i also decided not to share the floppy controller with the one on the PC. I managed to configure cwconfig.ini well so i don't know what i'm doing wrong.

I've not had that trouble, but I have found some drives which won't work at all with the Catweasel.

Originally Posted by paulo_becas

I have an Alps Electric drive in it, it's one of the most reliable drives i found, even when i modded them to use on a real amiga.
The worst happen after i tried to put the old drivers back (2.4.0), i followed all the uninstall instructions in the catweasel manual but when he detects new hardware after a clean boot, when it asks for the joystick port 1 driver, i choose it, and it gives me a blue screen.
After messing around for a couple of hours last night i went to sleep and try out late today.
Can you send me your cwconfig.ini file so i can compare it to the one i have?

I have no experience of Alps Electric drives, unfortunately.

However, each time I have installed my Catweasel (or KryoFlux) into a freshly-installed Windows it has set up a restore point for me, so when I wish to install new drivers for either I just roll back to the restore point created just before I installed them originally. Did you let Windows create a restore point as the installer suggests? It makes installing fresh drivers so simple if you did.

I attach the two cwconfig.ini files which I use: the first for for a single 3½-inch HD floppy, and a second for a dual 3½-inch and 5¼-inch Canon floppy drive unit.

[paulo_becas]

Originally Posted by prowler

I've not had that trouble, but I have found some drives which won't work at all with the Catweasel.

Me too.

Originally Posted by prowler

I have no experience of Alps Electric drives, unfortunately.

It works flawlessly with the version 2.4.0 of catweasel drivers

Originally Posted by prowler

However, each time I have installed my Catweasel (or KryoFlux) into a freshly-installed Windows it has set up a restore point for me, so when I wish to install new drivers for either I just roll back to the restore point created just before I installed them originally. Did you let Windows create a restore point as the installer suggests? It makes installing fresh drivers so simple if you did.

I've formatted my emulator PC last week and unfortunely i totally forgot to create a restore point, i usually don't have it active because of a custom made windows xp instalation cd but that's something i usually do, i guess Murphy's law applied perfectly to this situation, i'm thinking that i have to format it again.

Originally Posted by prowler

I attach the two cwconfig.ini files which I use: the first for for a single 3½-inch HD floppy, and a second for a dual 3½-inch and 5¼-inch Canon floppy drive unit.

Thank's for the files
I usually put only 1 floppy in the config file, i see that you don't do that.
Do you think it has something to do with that?

[prowler]

Originally Posted by paulo_becas

Thank's for the files
I usually put only 1 floppy in the config file, i see that you don't do that.
Do you think it has something to do with that?

I don't think it matters whether you define one floppy drive or two. If either is not connected, then it simply will not be available. The reason both my files have two floppies listed is because that is how the file included in the archive was configured, and I wasn't sure which of Drive1 or Drive2 was Unit 0: and which was Unit 1: - and I'm still not sure, because my Canon dual floppy drive units seem to behave differently on the Catweasel than they do on a standard PC controller (and these drives don't work at all when attached to my KryoFlux or my Amigas via Stedy's PC floppy to Amiga adapter! ).

BTW, I have never tried to configure my Catweasels (I have an ISA, a MK3 "Flipper" and a MK4) for use with real floppies in WinUAE.

[paulo_becas]

Originally Posted by prowler

BTW, I have never tried to configure my Catweasels (I have an ISA, a MK3 "Flipper" and a MK4) for use with real floppies in WinUAE.

Quoting Amigoun "Forget about using your CW with WinUAE - only joystick ports can be used, floppy support is far from being usable"

We can't use, yet, the catweasel floppy drives as df0 in WinUAE.

Toni said that the catweasel is still unsupported in 64Bit Windows.

I guess Winuae still needs a few work.

I'm also thinking bulding a Stedy's PC floppy to Amiga adapter, i've already have all the components i just need to make the PCB. Since you got one can you tell me if it's worth building?

[Toni Wilen]

I meant: Catweasel is totally unsupported in WinUAE. No 64-bit drivers and at least last time 32-bit drivers weren't that stable either..

[paulo_becas]

Thank's for the update info Toni, do you think it will be possible to use it one day? Are you thinking about it?
I know that there's been a lot of talking around this subject but i like to hear it from the man himself

[prowler]

Originally Posted by paulo_becas

I'm also thinking bulding a Stedy's PC floppy to Amiga adapter, i've already have all the components i just need to make the PCB. Since you got one can you tell me if it's worth building?

For me, it would definitely be worth building if I hadn't already got two but I had the components required to build one.

To have one means that most PC floppy drives can be used with my Amigas, and that is very important to me when a large part of my computer hobbyist activity is recovering the data from floppy disks. Each floppy drive has unique properties and a large collection of floppy disk drives is one of the best resources you can have in these circumstances, and to be able to interface any of these drives with more than one platform makes them a whole lot more useful.

So get building, mate!

[paulo_becas]

Originally Posted by prowler

For me, it would definitely be worth building if I hadn't already got two but I had the components required to build one.

To have one means that most PC floppy drives can be used with my Amigas, and that is very important to me when a large part of my computer hobbyist activity is recovering the data from floppy disks. Each floppy drive has unique properties and a large collection of floppy disk drives is one of the best resources you can have in these circumstances, and to be able to interface any of these drives with more than one platform makes them a whole lot more useful.

So get building, mate!

So your telling me that i can use this adaptor with computers other than the amiga?
If so it's definitly worth building one

[prowler]

Originally Posted by paulo_becas

So your telling me that i can use this adaptor with computers other than the amiga?
If so it's definitly worth building one

No, I'm just saying that anything which enables some of the drives in my collection to interface with more than one platform (i.e., an Amiga as well as a PC in this case) is worthwhile.

Sorry for any confusion my comment may have caused.

Edit: Incidentally, mr.vince had this to say regarding Alps Electric floppy drives in the KryoFlux IPF write support thread:

Originally Posted by mr.vince

Yes, some drives are crap. This starts with a bad index detection and extends over some strange flux filtering up to completely messed up interfaces that might work with some basic floppy stuff but not when fed with data like replicators did.

We recommend using used drives that were made before 2005. Alps for sure is crap. Might work when reading (although problems might arise here as well) but the real test is writing. There is a reason this took so long. With a good drive you should be able to write every IPF out there...

Maybe you should consider trying another floppy drive with the later Catweasel drivers, despite your positive experience with your Alps Electric drive.

It's just a suggestion, I don't wish to rubbish your floppy drive if you've had good service from it, but I thought I'd bring this to your attention having seen it in the other thread.

[mr.vince]

Hi, you could as well try the exciting 64bit drivers delivered for and with KryoFlux...

Not sure if Toni ever wants to support this in real time. I am always voting to do images and use these as the original media is very likely to fall apart sooner or later.

[paulo_becas]

Originally Posted by prowler

No, I'm just saying that anything which enables some of the drives in my collection to interface with more than one platform (i.e., an Amiga as well as a PC in this case) is worthwhile.

Sorry for any confusion my comment may have caused.

Edit: Incidentally, mr.vince had this to say regarding Alps Electric floppy drives in the KryoFlux IPF write support thread:



Maybe you should consider trying another floppy drive with the later Catweasel drivers, despite your positive experience with your Alps Electric drive.

It's just a suggestion, I don't wish to rubbish your floppy drive if you've had good service from it, but I thought I'd bring this to your attention having seen it in the other thread.

Maybe the Alps Electric drives works badly with kryoflux it could be due to the floppy controller or by the driver itself used by kryoflux, i don't know i never tried it, but i assure you that with Catweasel and even when modded to work with real amiga this are one of the best, i manage to have 100% compatibility, reading and writing ADF's with Alps Electric drives.
Still i'll go and try to use a different drive with the latest catweasel drivers and we'll see what happens.