Transferring files to a real Amiga w/ Null Modem cable

[agent_jdh]

Hi,

This topic seems to have been brought up before but I've got a bit of a problem here.

A couple of days ago I rescued an A1200 (8 meg expansion, 2nd FDD, no HDD but I hope to fix that). I'll point out now that I got an incomplete set of WB3.0 disks, didn't realise at the time, I'm missing the Storage and Install floppies. It appears the PC0/1 CrossDOS files are on the Storage disk, so I can't use that method.

Looking at the info here http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9493

I followed the instructions from the link in that thread http://homepage.uibk.ac.at/homepage/...l/methods.html



(using Method A - no AmigaBasic, which prevents me using WarTrans which relies on that too) I tried to transfer transdisk first, and the PC0/1 CrossDOS stuff from a WB3.0 Storage ADF.

Now I noticed that the command

type ser: ram:transdisk

wasn't working, so a bit of digging around online AmigaDOS tutorials I changed it to

type ser: to ram:transdisk

and this time a file was created. Unfortunately WB can't run it saying it is not an executable (I checked the file settings under Info and the executable box was ticked). I was passing the files through the fileprep util on that website so that the files did not get truncated.

So next up I tried a text file, with and without using fileprep. Sure enough, without fileprep the text file is truncated, but with fileprep the text file is OK. But it seems it does not work for binary files (I also tried the author of that website's own pre-fileprep'ed transdisk, it fails also). Also tried LHA, no success.

I _think_ the problem may lie in the 'type' command line I'm issuing, but I've not got a clue. Binary transfers just are not working.

I've contacted the guy I bought the Miggy from, he's a decent bloke (I fixed his PC for him when I was collecting the Amiga so he owes me one ;-), and he said he would have a good hunt around for the extra WB disks, but that he was pretty sure I'd got all he had so I'm not banking on him to come up with them.

Are there any other methods for getting files across a null-modem cable that I can try with the limited setup I have here? I've been googling and sifting through here and I just can't find anything that doesn't have a Catch 22 situation for me.

Oh and does anyone know a good place to get cheap 2.5" (e.g. 1 gig or thereabouts) IDE HDD's?

*edit*

OK I looked at the link http://ale.emuunlim.com/guides/serial-transfer.shtml

And it linked to a 404 on using a null modem cable, I figured out that the updated link for ALE was
http://ale.emuunlim.com/guides/file-transfer.shtml

Which seems to have the header "How to make a blank ADF" but there you go, I didn't know you had to mount PC0: from a shell, I don't know if I'll be able to do this though without the WB storage disk. I'll have a go tomorrow.

*edit again*

OK when I run mount pc0: in a shell I get "Can't open file 'DEVS:MountList"

I'm tearing what's left of my hair out over this.

[Severin]

create the file devs:mountlist, put this in it:

PC0:
FileSystem = L:CrossDOSFileSystem
Device = mfm.device
Unit = 0
Flags = 1
Surfaces = 2
BlocksPerTrack = 9
Reserved = 1
Interleave = 0
LowCyl = 0
HighCyl = 79
Buffers = 5
BufMemType = 0
StackSize = 600
Priority = 5
GlobVec = -1
DosType = 0x4D534400
#

[agent_jdh]

You sir, are a star. Works a treat. Got a nice little amiga diskette now with some handy utils on it.

Interestingly, when I transfer the Install3.0 adf to disk, it won't boot, iirc (which is debatable), as I intend to stick an hdd in asap.

I used transdisk and also ADF-Blitzer to write the floppies. I there some fudge to get written-from-adf floppies to boot? I was going to have my WB backups on the PC as adf's and use the floppy backups I was given with the machine as I'm a bit short on DD disks - all the games I got with the machine were originals, no disk box full of dodgy pirated ones (as I see being flogged on ebay).

Actually doing a bit of checking I wonder if there might be virus lurking somewhere, need to get a virus checker onto it.

Cheers again for your help.

[scaf]

There are 2 things :

you used a 1200 with wb 3.0 : the 'type' command from 2.0 and more can't transfer binary files. It only works with wb 1.3.

The SER: device has a buffer of 200 bytes. If your file has a size that isn't a multiple of 200, it'll be truncated.

If you have a wb 1.3 disk, you can transfer this version of transwarp : http://amigadump.emu-france.com/down/trans28l.zip
It's a "long" version of trans28, part of the transwarp package.

[agent_jdh]

Originally posted by scaf
There are 2 things :

you used a 1200 with wb 3.0 : the 'type' command from 2.0 and more can't transfer binary files. It only works with wb 1.3.

The SER: device has a buffer of 200 bytes. If your file has a size that isn't a multiple of 200, it'll be truncated.

If you have a wb 1.3 disk, you can transfer this version of transwarp : http://amigadump.emu-france.com/down/trans28l.zip
It's a "long" version of trans28, part of the transwarp package.

I'll look into getting serial transfers to work, but for now 720k dos disks seem to be doing the trick, cheers though.

Love the avatar btw, that game used to drive me crazy.

I got an HDD as well, but the guy who previously owned my Miggy had tried to do the IDE cable mod for HDD spin-up (cut cable 1), only problem was he'd cut the wrong cable (cable 40), but I reckon I can patch it with a short bit of cable and a soldering iron.

[scaf]

I prefer use serial transfers instead of floppy transfers : no need to split the adf nor to compress it.
I use the serial transfer to store ADFs on the HDD.

btw, i use this avatar, too :

[agent_jdh]

Hmm yeah, I'm going to try and get serial transfers going - unfortunately it means carrying my Amiga and TV about, but that will soon change and my PC and Amiga will be in the same room.

I'm just trying to transfer a large file across using floppies at the moment - and it's proving troublesome.

But at least I got an HDD fitted, up and running with WB, it's great!

[mtb]

Originally posted by scaf
I prefer use serial transfers instead of floppy transfers : no need to split the adf nor to compress it.
I use the serial transfer to store ADFs on the HDD.

btw, i use this avatar, too :

Also it's safer & faster ( if your amiga is near to your pc, of course ). A disk can have a lots of rw errors.

I've loaded your adf ( under uae ), good!

[scaf]

The rw errors on floppies!
So much fun !
I don't know if someone noticed it : when you store a soft on a floppy (with exe and data files), rw errors are very often on the EXE file... never on the readme.1st

I often have to rewrite on a new floppy the ADF i made (ADFDump) because of rw errors that appear... from nowhere... I keep my disks far from dust, direct sun and magnetic fields, but rw errors still appear...
Or perhaps my amiga drive hurts disks ?

mtb : thanks for you tried my adf . If it's useful to you, it's ok for me

[agent_jdh]

Tell me about it, I've spent the last 2 days writing zip'd disks on my PC and carting them through to the Miggy.

The sooner I get it set up in the PC room and can use serial the better.

Incidentally, is an external scandoubler a good shout for games? My PC's monitor has 2 inputs (I use the BNC ones), and it would be good to hook the Miggy up to the DSUB connector so I can switch between them.

[mtb]

Originally posted by agent_jdh
Incidentally, is an external scandoubler a good shout for games? My PC's monitor has 2 inputs (I use the BNC ones), and it would be good to hook the Miggy up to the DSUB connector so I can switch between them.

Never tried such a thing, someone here can tell you more.