Amiga 600 CF project gone bad

[WarFaceChamp]

SOLVED! Solution in the end of the thread.


Hi guys.
Thx for this incredible forum!

I just found my old Amiga 600 up in the attic some weeks ago.
All the memories quickly came back, but lot of my floppydisk is gone or not working anymore.

I quickly started my Amiga project.
The project is to use the Amiga 600 hardware with CF hard drive, WHDload and WHDgames.
Not emulation on PC.
I’ve used days and hours figuring out how to set it up and installing workbench with WHDload through WINUAE.
I am almost there. I got everything running in emulation with WINUAE booting from the CF card.

Here is the problem.
The Amiga is not accepting the CF card as a hard drive. It just boots from the ROM chips on the MB.
After investigating I found that the Amiga 600, which I got, has a ROM v. 37-299 – thus not supporting HD boot.


Here is the Question.
Now what do I do know.
1. I find a used chip which has a 37.350 ROM (never only supported to the Amiga 1200 right??)
2. Is it possible to upgrade the software on the ROM chips in the Amiga 600??
3. I skip the hard disk boot, and boot from a Kick start/Workbench floppy disk and then access the CF hard drive? (But how do I get / make a floppy disk for the Amiga)
Thanks in advance for your input.

UPDATE 20-02-12 NEW PROBLEMS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE TREAD

[Arnie]

Buy a Kickstart 3.1 rom for the A600.

[WarFaceChamp]

Thx for your reply.
Which revision number should the 3,1 be for support of the A600?
I saw someplace that the 3.1 for A1200 would not work for the A600? Or is that false?

[Arnie]

The A1200 uses 2 roms and wont work on the A600. Just buy a 3.1 kickstart for the A600, (1 rom).

My A600 3.1 revision number is 40.063.

[WarFaceChamp]

Thank you.. Found one from Germany - which I just ordered.
A nice shop btw, if amigakit dosn't have what you need.
https://www.vesalia.de/

[Arnie]

Yeah, I got mine from there as Amigakit had none in stock.

I would also recommend getting an A604 mem expansion.

[WarFaceChamp]

So. I got my 3.1 Rom and installed it. Boot is working.
Now, step 2 that is going bad.

I don't have a 3.1 workbench floppy disk.
So I am trying to setup my CF card using WinUAE.
Took me sometime to get the Card recognised in WinUAE (I am using Windows 7) - but finally I got the CF card startet up.

Now, I've partitioned the card and installed Workbench 3.1 on in using this video guide.
[ Show youtube player ]

I can start up WinUAE with the card and loading Workbench. No problem.
I also installed WHDload and installed a game. No problem.

Here is the problem.
I can't boot from the card when I have installed it in the Amiga 600.
It just jumps to the 3.1 startup screen and the floppydrives starts spinning.
I am using this Sandisk CF card. http://www.overstock.com/Electronics...8/product.html

Here is the Question.
Is it posible to make the CF card in WinUAE and the Boot up on the Amiga 600 hardware? Or do I need to get a Workbench disk and set it up using the Amiga hardware?

If yes.
Can someone help me setting up the WinUAE for a Amiga 600? Maybe some hardware settings in WinUAE was not set correct?

Yes. the partitioned drive DH0 WAS set to bootable... :-)
Yes. the IDE cable is installed correct with the redline towards yourself when the Amiga is opend.

Please help.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by WarFaceChamp

Is it posible to make the CF card in WinUAE and the Boot up on the Amiga 600 hardware? Or do I need to get a Workbench disk and set it up using the Amiga hardware?

Yes, you can do it with WinUAE and you should, it's much easier.
Search the forums, it's been discussed plenty and there's a great guide that teaches you how to do it.

[Retrofan]

This thread has several links and info about making it in Winuae better than Retrosofer that is making it in a real Amiga http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=51603

BTW: Thanks Retrosofer wherever you are. You helped me too at the beginning...

[CritAnime]

I ran into this issue a while back with my CF drive. The thread with my issues on is here (http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=62126) but now it works fine. Check the last 5 posts and especially the diskpart thing. The CF nay need cleaning with diskpart before doing anything else. What I discovered was that the CF actually had stored the Amiga boot stuff on a section of the card the Amiga wouldn't read if left with fat32 or any other file system present. Cleaning the card wipes everything off and then it's a simple case of connecting the card, starting WinUAE in admin mode and then formatting the card accordingly.

[WarFaceChamp]

Thanks everybody for the quick replies.
I startet with diskpart, but maybe I did something wrong from the beginning.
I'll will start all over tonite with the links that you all posted.

I'll write an update.
Thanks.

[CritAnime]

Just a quick question. Where did you get your CF from? Just I have got a few from ebay that have been fake. Also could you hold both mouse buttons at boot and tell us if it's been picked up?

[WarFaceChamp]

I am sure this is not fake. I got it from work. :-)
If I hold both mouse buttons at boot what info should I then look for?

[Amiga1992]

I am using a really shitty CF card with no problems.

[WarFaceChamp]

Well used alot of hours tonite.
Whiped the CF card completely using diskpart.
Used WinUAE to setup the card agian. - Starts from the CF HD in WinUAE without problems.
Put it in the A600 - not working.
When holding down the 2 mouse buttons I can go to the Boot options I can see DF0 and CC0 - If i try use them I still just se the normal startup with the floppy.
Should the CF card be a third option here?
Exoansion Board Diagnostic shows noting either. Should the CF HD be listet here?

I am almost givin up. Maybe the CF card dosn't work. But why does it work in emulation?
Is the settings in WinUAE such as CPU, chipset setting ect. not of importance for setting the drive up fore the Amiga hardware? Its is just for the emulation?
Should I try another card?
Also thinking that the IDE dosn't work on the Amiga?

[Amiga1992]

Yes the CF card should be a third option tehre.
Have you switched your CF card to IDE mode? Some cards need that. Unless you do that the card won't be recognized as a bootable IDE device.

Did you mount the CF in WinUAE as an RDB device or did you mistakenly added it as a folder? That could make it work in WinUAE but NOT in the Amiga.
I think you should read through the instructions on howto make it, something must have been done wrong.

Last course of thought is to think you have a faulty CF-IDE adapter. I know I had a bunch.
Are you using the same adapter to connect the card to your PC? I'd suggest that, to test (with help of a USB-IDE adapter, for example)

[WarFaceChamp]

Good point to use the adapter with USB. I havn't been using the adaptor for PC - I just used a cardreader. I'll try using the adaptor with USB tomorrow. Got one at work.

Have you switched your CF card to IDE mode? Some cards need that. Unless you do that the card won't be recognized as a bootable IDE device
Do you mean a physical switch on the card - or some software setting? if software setting, what do I need to do? I have made the partition bootable from the HD tools options in workbench.

Did you mount the CF in WinUAE as an RDB device or did you mistakenly added it as a folder?
What do you meen with RDB? I added the CF under harddrive with READ/Write and IDE0.

I've read the instructions over and over.. going blind :-) I think when I test the adaptor, and if it works - I'll make a video or screenshots of my setup, hoping that someone can see the error I am making if such. :-)

[Amiga1992]

It's a software switch. The guides usually point you to an utility that lets you set that but I think it only works with certain brands of cards.

[WarFaceChamp]

Allright. So I tested the adaptor with the CF card on my PC with USB connection. No problem.

So it must be the setup of the card - or the card itself.
I just orderen a new CF card. Sandisk Ultra 4 GB.
I'll try to set it up.

If I still have problems I'll post screens or video of the setup.

In the end, maybe the IDE connector on the Amiga i faulty. :-(

[Amiga1992]

Did you use exactly the same CF-IDE adaptor that you use in the Amiga to connect to the PC?

I doubt very much the IDE is faulty. And your Sandisk 1GB card should be fine too.
Did you, as I said, tried to switch it to IDE mode?