30 gig hard drive problems on Amiga 1200 with 3.0 Roms

[Ebster]

Hi there,


i am about to buy a 2,5" 20-40 gb hd, not because i need that much space, but because there are no smaller new ones available.
i actually need about 5gb.

hardware about the same as codetapper´s:
a1200
kick 3.0
wb 3.0
blizzard 1230
no extra controller, cd-rom or so

i am absolutely new to stuff like blizkick, devs etc. (but no problem with file transfer pc->amiga) and looking all over the net for three nights now havn´t made things become clearer.


so starting on from just having built the blank hd in the a1200.......

can somebody pleeeeaaaase post a step by step how-to, setting this thing up, step by step, the easiest way with the best result?

(somehow idiot-safe, not like: you can do like this or that, and i prefer 3rd which has again several contras; i appreciate that amount of knowledge but for me as a "normal" user, it makes me mad).

which files do i need to make it work? which hd-utilities for later use, like defragmentation or so?

anyway, thanks a lot!

...ffs...info 38.2 won´t spatch...sfs...softkick...blizkick and/or idefix...

[Korodny]

Originally Posted by Ebster

can somebody pleeeeaaaase post a step by step how-to, setting this thing up, step by step, the easiest way with the best result?

To use big HDs, you need to patch scsi.device (the IDE driver) and use a new filesystem. Here's what you need:

1. AmigaOS 3.x disks
2. IDEFix97 (download here)
3. SFS (download here)

Boot from the OS3 'Install' disk, run HDToolbox. Create just one partition (your boot partition) which absolutely needs to be smaller than 4GB - about 100 MB should be sufficient (some would say "way to much") anyway.

Do not create any other partitions yet.

Now install OS3 to that partition.

Install IDEFix97 to that partition.

Reboot.

Now you need to install the new filesystem to your HD's 'Rigid Disk Block' (imagine this as the HD's 'boot block'), this is somewhat complicated.

Read the SFS manual.

Read the SFS manual once more.

Start HDToolbox and activate "Advanced options".

Some new buttons appear, click on "Add/Change".

(this is where my memory gets shady, unfortunately - let's hope others are able to contribute)

The window that comes up now lets you add a new filesystem to the disk's RDB. Read the SFS manual again - it will explain what has to be entered in the "MaxTranfer" etc. fields.

The rest of the information is 'reliable' again.

Once you have added the new filesystem to the RDB and you're back in HDToolbox's main window, create the other partitions. HDToolbox will display completely wrong partition sizes (IIRC it will start at '0' again if a partition gets bigger than 4GB), but that's just a cosmetical problem.

As you have 'advanced options' enabled, there's a button that lets you select the filesystem for all of the partitions - make sure that all the partitions you are creating use "SFS" as their filesystem.

Make sure that you did not change any of the settings for your original partition (the boot partition).

Now you leave HDToolbox again (click 'Save', 'Yes I'm Sure' blah blah several times).

Reboot.

Format your new partitions with quick format (never ever use anything else than 'quick format to format your partitions -the format command does not support big HDs properly).

You're done. (Actually, you could now switch the boot partition's FS from FFS to SFS too, but let's deal with that in another posting )

[Jope]

The 3.0 hdtoolbox is BROKEN! Use hdinsttools instead!

[Ebster]

thank you soooo much!


tomorrow i´ll buy that hd. shouldn´t be a problem anymore. i always asked myself, if the boot partition could stay that way first installed and at which point you start partitioning and formatting. that´s clear now! the most interesting link i found was this one http://siliconsonic.de/t/bin/howto/etd64.htm - and it´s all about ffs. sfs should be better. still some questions:


can i use hdtoolbox 3.1 for installing wb3.0? what is broken in hdtb3.0? or has it some advantage using that hdinsttools?

and what is your advised maximum (and/or possible) partition size with sfs kick3.0 and wb3.0 to use?

again thanks a lot!!!

[Jope]

Don't use pre 3.9 hdtoolbox at all.

Old HDTB versions can't handle large drives properly and sometimes it manages to create overlapping partitions!

Just stay well clear, or use it only for disks < 4GB and for one partition only. :-)

[Korodny]

Originally Posted by Ebster

thank you soooo much!

You're welcome

can i use hdtoolbox 3.1 for installing wb3.0? what is broken in hdtb3.0? or has it some advantage using that hdinsttools?

Well, I'm pretty sure that HDToolBox can handle partitions bigger than 4 GB, it just displays completely stupid partition sizes. But Jope seems to be pretty sure aswell, so you better use HDInsttools just to be on the safe side.

But do not use several different HD tools - always stay with the one that you used first. If you choose to use HDInsttools, use it for everything you do to your HD.

and what is your advised maximum (and/or possible) partition size with sfs kick3.0 and wb3.0 to use?

With that setup there's no real limit (I think it's around 128 'Terra'bytes or something). Validating an invalid partition requires memory (the bigger the partition, the more memory you need), but with SFS (which never needs to validate) you don't need to worry about this.

[Ebster]

ok folks, i´m about to bug out...

how do i add the sfs? i´ve did everything the way described above, until i have to use hdinsttools/hdtoolbox3.0 to make the sfs partitions, but i am not able to add the file system. when i enter the required identifier etc., change partition and safe, and then go to the change partition display later, the values are set to custom default again. device disappeared from the wb, and sfs salv also finds nothing. i know this is a hard issue to answer (even for me to explain) but please take a guess on what went wrong. installed idefix97 on the hd, without that cd search thing, copied sfs to l: and entered the values to hdtb/hdinsttools - not mixing them up, but after several reformats each try with one of those.

[thomas]

In HDToolbox, on the "partition drive" page, there are two buttons on the right side: one is labelled "Add/Update" and the other is "Change...". First you have to go to "Add/Update". There is a list of all installed filesystem programs. Click on Add, choose SFS from where you copied it and enter the identifier 0x53645300. Then click on Ok. Now you can go to "Change..." and set the new identifier for the partition, too. "Add/Update" is for all partitions, "Change" has to be done once for each partition.

And believe me, it would help you a lot if you'd read the documentation which comes with the programs you try to install. AFAIK SFS has detailed instructions on how to install it.

[Jope]

Originally Posted by Korodny

Well, I'm pretty sure that HDToolBox can handle partitions bigger than 4 GB, it just displays completely stupid partition sizes. But Jope seems to be pretty sure aswell, so you better use HDInsttools just to be on the safe side.

The 3.1 HDTB is pretty safe, I guess, the 3.0 one has problems. The error in calculating the bigger partition sizes is only a visual problem, but the overlapping partition problem is something you don't want to encounter, ever.

But do not use several different HD tools - always stay with the one that you used first. If you choose to use HDInsttools, use it for everything you do to your HD.

That's a pretty good rule of thumb.. I personally use three different tools interchangeably, but sticking to one single tool is what I'd also recommend for beginners.

Saves you a lot of hassle if you only use one, there's not as much chance of things going wrong. (and I recommend HDInstTools)

[Ebster]

i know, i´m getting on your nerves, but i read sfs manual more than once and just now(10 pm till 7h am) i did again what you wrote, but after that sfs salv(i don´t have any other method to check right know) gives me the information, that this partition is (german "nicht angemeldet") - i guess, that means not mounted..

[Ebster]

the sfs instruction says create a mountlist OR follow below. i followed below.

do i HAVE TO create that list? Where shall it be put to? startup-sequence?? i´m really confused, because i followed the other instructions and on workbench always only the boot partition is displayed, the other is only visible in hd tool box or sfs salv, with no filesystem and status: not registered (i looked in a dictionary, mounted seems to be something else).

can someone help?

[Ebster]

The solution is to use HDToolBox3.1, in 3.0 and in HDInstallTools you CANNOT click the sfs\00 to change after you have added it. you have to enter the identifier under custom file system and this somehow does not work. with 3.1 after adding it is listet to be clicked - and tatatataaaah!! it works! forget all my other questions. and thanks for your patience!


peace

[Ebster]

Hi there,


a new problem appeared: after i´m able to make sfsformatted partitions, i get wrong sizes displayed, opening them under windows - and several blockid errors when trying to work on the partitions. i tried all the sfs advised mask values - did not work. when i changed sfs blocksize to 1024 i could copy my whole workbench on that sfs partition without errors. but still wrong size of that partition displayed.

what might be the mistake?

[Ebster]

just to keep you informed, i had v1.227 from aminet, 1.230 does not show that problem. i just found it: http://home.wtal.de/js/now i can sleep well again...