Using a HDD 2.5 with Amiga 1200

Dahman · 22 March 2016, 09:43

Hi,

I have a A1200 with ACA1221. I used a HDD on a compact flash, but unfortunately I can't rely on compact flash cards as all of them I have eventually got check sum errors and caused issues with booting, workbench, etc. I used a couple of cards from different sources and they all got the same problem in the end after a relatively short period of use. I don't know if it's a problem with my Amiga or the CF adapter, but I don't have a way to reimage the cards (I have the imiage as vhd, but my Windows is not letting me do a carbon copy to another CF), so I decided to use a real 2.5 HDD. So I have a few questions, but if there is another thread please let me know.

1) What are the best HDD 2.5 for me to use? I cannot find easly 2 GB HDD, so I'm wondering if I could you a 40gb and set smaller partition.

2) Can I use this case to connect the HDD to my PC with WinUAE after I format it on my Amiga? http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Portable-USB-...oAAOSw7I5Tr8~j

3) After I format the HDD, can I just copy system files from my already built system in WInUAE (classicWB) to that blank HDD and then just connect it to Amiga1200? Will they be any conflicts.

Those are the first things I can come up as problematic. What else should I take care of?

Regards,
Dahman

supaduper · 22 March 2016, 09:57

Yes you can use a bigger 2.5 HD and use say 4gb or 8gb no problem, yes also you can also dump your copied system over to the new drive(make sure you click show all files too) and it will be ok and will boot,

Daedalus · 22 March 2016, 10:19

You can also use an updated scsi.device driver and filesystem and use all of a hard drive you fit. I have three A1200s running hard drives - one has a 60GB, one has a 120GB and one has 200GB and 80GB drives fitted. All of them can use all the space on the drives. Once you can find a PATA drive you should be good to go. Personally I like Seagate drives, but Western Digital are popular too.

Any sort of PATA-USB adaptor can be used to connect it to a PC, but bear in mind it should be set up to use RDB partitions rather than PC style MBR partitions or removable media formatting - don't format it under Windows!

Dahman · 22 March 2016, 10:47

Thanks. I plan to get a smallest HDD 2.5 I can find (probably) 40 GB, then connect it to A1200 and use HDtoolbox to format it, like 1gb for DH0, probably 2 DH1, and what ever last for the rest. Should I change anything in the settings? I remember that for formatting CF cards, there were some maxtransfer settings. Does it matter for HDD2.5?

After I format it, I want to connect it to the PC and via WinUAE to see the partitions (I know that windows will not see them). From there I hopefully be okay

Daedalus · 22 March 2016, 11:21

Yeah, that should be fine, though just remember that a 40GB drive is probably well over a decade old at this stage. The most important thing is that any boot partitions are within the first 4GB, so that they can boot safely and load new drivers for accessing the rest of the drive. Don't use anything above 4GB without installing a scsi.device driver and filesystem capable of using it, and check it with Check4GB before you use it. And only do a quick format - doing a full format is pointless on modern drives, and can be dangerous if you're above 4GB.
Maxtransfer issues are with the scsi.device and not the actual drive, so you'll need to set that correctly regardless of the type of drive you attach. 0x1FE00 is generally taken as the best value to use, and remember that it has to be set for each partition individually.
I would recommend using SFS or PFS instead of the standard filesystem as they're generally faster and more reliable, though they can be harder to recover data from if something goes wrong. If you still want to use FFS, increase the block size to 2048 or higher to get decent speed from the drive. Other filesystems should be left at 512 bytes.

Amiga1992 · 22 March 2016, 15:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dahman

unfortunately I can't rely on compact flash cards as all of them I have eventually got check sum errors and caused issues with booting, workbench, etc.

I never had such problems. Does your machine crash a lot?
In any case, if you aren't using a better filesystem like PFS3AIO, then you an run into a lot of these issues with FFS, for example if your machine crashes. I got tired of th validation and checksum errors and shit that FFS was giving me, switched to SFS first and now PFS3AIO, and I cannot be happier. I've had the same CF unit in my A1200 for 8 years now, no problems.

I would recommend you not to discard the CF route until you tried with a better filesystem.

Dahman · 24 March 2016, 01:27

The machine doesn't crash, but who knows. I will check this PFS3AIO for sure. I only moving from CF because of that. Can I reuse the same CF cards that gave me checksum errors? Or should I get a new one? Nevertheless, I'm still looking to get a HDD 2.5 setup, but that something good to know. I'll read more about PFS.

Arnie · 24 March 2016, 12:32

You could try SD cards. There are 44pin to SD adapters available. There's also 44pin to Sata you could try. Or you can get a CF card housing that takes SD cards, they are a bit thicker than normal CF cards but they fit the CF adapters used in Amigas (I have used on myself, I use SD cards now).

A1200 · 24 March 2016, 14:25

On all DoM/SSD/CF HDD solutions for my A1200/A600s over the years, I have always found making the largest partition possible (4GB or lower if smaller storage), and doing a full format on it first.

I then partition how I want it configured and then full format each partition. OK takes ages but since doing this I never have a problem.

Always make sure in HD Toolbox you set the MaxTransfer to 0x1fe00 for all partitions. NB make sure when typing in 0x1fe00 you press enter! Typing it in then clicking OK without pressing enter in the input box does not save whats in the box.

Do both these things and I bet you $1000000000000 it will never be a problem again (unless you have an underlying HW issue).

Ta,

Mike

Arnie · 24 March 2016, 15:04

A full format is not needed really and can actually cause the drive to have problems, especially CF and SD cards. I always do a quick format.

supaduper · 24 March 2016, 15:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arnie

A full format is not needed really and can actually cause the drive to have problems, especially CF and SD cards. I always do a quick format.

Agreed writing to lots of cells on a CF card is a definite no no, but I`m glad you have no probs with yours A1200

Daedalus · 25 March 2016, 20:02

I can't remember the last time I did a full format on a partition. Probably in the '90s. None of my many hard drives and CF cards have ever had a full format on any partition, and all are working perfectly for many years. You definitely don't need to do a full format, and it wastes time and the limited write cycles your flash card can take.

22 March 2016, 09:43	#1
Dahman Registered User Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Dublin Posts: 18	Using a HDD 2.5 with Amiga 1200 Hi, I have a A1200 with ACA1221. I used a HDD on a compact flash, but unfortunately I can't rely on compact flash cards as all of them I have eventually got check sum errors and caused issues with booting, workbench, etc. I used a couple of cards from different sources and they all got the same problem in the end after a relatively short period of use. I don't know if it's a problem with my Amiga or the CF adapter, but I don't have a way to reimage the cards (I have the imiage as vhd, but my Windows is not letting me do a carbon copy to another CF), so I decided to use a real 2.5 HDD. So I have a few questions, but if there is another thread please let me know. 1) What are the best HDD 2.5 for me to use? I cannot find easly 2 GB HDD, so I'm wondering if I could you a 40gb and set smaller partition. 2) Can I use this case to connect the HDD to my PC with WinUAE after I format it on my Amiga? http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Portable-USB-...oAAOSw7I5Tr8~j 3) After I format the HDD, can I just copy system files from my already built system in WInUAE (classicWB) to that blank HDD and then just connect it to Amiga1200? Will they be any conflicts. Those are the first things I can come up as problematic. What else should I take care of? Regards, Dahman

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22 March 2016, 09:57	#2
supaduper Registered User Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Krypton Posts: 1,214	Yes you can use a bigger 2.5 HD and use say 4gb or 8gb no problem, yes also you can also dump your copied system over to the new drive(make sure you click show all files too) and it will be ok and will boot,

22 March 2016, 10:19	#3
Daedalus Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Dublin, then Glasgow Posts: 6,347	You can also use an updated scsi.device driver and filesystem and use all of a hard drive you fit. I have three A1200s running hard drives - one has a 60GB, one has a 120GB and one has 200GB and 80GB drives fitted. All of them can use all the space on the drives. Once you can find a PATA drive you should be good to go. Personally I like Seagate drives, but Western Digital are popular too. Any sort of PATA-USB adaptor can be used to connect it to a PC, but bear in mind it should be set up to use RDB partitions rather than PC style MBR partitions or removable media formatting - don't format it under Windows!

22 March 2016, 10:47	#4
Dahman Registered User Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Dublin Posts: 18	Thanks. I plan to get a smallest HDD 2.5 I can find (probably) 40 GB, then connect it to A1200 and use HDtoolbox to format it, like 1gb for DH0, probably 2 DH1, and what ever last for the rest. Should I change anything in the settings? I remember that for formatting CF cards, there were some maxtransfer settings. Does it matter for HDD2.5? After I format it, I want to connect it to the PC and via WinUAE to see the partitions (I know that windows will not see them). From there I hopefully be okay

22 March 2016, 11:21	#5
Daedalus Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Dublin, then Glasgow Posts: 6,347	Yeah, that should be fine, though just remember that a 40GB drive is probably well over a decade old at this stage. The most important thing is that any boot partitions are within the first 4GB, so that they can boot safely and load new drivers for accessing the rest of the drive. Don't use anything above 4GB without installing a scsi.device driver and filesystem capable of using it, and check it with Check4GB before you use it. And only do a quick format - doing a full format is pointless on modern drives, and can be dangerous if you're above 4GB. Maxtransfer issues are with the scsi.device and not the actual drive, so you'll need to set that correctly regardless of the type of drive you attach. 0x1FE00 is generally taken as the best value to use, and remember that it has to be set for each partition individually. I would recommend using SFS or PFS instead of the standard filesystem as they're generally faster and more reliable, though they can be harder to recover data from if something goes wrong. If you still want to use FFS, increase the block size to 2048 or higher to get decent speed from the drive. Other filesystems should be left at 512 bytes.

24 March 2016, 01:27	#7
Dahman Registered User Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Dublin Posts: 18	The machine doesn't crash, but who knows. I will check this PFS3AIO for sure. I only moving from CF because of that. Can I reuse the same CF cards that gave me checksum errors? Or should I get a new one? Nevertheless, I'm still looking to get a HDD 2.5 setup, but that something good to know. I'll read more about PFS.

24 March 2016, 12:32	#8
Arnie R.I.P Smudge 18-08-16 Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Leicester/UK Age: 66 Posts: 3,968	You could try SD cards. There are 44pin to SD adapters available. There's also 44pin to Sata you could try. Or you can get a CF card housing that takes SD cards, they are a bit thicker than normal CF cards but they fit the CF adapters used in Amigas (I have used on myself, I use SD cards now).

24 March 2016, 14:25	#9
A1200 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Westhall, England Posts: 49	On all DoM/SSD/CF HDD solutions for my A1200/A600s over the years, I have always found making the largest partition possible (4GB or lower if smaller storage), and doing a full format on it first. I then partition how I want it configured and then full format each partition. OK takes ages but since doing this I never have a problem. Always make sure in HD Toolbox you set the MaxTransfer to 0x1fe00 for all partitions. NB make sure when typing in 0x1fe00 you press enter! Typing it in then clicking OK without pressing enter in the input box does not save whats in the box. Do both these things and I bet you $1000000000000 it will never be a problem again (unless you have an underlying HW issue). Ta, Mike

24 March 2016, 15:04	#10
Arnie R.I.P Smudge 18-08-16 Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Leicester/UK Age: 66 Posts: 3,968	A full format is not needed really and can actually cause the drive to have problems, especially CF and SD cards. I always do a quick format.

25 March 2016, 20:02	#12
Daedalus Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Dublin, then Glasgow Posts: 6,347	I can't remember the last time I did a full format on a partition. Probably in the '90s. None of my many hard drives and CF cards have ever had a full format on any partition, and all are working perfectly for many years. You definitely don't need to do a full format, and it wastes time and the limited write cycles your flash card can take.

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