Amiga Newbe here!!!

01 June 2009, 18:45

Complete newbe folks, so be gentle!!

Never had an Amiga "back in the day", always wanted one, but they were too pricey for my poor self.

So, when I saw an Amiga3000 pretty cheap on Ebay I snached the sucker! It's arriving tomorrow and I have a billion questions!

Please, feel free to direct me to old threads, as I'm sure a lot of these were asked before..

Here we go:

I really don't remember if this machine comes with an HD, from the auction, in my haste I paid for it and now it's closed so I can't even see...

In case that it doesn't...

What kind of HD does the A3000 takes? SCSI? IDE? How does one install workbench to the HD and have the machine boot from it?
I have Amiga forever +, so I can transfer images to floppies; One quick side question. Did anybody have a problem with Amiga forever where windows would basically freeze as soon as you tried to access a folder with amiga images? I deleted a startup app put in by it and it seemed to solve the problem...

Are there any incompabilities I should be aware of as far as software? Mainly games, of course (he he).

Can I install lightwave without the toaster? I really wanna play with it, I'm a semi-pro 3D modeler, and I'm just curious

That's it for right now, enough to get me started. I'm sure I'll have many other dumb questions in the future!

AB Positive · 01 June 2009, 19:10

Welcome to the Amiga world from a sort-of fellow newbie.

first things first, even if you don't like soccer, get "Sensible World of Soccer". Just trust me.

Secondly - do a google search for "Big Book of Amiga Hardware" - this will help you with any hardware thoughts/questions for the A3000 - or for any Amiga really.

Some miggys use SCSI, some use IDE, it's possible for both to be on there. All I know is that if you run a hard drive and want to boot off it, make sure you have a proper kickstart ROM in there - some check to boot too fast before the HDD can fully spin up. Might make you think it's a bad drive when really the KS is just speedy.

Hope some of this helps, and enjoy that beast!

StingRay · 01 June 2009, 19:20

Welcome to EAB marvio.

First things first, Goal! > Sensible Soccer!

The A3000 has a built-in SCSI controller so you'll need an SCSI HD. Installing Workbench is quite easy, you'll just have to execute the installer from the install disk and follow the instructions. Nothing too complex.

About Lightwave, there are versions you can use and install w/o toaster.

Hope that helps. Have fun with your A3k, it's a nice machine!

DH · 01 June 2009, 19:32

Welcome to EAB

Well, first of all here's the link to 'Big Book of Amiga Hardware' http://bboah.amiga-resistance.info/index_e.html and secondly, I think you'll find it'll be a SCSI HDD, unless it has an IDE Controller card fitted, like an Apollo.

Installing workbench only requires you to boot from the Workbench HD Install disk. It should ask you to prepare your HDD (partitions and format etc...) then it'll ask for the rest of your workbench disks in sequence until finished (i.e. Extras, Locale, Fonts, Storage etc...)

I think maybe we better wait until you have recieved the A3000 so you can inform us whether it's using a standard SCSI HDD or an IDE HDD through a controller card.

01 June 2009, 20:08

WOW! Thanks for the fast response guys!!

I'm just giddy with atecipation!

The only reason I asked about the workbench/drive is that I want to be prepared and have the right drive with me, in case it doesn't come with one...

In that vein...

If it's a SCSI, what flavor? 1,2, LVD....

I'm an IT consultant by day, so I have access to all kinds of different hardware

Also, what's a good size for an Amiga HD?

Info-Seeker · 07 July 2009, 00:54

The 3000 has a scsi II controller Native. All Amigas are scsi II, generally the 50 pin internal ribbons, or they use the db25 25 pin external cable which is exactly the same on the mac. You should be able to use any external scsi device with it as long as you have the right cables and a terminator on the end. It is pretty simple. If it doesn't have a hard drive, start out with a < 4 gig scsi II drive. It will be the easiest for you. I'd say 99/100 times the 3000 will unless specifically stated otherwise. The 3000 came with a hd by default, it was a 3d animation type system. Great system, and I believe the only true 32bit amiga. That's why the 3000 towers are so highly coveted. It doesn't have the aga chipset like the 1200 / 4000, but it's supposed to be much faster that its aga counterparts due to its 32 bit nature.

The only issue I can think of is you can not write Amiga Floppies from a pc without a special controller card and Amiga compatible floppy drive. The controller you need is a catweasle for the pc. Otherwise you will hae to transfer the disks over to the Amiga to write to floppy on Amiga hardware.

Congrads on the 3000!

-Info

01 June 2009, 18:45	#1
marvio Posts: n/a	Amiga Newbe here!!! Complete newbe folks, so be gentle!! Never had an Amiga "back in the day", always wanted one, but they were too pricey for my poor self. So, when I saw an Amiga3000 pretty cheap on Ebay I snached the sucker! It's arriving tomorrow and I have a billion questions! Please, feel free to direct me to old threads, as I'm sure a lot of these were asked before.. Here we go: I really don't remember if this machine comes with an HD, from the auction, in my haste I paid for it and now it's closed so I can't even see... In case that it doesn't... What kind of HD does the A3000 takes? SCSI? IDE? How does one install workbench to the HD and have the machine boot from it? I have Amiga forever +, so I can transfer images to floppies; One quick side question. Did anybody have a problem with Amiga forever where windows would basically freeze as soon as you tried to access a folder with amiga images? I deleted a startup app put in by it and it seemed to solve the problem... Are there any incompabilities I should be aware of as far as software? Mainly games, of course (he he). Can I install lightwave without the toaster? I really wanna play with it, I'm a semi-pro 3D modeler, and I'm just curious That's it for right now, enough to get me started. I'm sure I'll have many other dumb questions in the future!

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01 June 2009, 19:10	#2
AB Positive kachou ON! Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: New Hampshire, US Posts: 192	Welcome to the Amiga world from a sort-of fellow newbie. first things first, even if you don't like soccer, get "Sensible World of Soccer". Just trust me. Secondly - do a google search for "Big Book of Amiga Hardware" - this will help you with any hardware thoughts/questions for the A3000 - or for any Amiga really. Some miggys use SCSI, some use IDE, it's possible for both to be on there. All I know is that if you run a hard drive and want to boot off it, make sure you have a proper kickstart ROM in there - some check to boot too fast before the HDD can fully spin up. Might make you think it's a bad drive when really the KS is just speedy. Hope some of this helps, and enjoy that beast!

01 June 2009, 19:20	#3
StingRay move.l #$c0ff33,throat Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Berlin/Joymoney Posts: 6,863	Welcome to EAB marvio. First things first, Goal! > Sensible Soccer! The A3000 has a built-in SCSI controller so you'll need an SCSI HD. Installing Workbench is quite easy, you'll just have to execute the installer from the install disk and follow the instructions. Nothing too complex. About Lightwave, there are versions you can use and install w/o toaster. Hope that helps. Have fun with your A3k, it's a nice machine!

01 June 2009, 19:32	#4
DH Global Moderator Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Might as well be WORK :( Age: 56 Posts: 4,110	Welcome to EAB Well, first of all here's the link to 'Big Book of Amiga Hardware' http://bboah.amiga-resistance.info/index_e.html and secondly, I think you'll find it'll be a SCSI HDD, unless it has an IDE Controller card fitted, like an Apollo. Installing workbench only requires you to boot from the Workbench HD Install disk. It should ask you to prepare your HDD (partitions and format etc...) then it'll ask for the rest of your workbench disks in sequence until finished (i.e. Extras, Locale, Fonts, Storage etc...) I think maybe we better wait until you have recieved the A3000 so you can inform us whether it's using a standard SCSI HDD or an IDE HDD through a controller card.

01 June 2009, 20:08	#5
marvio Posts: n/a	WOW! Thanks for the fast response guys!! I'm just giddy with atecipation! The only reason I asked about the workbench/drive is that I want to be prepared and have the right drive with me, in case it doesn't come with one... In that vein... If it's a SCSI, what flavor? 1,2, LVD.... I'm an IT consultant by day, so I have access to all kinds of different hardware Also, what's a good size for an Amiga HD?

07 July 2009, 00:54	#6
Info-Seeker Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Palm Beach, Florida USA! Posts: 75	The 3000 has a scsi II controller Native. All Amigas are scsi II, generally the 50 pin internal ribbons, or they use the db25 25 pin external cable which is exactly the same on the mac. You should be able to use any external scsi device with it as long as you have the right cables and a terminator on the end. It is pretty simple. If it doesn't have a hard drive, start out with a < 4 gig scsi II drive. It will be the easiest for you. I'd say 99/100 times the 3000 will unless specifically stated otherwise. The 3000 came with a hd by default, it was a 3d animation type system. Great system, and I believe the only true 32bit amiga. That's why the 3000 towers are so highly coveted. It doesn't have the aga chipset like the 1200 / 4000, but it's supposed to be much faster that its aga counterparts due to its 32 bit nature. The only issue I can think of is you can not write Amiga Floppies from a pc without a special controller card and Amiga compatible floppy drive. The controller you need is a catweasle for the pc. Otherwise you will hae to transfer the disks over to the Amiga to write to floppy on Amiga hardware. Congrads on the 3000! -Info

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