Getting WinUAE to boot from HDD with Kickstart 1.2

[8bitbubsy]

I'm setting up a clean A500 WinUAE config with Kickstart 1.2 for really old app compatibility, but with kick 1.2 the system doesn't boot from the HDD driver in WinUAE... I need this because I have a directory with some old apps, I don't want to boot from floppies only!

Is there any way to make Kick 1.2 boot from uaehf.device?

[r.cade]

Kickstart 1.2 won't boot from any hard disk- it lacks the ability. Actually, I think it may be there but is broken- fixed in 1.3

[Toni Wilen]

uaehf.device and directory filesystem are autoconfig devices, they can't work with 1.2 (or older).

Technically it can worked around (lots of hacks needed) but it really isn't worth the trouble.

[LocalH]

Originally Posted by 8bitbubsy

I'm setting up a clean A500 WinUAE config with Kickstart 1.2 for really old app compatibility, but with kick 1.2 the system doesn't boot from the HDD driver in WinUAE... I need this because I have a directory with some old apps, I don't want to boot from floppies only!

As a slight workaround for the speed, you may be able to set the floppy speed to something higher than 100%. I find that with OS-legal programs (and even the occasional game), if Turbo won't work, chances are 800% will.

[gary]

Just because you are booting from floppy disk does not mean that all system commands, libraries, devices, etc must be loaded from floppy disk. Boot from floppy with a very minimal install:

df0:s/startup-sequence
df0:c/assign

Use the assign command to reassign system directories (c: libs: devs:... etc) to your hard drive directories. Create a ram-disk (for T and execute s/startup-sequence on your hard drive.

Example s/startup-sequence on df0 (Going from memory. I may have missed a few):

assign sys: dh0:
assign s: dh0:s
assign libs: dh0:libs
assign devs: dh0:devs
assign l: dh0:l
assign t: ram:
assign c: dh0:c
execute s:startup-sequence ; assuming the execute command is in dh0:c/

You don't even need the assign command on floppy if it is on hard disk, but this example is probably easier to understand. What I'm not sure about is if the floppy disk needs some sort of hard disk device in order to read/write to the hard drive? A newer version of l:fastfilesystem perhaps?

[8bitbubsy]

Gary: The OS doesn't find any hard drives at all, that's the problem.

[mark_k]

If WinUAE provided a uaehf device driver to be put in SYS:Expansion, you could run BindDrivers in the boot floppy's startup-sequence to load the SCSI driver. You could then mount your hard disk partition and transfer control to it.

But WinUAE doesn't provide a BindDrivers-type driver. I was thinking of building one myself but that might be more trouble than it's worth. (Also WinUAE might automatically disable the uaehf hardware, not just the uaehf boot ROM, if running under Kickstart versions before 1.3.)

As an alternative, instead of using the WinUAE uaehf controller, try using an emulated A2091 SCSI controller instead. Put Commodore's A2091HD driver (from the A2091 install disk) in SYS:Expansion and using a boot floppy with Kickstart 1.2 should work then.

[Toni Wilen]

There is no hardware that driver would use without autoconfig. It is designed for autoconfig only.

[thomas]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

There is no hardware that driver would use without autoconfig. It is designed for autoconfig only.

I tried to activate the A600 IDE on a A500/Kick1.2 config, but as soon as I do so, it crashes with a yellow screen. Is this in "real world", too? Is there an active component on the A600 IDE which makes the software crash? My intention was exactly that: activate the hardware (without autoconfig) and load the driver from floppy disk.

The same works perfectly with Kick 1.3 (IDE hardware is not recognised by Kickstart but driver loaded from disk can access the harddrive).

[Toni Wilen]

Originally Posted by thomas

I tried to activate the A600 IDE on a A500/Kick1.2 config, but as soon as I do so, it crashes with a yellow screen. Is this in "real world", too? Is there an active component on the A600 IDE which makes the software crash? My intention was exactly that: activate the hardware (without autoconfig) and load the driver from floppy disk.

It is probably caused by buggy slow ram detection in 1.2. (It assumes chipset mirror at the end of slow ram, not "something else") Try different memory configurations.

[mark_k]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

There is no hardware that driver would use without autoconfig. It is designed for autoconfig only.

Well yes, but Kickstart 1.2 does support AutoConfig. That's what Commodore made the A2091HD driver for.

[thomas]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

It is probably caused by buggy slow ram detection in 1.2. (It assumes chipset mirror at the end of slow ram, not "something else") Try different memory configurations.

I already had a hard time to eliminate all RAM types (and other expansions) which cause UAE to add an autoconfig board. But yes, I will try a bit harder to get it to work.

[Toni Wilen]

Originally Posted by mark_k

Well yes, but Kickstart 1.2 does support AutoConfig. That's what Commodore made the A2091HD driver for.

It makes no difference. UAE abuses directory filesystem autoconfig board's automount (DiagPoint and BootPoint) to initialize host side hooks required for uaehf.device and directory filesystem. No autoconfig+automount = nothing exists. It is not trivial update.