"winuae.exe - Drive Not Ready" when trying to add CF card as hard drive

[vroom6sri]

I am trying to add a CF card as a hard drive in WinUAE but keep getting the following error:

"winuae.exe - Drive Not Ready - The drive is not ready for use; it's door may be open. Please check drive A: and make sure that a disk is inserted and that the drive door is closed"

It's usable in Windows. I have tried formatting it as FAT and FAT32. Is my only option to format it in my real A1200? This is going to delay me loads if that's the case as I'll need to get my hands back on my Workbench discs.

[FOL]

Originally Posted by vroom6sri

I am trying to add a CF card as a hard drive in WinUAE but keep getting the following error:

"winuae.exe - Drive Not Ready - The drive is not ready for use; it's door may be open. Please check drive A: and make sure that a disk is inserted and that the drive door is closed"

It's usable in Windows. I have tried formatting it as FAT and FAT32. Is my only option to format it in my real A1200? This is going to delay me loads if that's the case as I'll need to get my hands back on my Workbench discs.

Have you tried diskparting it so its completely blank. Newer WinUAE version require this as you cant do the safe disk override anymore.

[vroom6sri]

Thanks, FOL. I hadn't tried that but I wouldn't even know where to start with diskpart. Is it straight forward?

[FOL]

Originally Posted by vroom6sri

Thanks, FOL. I hadn't tried that but I wouldn't even know where to start with diskpart. Is it straight forward?

In a word "no". As you can accidently select your windows partitions, .
Run cmd prompt, then type "diskpart".
Then type "list disk", it will list all disks connected.
Find your disk (CF) and type "select disk (your CF, i.e. 2)".
Then type "list disk" again and confirm its selected the correct disk.
If your 100% sure, then type "clean".

Now in WinUAE, it should see it as (UNK) when selecting it.
You can then use it normally in WinUAE.

[Toni Wilen]

Usually it is very good idea to include Windows version..

Anyway, seems to be Windows or driver or virus scanner problem.

[vroom6sri]

Thanks, Fol. Thanks, Toni.

I'm running WindowsXP and have been able to "clean" the CF card on my Windows 7 laptop so it now shows as UNK in WinUAE but I'm still getting the:

"winuae.exe - Drive Not Ready - The drive is not ready for use; it's door may be open. Please check drive A: and make sure that a disk is inserted and that the drive door is closed"

message when using WinUAE on the XP machine. I can use my 4gb CF card that I got from AmigaKit with WinUAE so I assume the drivers for the card reader are OK but I am (obviously) not an expert!

I have also tried disabling Avast shields.

I've now got my Workbench disks so booted up the A1200 from floppy with the "cleaned" 256mb CF card installed but I can't see any "hard drives" when using HDToolBox. Again, the A1200 loads fine from the 4gb CF card from AmigaKit so I assume the CF to IDE adapter is OK.

[Arnie]

How are you connecting the CF card to the PC?

[vroom6sri]

I'm connecting it via a USB cable connected to a card reader which works fine with the 4gb CF card from AmigaKit.

[Arnie]

Is the 4gb card Fat formatted or Amiga formatted?

What make is the other CF card?

[Toni Wilen]

I am not sure if it helps but attach 2xwinuaebootlog.txt. One with working card inserted and another with non-working one.

(Insert card, start winuae, click Add harddrive, exit winuae)

[FOL]

This is reminding me of a problem I had which may be related.
I had to press F12, then remove card, wait a few seconds, then push it back in. After a few seconds, resume emulation and it would work fine.

Sometimes, I had to remove the usb cable and do what I just described minus the remove card part.

Some cards / readers can be difficult I have found in my testing.
But this is just all theories found while testing.

[vroom6sri]

REPLY PART 1

Firstly, thanks for all the offers of help. Great forum. Great guys. Great computer. Great WinUAE.

Now, some answers to questions:

Is the 4gb card Fat formatted or Amiga formatted?
The 4gb one is as is from AmigaKit but (obviously) with Workbench installed. I therefore believe it's Amiga formatted because Windows does not recognise it as a removable drive. It's a Kingston.

What make is the other CF card?
The 256mb card is a SanDisk. I have 2 of them (normally used in the digi-camera) and both are giving the same results. Windows does not recognise these either as removable drives.

[vroom6sri]

REPLY PART 2

Because I fudged my way to getting WinUAE logging to work I wanted to post this part seperately because the logs are soooooooo long (no doubt I did this wrong)!

[vroom6sri]

Just tried this again with another 4gb Kingston CF card that arrived today from E-bay but the same "drive not ready" message comes up.

This new 4gb card appears to be the exact same time as the working one from AmigaKit which works OK in WinUAE and my A1200. When I try the new 4gb one in my A1200 it does seem to get seen by HDToolBox which shows the following:

Interface SCSI
Status UNKNOWN
Address 0
LUN 0

And the only option available is change drive type.

Not sure if this is good or bad.

[FOL]

Originally Posted by vroom6sri

Just tried this again with another 4gb Kingston CF card that arrived today from E-bay but the same "drive not ready" message comes up.

This new 4gb card appears to be the exact same time as the working one from AmigaKit which works OK in WinUAE and my A1200. When I try the new 4gb one in my A1200 it does seem to get seen by HDToolBox which shows the following:

Interface SCSI
Status UNKNOWN
Address 0
LUN 0

And the only option available is change drive type.

Not sure if this is good or bad.

Did you do the diskpart bit on this one?

[vroom6sri]

I didn't but I might be getting somewhere now with using the new 4gb card in the A1200. I'm following a Retrosofer YouTube tutorial and so far I've nearly finished formatting DH1 on the new card. Just DH2 to go (2gb) and then install Workbench but it's a schoolnight so may have to finish this off tomorrow!

[k4lmp]

Have you did the "highlight HDToolbox, information, change scsi.device to uaehf.device" thing?

[Arnie]

Originally Posted by vroom6sri

I didn't but I might be getting somewhere now with using the new 4gb card in the A1200. I'm following a Retrosofer YouTube tutorial and so far I've nearly finished formatting DH1 on the new card. Just DH2 to go (2gb) and then install Workbench but it's a schoolnight so may have to finish this off tomorrow!

You would be better off doing a 'quick' format of CF cards, apparently it prolongs the life of the card.

[vroom6sri]

The CF card is now formatted (the "long" way) and Workbench now fully installed.

It's booting in my A1200 and via WinUAE when connected the same way as the 256mb cards that were failing. Presumably this just means it was a compatibility issue with the 256mb cards and the reader/Windows/WinUAE.

Thanks for all the help.

[vroom6sri]

I've noticed some further odd behaviour with the 2 4gb CF cards which is only noticed when used in my A1200 but reporting it here in case it may be useful to figuring out why the new 4gb one worked when the 2 256mb ones didn't.

Basically, the HD light on the A1200 flashes normally with access when using my original AmigaKit 4gb CF card but with the new 4gb one the HD light is sort of constantly lit albeit dimly and flashes brighter with access.