Strange mulicard-reader effect

[bladecgn]

Occasionally I get a PFS Error "Write Error 28 on Block XXX. Make sure disk is inserted"" requester.
- Quitting and rstarting WinUAE does not hep (still the requester or no booting from CF - black screen forever)
- Removing the CF and resinserting it does not help (still the requester or black screen)
- Removing the mulicard reader and reinserting it does not help (still the requester or black screen)

What helps ist to remove the card from the cardreader und put it into my 2nd multicardreader (different make and model). But also there this problem will occour after some time and i have to switch back to the other reader again. Only switching makes it work again.

This is really puzzling me...

[edit] in the first version of this post I reported a "wron block id" error. But it is a write errro9 th accasionally occurs.

[mark_k]

Hmm, strange. Do you have the card reader plugged directly into your PC or into a hub?

[Amiga1992]

I had "wrong block id" errors. It was related to corruption/buffers.

I had to run some diagnostic tools to find errors. I ultimately fixed them (at the expense of great loss of data) using PFSDoctor and so far haven't experienced them again.

How many buffers does your partition have? Apparently PFS needs a minimum of 100.
Can you try running "diskvalid" from PFS tools to see if you have any errors?

[Toni Wilen]

I don't see how it can have anything to do with software if inserting the card in another reader fixes it.

Not the first time (crap) card readers work strangely.

[Amiga1992]

I understood his message as "this gets 'fixed' when i change readers", not as "it happens on one reader". It seems to happen, then he changes readers, doesn't happen for a while, then happens again, switches reader again, etc.

So the problem could be all his readers, or he is just having buffer issues and blaming the readers :P

[bladecgn]

Akira is right, the read problem occurs in both readers and only switching the card between readers fixe the problem. No read error any more. pfsdoctor finds no error whatsoever.

It puzzles me that switching cards between devices works as a workaroung. Is there some cahching involved maybe in windows?

Wat even puzzles me more is that removing nad reconnection the readxer in question does not help.

[bladecgn]

Originally Posted by mark_k

Hmm, strange. Do you have the card reader plugged directly into your PC or into a hub?

Both directly.

[bladecgn]

Originally Posted by Akira

I had "wrong block id" errors. It was related to corruption/buffers.
How many buffers does your partition have? Apparently PFS needs a minimum of 100.
Can you try running "diskvalid" from PFS tools to see if you have any errors?

Thanlky, very good clue! This also had been crossing my mind. I thought 50 buffers would be sufficient but reread the manual: 70 are minimum, 100 recommended.

I increased the buffers to the recommended value fpr PFS of 100 for every partition in hdtoolbox (before there were 50 buffers for each partziton). Before I did this via "addbuffers" in startup-sequence.
Wait and see...

[Tomislav]

Originally Posted by bladecgn

Both directly.

Directly (back) in motherboard or in front USB. Front USB can have interference.

[Toni Wilen]

You could try using WinUAE built-in HDF creator (or any other image tool) when it does not work and when it does: do you get any errors or different size image file?

[thomas]

There are not only crappy readers but also crappy cards.

Error 28 means no disk in drive, so it is clearly a hardware error and has nothing to do with PFS or file system in general.

It could be as simple as a heat problem. During operation the card warms up until it starts to fail. The reader interprets the failure as if the card had been removed. Or the card tries to protect itself by deregistering from the reader.

Now if you remove the card and plug it back into the same reader, it does not cool down enough because the reader has been warmed by previous operartion, too. But if you plug the card into another reader which is not as warm, it cools down to a level where it can operate again.

I don't know if CF cards have heat sensors, but if they have, it could be a faulty sensor.

If not, then it might be true hardware failures which also puts the data at risk.

[ppill]

I was getting checksum read errors from a CF with FFS partitions when connected via an USB2IDE adapter (The CF was plugged in using one of those CF2Ide 44 pin boards). It would disconnect when trying to create an hdf image. Same thing happened when using windows hd imagining software software.

Everything worked fine on on my A1200.

I think the adapter is here to blame.

[bladecgn]

Well it really seems to be a probölem with both readers (although they are of a different brand).

The problem occurs especially after standby, even if WinUAE wasn't active before and during standby.

Increasing buffers in htdtoolbox to 100 for each PFS partition didn't improve the situation, unfortunately.

[bladecgn]

It mus be an wiondows Problem:

When I Exit WinUAE and put the Laptop to sleep, then turn it on again and strat winuae the error comes up.

Only removing and reinserting the CF card or this batch file (wich disables and reenables the CF reader):

C:\Portable\Tools\DevManView\devmanview.exe /disable "GENERIC USB Storage-CFC USB Device"
C:\Portable\Tools\DevManView\devmanview.exe /enable "GENERIC USB Storage-CFC USB Device"

, then starting WinUAE lets me boot again without the error.

I guess it's an windows problem then.

I am now figuring out how the run this batch after every sleep.

[Amiga1992]

Again, as said before, it could just be the multicard reader(s). Not necessarily a Windows error.
It might just not be responding properly to messages like "wake up!".

[mark_k]

Something which may (or may not) help... Go into Device Manager, right-click the entry for your card reader and choose Properties. In the Power Management tab, make sure "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" is un-checked.

[supaduper]

All these errors relate to to the USB card readers not being compatible, like some CF to IDE adapters on the Amiga they throw up these errors on PFS, `No Disk in DH0`, `Wrong Block ID`
These are all false flags and a waste of time and will probably do more damage by trying to repair it using disk utilities most times.
All you need to do is obtain a Compatible USB to CF adapter.
JOTD has emailed and said he cannot mount a card in Winuae the same card I sent him which I did load in Winaue , and have told him the same thing ,must get a compatible reader.

[bladecgn]

Originally Posted by mark_k

Something which may (or may not) help... Go into Device Manager, right-click the entry for your card reader and choose Properties. In the Power Management tab, make sure "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" is un-checked.

Good Idea! Yet I had already tried this. It didn't help.

[bladecgn]

Originally Posted by supaduper

All these errors relate to to the USB card readers not being compatible, like some CF to IDE adapters on the Amiga they throw up these errors on PFS, `No Disk in DH0`, `Wrong Block ID`
These are all false flags and a waste of time and will probably do more damage by trying to repair it using disk utilities most times.
All you need to do is obtain a Compatible USB to CF adapter.
JOTD has emailed and said he can mount a card in Winuae the same card I sent him which I did load in Winaue , and have told him the same thing ,must get a compatible reader.

Good point!
So.... has anyone recently bought and can recommend a good CF reader?

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by bladecgn

Good point!
So.... has anyone recently bought and can recommend a good CF reader?

I use this one, it has never let me down.
Transcend RDP8 card reader
https://us.transcend-info.com/Products/No-220

Seems like there is a USB 3.0 version too.
https://us.transcend-info.com/Products/No-331

I use it for Amiga card duties, on my C64 with 1541 Ultimate, my old PPC Mac, and more.
I've had it for at least 5 years now. I think the fact that they still produce and sell the same model speaks well for it.

I guess, basically, don't buy garbage that costs like $5