Creating a hardfile in WinUAE

[Soopytwist]

I tried to follow this walkthrough to create a hardfile in WinUAE without knowing a single thing of what I was actually doing so just following the guide exactly as it is in this video: [ Show youtube player ]

However when it comes to formatting DH0 nothing happens. What did I do wrong? Other than the fact that I have a different version to WinUAE than in this video I did everything the same.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

On WinUAE create a HardFile and very simple, it becomes more complicated if you want to create partitions, in this case the Hard file on the Hard disk must be set with '"RDB Mode" and to be able to view it on the Workbench it is necessary to initialize it with HDToolBox, in practice as you do on a real Amiga.
Alego two of my videos showing the two methods, the GUI of WinUAE is the most recent one.

[ Show youtube player ]

[ Show youtube player ]

[Soopytwist]

Thanks, but this still isn't working. Now when I click Read Configuration a message comes up that says "Drive does not support the SCSI Inquiry command!".

I gave up and instead of partitioning, which is just not going to work, I made two hardfiles: DH0 and DH1. DH0 I called Workbench and installed Workbench 3.1 on it. DH1 I called Games.

I tried installing Cannon Fodder on Games but with disc 1, 2 or 3 in the icon says DF0:NDOS and I can't open the disc to run the HDD installer.

Back in the 90's I installed Cannon Fodder from disc onto my Amiga's HDD with no problem so why isn't this working in WinUAE?

[Seiya]

maybe you need third party installer for Cannon Fodder.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Originally Posted by Soopytwist

Thanks, but this still isn't working. Now when I click Read Configuration a message comes up that says "Drive does not support the SCSI Inquiry command!".

In the ToolType Icon of the HDToolBox you have to set the right device according to the HD Controller you have chosen, example:

HD Controller UAE -> uaehf.device
HD Controller Commodore 600/1200/4000 IDE -> scsi.device

Regarding Cannon Fodder you will have used an external installer (see screnshot) or the WHDLoad Installer version

[Soopytwist]

My brain just shat the bed if I'm honest.

Here's what I've done so far:
https://imgur.com/kitI6yB
So I copied "Installer" from C on the WB3.1 Install disk and I put it in C in Workbench which is on my DH0 hardfile.

I added a directory in WinUAE which points to C:\Amiga on my PC's boot drive temporarily. In there I unpacked WHDLoad I downloaded. I also put a WHDLoad version of Cannon Fodder in there.

In WinUAE (with no floppy images set) I click Start and my HDD comes up immediately with my DH0 containing Workbench 3.1, DH1 my Games folder and DH2 my temp directory (which is on C:\Amiga on my PC's actual hard drive).

I copy the WHDLoad drawer from DH2 to DH0 (Workbench). I copy the Cannon Fodder drawer from DH2 to DH1 (Games).

In Workbench\WHDload I open Icon Information (I guess this is the Amiga's equivalent of "Properties" just to be extra difficult and infuriating) and change the Default Tool to C:Installer (so it'll use the Installer I copied from the WB3.1 Install floppy to C in the Workbench drawer.

And run the WHDload installer. It installs.

When I try to run Cannon Fodder a message says:

"Install Program failed (error #87000004). Wait for disk activity to finish" .

In the Information/properties of the CannonFodder install icon the Default Tool is set to Install. I've tried C:Install and C:Installer. C:Install gives the same error and C:Installer opens a message that says:

"AN ERROR HAS OCCURED! Unable to open script.

Jesus. All I wanted was to be able to play Cannon Fodder without the sluggish disk loading!

EDIT

Having started again I realise the Default Tool for CannonFodder should be WHDload.

HOWEVER, when I run the game now WinUAE crashes with this error message:
"Crash detected. MiniDump saved as: E:\WinUAE\winuae_x64_3.6.1_R_2018.12.24_14.46.48.dmp"

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Cannon fodder unlike other games, on the A1200 Standard does not require any extra KickStart, in order to carry it out they need:

- Download WHDLoad Cannon Fodder Game

- Unpack Cannon Fodder archive and Copy Directory Cannon Fodder on DH0/DH1 or wherever you want

- From WinUAE (better latest version) to choose: QuickStart A1200 Basic

- Download latest version WHDload

- Copy WHDLoad in C:

- Start Icon Cannon Fodder

[Tomislav]

Originally Posted by Soopytwist

Jesus. All I wanted was to be able to play Cannon Fodder without the sluggish disk loading!

In WinUAE configuration window under "Hardware"/"Floppy Drives" is slider under "Floppy Drive Emulation Speed". To right is floppy image acceleration up to 800% and to left is "Turbo". This way you don't need WHDLoad for faster loading. You will only wait then only for things like decrunching and picture fading in game. You can try Turbo first. In some games/demos it can be problem if floppy emulation is to fast. I tried up to mission 1 with Turbo and Cannon Fodder works. Cannon Fodder also works with 3 drives.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

OK Tomislav, even the floppy created in RAD are very fast, but the version the hard disk is always very fast

[Soopytwist]

Thanks all. I now have a (sort of) working set-up. I even added my A1200 config file to my desktop shortcut so all I need to do is open WinUAE, hit Start and BAM! I'm into AmigaOS with Workbench on my DH0 hardfile and directory for games on DH1.

I've added eight WHDLoad games to my PC's E:\Amiga folder but of the eight only half of them actually load. I get this error message when I try to load Flashback for example: https://imgur.com/X7Yl4qN which is clearly a WinUAE issue. While other games such as Frontier does this: https://imgur.com/8wm9B8l which is an AmigaOS error.

I downloaded those two games and other two that don't work from:
ftp://grandis.nu/Commodore_Amiga/Ret...DLoad_-_Games/

Any ideas what's up?

Alien Breed, Gods, Cannon Fodder, and Myth all work fine.

[Saghalie]

Originally Posted by Soopytwist

While other games such as Frontier does this: https://imgur.com/8wm9B8l which is an AmigaOS error.[/url]

Any ideas what's up?

This is actually a user error. You need to add your kickstarts to the
devs:kickstarts directory (just as the error states).

If you have a file in there that is named as the error message states,
then you have renamed an incorrect file or the file is corrupt.

[Foebane]

Originally Posted by Soopytwist

While other games such as Frontier does this: https://imgur.com/8wm9B8l which is an AmigaOS error.

The Retroplay games you linked to are for WHDLoad, and WHDLoad requires original Kickstart ROMs to be stored in the Devs/Kickstarts folder of your AmigaOS System HDD.

Here is the guide I used to make copies of my official Kickstart ROMs (preferably from a version of Cloanto's Amiga Forever, the official providers) and rename them to WHDLoad's requirements. If you have a "rom.key", that also needs to be in Devs/Kickstarts.

Hope this helps.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Originally Posted by Soopytwist

Alien Breed, Gods, Cannon Fodder, and Myth all work fine.

As I mentioned above Cannon fodder did not need anything else to work, same thing probably also for Alien Breed, Gods (not tested), while instead as in your second error, some games require additional Kickstart, the first error is instead you have created an incorrect WinUAE setting. For all the games you have to use the default setting A1200 that you find in the QuickStart, adding only 4MB of Ram where it is required and where in the Tooltypes games the "Preload" is set

To optimally configure WHDload you need these things:

- Download Soft-kicker from Aminet, copy all the content into Devs:Kickstarts

- Download OSEmu.400 from Aminet, you find it in the archive JOTD, OSEmu.400 you have to copy it to C: (required by some games), JST is a similar application to WHDLoad.

- Copy all the various KickStarts Originals of the various Amiga Models into Devs:Kickstarts and rename them as shown in my screenshot

[Soopytwist]

Super, thanks! Just one thing before I embark in this, I don't have a Kickstarts drawer. Should it be in Workbench Devs drawer? That's the only Devs drawer there is and WHDLoad didn't create another, or a Kickstarts drawer for that matter.

EDIT

I assume the Kickstarts drawer with the .PAT and .RTB files goes in here?
https://imgur.com/zJmf1AF
My DH0 WB31 is a 30Mb hardfile with Workbench 3.1 installed on it. "Games" is just a DH1 directory linked to E:\Amiga on my PC.

[DamienD]

Yes, just create a folder "Kickstarts" under "Devs" then put the renamed .ROMS and .RTB files in

You don't need the .PAT files...

Here's a screenshot of my ClassicWB Lite 3.1 .HDF showing the above:



Edit: unlike Foebane said, I would avoid using "Cloanto's Amiga Forever" .ROMs; in the past they have been known to cause incompatibity with some WHDLoad slaves.

[Soopytwist]

I've done all that but Frontier still doesn't load:
https://imgur.com/NvUhPfD

And here's where I put all the files and renamed the kickstarts, removing the .PAT and changing the uppercase "A" to a lowercase "a". With OSEmu.400 in the C drawer.
https://imgur.com/0sR3tN2
I renamed the kickstarts in AmigaOS thinking that renaming them in Windows might corrupt them or something since you didn't say to rename them in Windows. I didn't copy any of the BETA kickstarts though as there were too many to have to rename, and you don't have all those in your example anyway.

[DamienD]

Just tried Frontier here and no issues:





Are you sure you've renamed the Kickstart .ROMs correctly?

Where did you get these from, your own Amiga or elsewhere?

[Soopytwist]

Originally Posted by DamienD

Just tried Frontier here and no issues:
Are you sure you've renamed the Kickstart .ROMs correctly?

Where did you get these from, your own Amiga or elsewhere?

The skick346 I downloaded from Aminet just has .PAT and .RTB files in it (35 of them), there are no .ROM files. The only. ROM files I've got are in the WinUAE Roms folder.

[DamienD]

Originally Posted by Soopytwist

The only. ROM files I've got are in the WinUAE Roms folder.

So where did you get these .ROMs from?

To me it seems that your "KS ROM v1.3 (A500,A1000,A2000) rev 34.5 (256k).rom" isn't quite right; at least for WHDLoad.

The original Commodore one should have a CRC32 of "C4F0F55F" when zipped; what does your one have?

[Soopytwist]

Originally Posted by DamienD

So where did you get these .ROMs from?

To me it seems that your "KS ROM v1.3 (A500,A1000,A2000) rev 34.5 (256k).rom" isn't quite right; at least for WHDLoad.

The original Commodore one should have a CRC32 of "C4F0F55F" when zipped; what does your one have?

I have no idea. I've had them for well over 10 years. I've put them on my Dropbox if you want to have a look:

<snip>

They've always worked just fine in WinUAE until I started messing around with WHDLoad.