Using Squirrel SCSI software with AmigaOS 3.2.1 successfully

[1strail]

Hi all, a very greenish newcomer here. I thought I would share my trials to get the Squirrel SCSI software working on my Amiga A1200 since I could not find anything on this particular scenario.

What I've got:
A1200 with AmigaOS 3.2.1/KS 3.2, Electroware PSU
Individual Computer: ACA1234/50Mhz, Indivision MK3, IDE-CF adapter, RTC, and PCMCIA CF adaptor
Squirrel PCMCIA adaptor (don't know the version if there was more than one, a very large, quite slow SCSI CDROM

I am running a 32gb CF0 from IDE (not in the ACA1234 onboard slot). After tinkering in many sessions with the MK3 I finally settled on a resolution that is not a default VGA, so the screen has to switch from a stock setting, which it was doing quite fast and transparantly. Life is beautiful until I purchased the Squirrel and waited for it to arrive on my doorstep in Northeast Georgia USA from an eBay seller in jolly old England. It was in perfect shape as advertised, but the floppy with the Squirrel software had bad blocks and wouldn't install. Fortunately I found the original install online, made another floppy and proceeded. It warned me as I was installing that Startup-Sequence would be changed and I agreed to proceed. After it found the CD player and completed the install, I slapped my AmigaOS CD 3.2 into the tray and BAM, it was on the desktop. Oh happy days. I began making floppies from the adf folder and got about half way through before hanging it up for the night.

When I returned in the AM, I was greeted with "blah blah... Amiga DOS.. Hyperion...blah blah, "CD0 is already mounted.." which then made the next step throw up a message "Intuition is trying to change VGA modes...blah blah...close AmigaDos" which it did on it's own after a few seconds, switched the VGA mode and up came my desktop, CD ROM still working. But this pesky messages made me wonder what was changed in Startup Sequence. The Squirrel installation of course did not backup the original, so I slapped my back-up drive in and began comparing the 2. There is 1 entry on both the Startup-Sequence and the User-Startup files. The only changes are additions made by the installation. Their description is clearly marked (commented out) in each file. The first thing I did was to comment out the entire Squirrel entry in the User-Startup because there is a mount command there. This didn't change anything, same boot-up issues. So I left it that way and went to the Startup-Sequence where again, there is a clearly documented start and end section for Squirrel SCSI. I commented out the entire section and voila, success, no more alerts, booting as expected. However, also as expected, the CD ROM was not recognized. So I uncommented out everything except one line that begins with the word "Execute...". Problem solved and everything works as it did right after the installation and after multiple restarts/power recycles. Hope this helps. I began thinking there might be compatibility issues with the newer AmigaOS, but it turned out to be something fairly simple.

[Port89]

I've just tried to get a Squirrel SCSI adapter & CDROM to work and so far not in as good shape as you.

It's a 1200 I got in the late 90's which came with the drive. I recall briefly turning it on when it was delivered but don't recall if I tried the CD. it's been packed away until recently.

The Amiga itself I've upgraded to Kickstart 3.2.2 and a fresh install on compact flash.

The PCMCIA adapter seems to be detected as sysinfo shows a scsi device.

My original Hisoft disk also had read errors so I found an ADF and followed it through. On rebooting I also get the "CD0 already mounted" and initially also had the VGA attempting to change screen mode etc.

But mine won't mount a disk. What else did you do?

[Elmo Putney]

Old thread I know but I'm also having issues with this on 3.2.1 - has anyone got a squirrel + CD rom working on latest roms/workbench?

Without a CD in - it all successfully installs but when I put a CD in workbench crashes.

[Elmo Putney]

I'm running 3.2.1 (47.102) roms & 3.2.2.1 WB.

I can't see anything obvious in the release of 47.111 that would cause a change - though I am by no means qualified to make that call.

I don't have a driver disk the previous owner must of lost it, I only managed to find a 1.07 ADF online - perhaps that is the key?

[Elmo Putney]

I've found v1.12 drivers - will give it a go later.

Noob question - will I also need drivers for the CD ROM drive? Or is it generic / handled by the scsi interface.

[derSammler]

If I'm not mistaken and things have not changed in the recent past, you always need a driver for the interface (which you seem to have) and a CD-ROM filesystem like e.g. CacheCDFS. The latter is needed for the mount list so that the system actually knows how to handle a CD-ROM. You don't need a driver for the drive itself.

[derSammler]

You don't really need to install anything - this is an Amiga after all. Make sure the .device is in Devs and the CDFS in L. All you need is a mountlist like this:

Device		= squirrelscsi.device
Unit		= 1
FileSystem	= L:AmiCDFS
Flags		= 0
BlocksPerTrack	= 32
BlockSize	= 2048
Reserved	= 0
LowCyl		= 0
HighCyl		= 11000
Surfaces	= 1
Buffers		= 64
BufMemType	= 1
Mask            = 0x7fffffff
GlobVec		= -1
Priority	= 10
DosType		= 0x43444653
StackSize	= 600
Mount		= 1

This example uses AmiCDFS. Just change FileSystem to whatever else you use or want to use. Unit should be the SCSI ID.

[Kin Hell]

Originally Posted by derSammler

You don't really need to install anything - this is an Amiga after all. Make sure the .device is in Devs and the CDFS in L. All you need is a mountlist like this:

Device		= squirrelscsi.device
Unit		= 1
FileSystem	= L:AmiCDFS
Flags		= 0
BlocksPerTrack	= 32
BlockSize	= 2048
Reserved	= 0
LowCyl		= 0
HighCyl		= 11000
Surfaces	= 1
Buffers		= 64
BufMemType	= 1
Mask            = 0x7fffffff
GlobVec		= -1
Priority	= 10
DosType		= 0x43444653
StackSize	= 600
Mount		= 1

This example uses AmiCDFS. Just change FileSystem to whatever else you use or want to use. Unit should be the SCSI ID.

Absolutely.....

This is NOT a Bill Gates platform in any manner & is why the Amiga is so much Fun.

Most things can be made to work with an Amiga & they are NOT Drivers you install. It's just support Software for those who don't know better.

Amiga forever!

[Elmo Putney]

So a thank you - with the knowledge that 1.12 drivers exist I managed to get CD0: on the workbench and play skidmarks etc....

Not yet managed to get CD32 emu working, I'm still in early days of revisiting Amiga land, back in the day I had no hard drive and booted workbench off floppies with write protect, so in my new quest to get set-up my trial and error approach is resulting in quite a few re-installs/start from scratch with Winuae as I take wrong turns.
So tonight I reinstalled, then I'll get squirrel/CDROM working, from there I will try to take small steps to CD32 emu.

Need to figure out how to regularly take an image of my primary compact flash partitions so I can go back when I f*ck up. I'll search but any suggestions on imaging and restoring an Amiga FFS partitioned card. I have pc macrium, or will Winuae do it via create ADF?