8GB RDB file: can it be resized, or should I create a new one?

[Quaxo76]

As I described in another post, I have an 8GB rdb image file that I want to transfer to a real Amiga. With help from this forum, I managed to make it work, but I had to use a 16GB CF card because most 8GB cards won't hold a 8GB image file.
This is at best inelegant, so I started looking for ways to resize the image, since I don't need more than 6GB for now. I thought I could resize the last partition to leave about 1-2GB free at the end of the disk, then resize the virtual HD in the image file. But after reading around a bit, it looks like this can't be done, right? There's so much information around that it's hard to keep up. And things change, and new tools may be released, so who knows. Can this be done?

If not, the second best option would be to create a new, smaller rdb file (about 7GB), partition it, and use that instead; but I'm hitting a few obstacles.
1) If I manage to do that, can I then just copy the old files over? Or do I need to reinstall WB from scratch, and patch the drivers, and install the extra software, and so on?
2) While making a new virtual drive, for future use on the Amiga, what file system would be advisable? Right now I used SFS2 on my 8GB image, but is it still the best choice? I've had a look at the FAQ, and it's quite complicated for me, and besides, it's several years old...
3) I experimented a bit, and created a 7GB image; when attached to FS_UAE, the HDInstTool would only "see" the first drive. I read that you have to swap the image file order to make it see the other, and I did; so I was able to at least partition the image (one 200MB partition, and the other using up the rest). But upon reboot, of course it wouldn't boot because there was no system on the new image. So I swapped again the images on FS_UAE launcher, and now HDInstTool only sees the 8GB image, again. Is there a way to have it see both virtual drives? I suppose that's the first step before I can prepare the new one with the correct file system, right?

Thank you
Cristian

[FOL]

Easy way to do this, is mount your real CF and your virtual CF.
Set them both to use uaehf.device, then alter hdtoolbox to look for uaehf.device instead of scsi.device. It should see both then.


I cant remember exactly in FSUAE, havent used it since a few after its release.

Originally Posted by Quaxo76

As I described in another post, I have an 8GB rdb image file that I want to transfer to a real Amiga. With help from this forum, I managed to make it work, but I had to use a 16GB CF card because most 8GB cards won't hold a 8GB image file.
This is at best inelegant, so I started looking for ways to resize the image, since I don't need more than 6GB for now. I thought I could resize the last partition to leave about 1-2GB free at the end of the disk, then resize the virtual HD in the image file. But after reading around a bit, it looks like this can't be done, right? There's so much information around that it's hard to keep up. And things change, and new tools may be released, so who knows. Can this be done?

If not, the second best option would be to create a new, smaller rdb file (about 7GB), partition it, and use that instead; but I'm hitting a few obstacles.
1) If I manage to do that, can I then just copy the old files over? Or do I need to reinstall WB from scratch, and patch the drivers, and install the extra software, and so on?
2) While making a new virtual drive, for future use on the Amiga, what file system would be advisable? Right now I used SFS2 on my 8GB image, but is it still the best choice? I've had a look at the FAQ, and it's quite complicated for me, and besides, it's several years old...
3) I experimented a bit, and created a 7GB image; when attached to FS_UAE, the HDInstTool would only "see" the first drive. I read that you have to swap the image file order to make it see the other, and I did; so I was able to at least partition the image (one 200MB partition, and the other using up the rest). But upon reboot, of course it wouldn't boot because there was no system on the new image. So I swapped again the images on FS_UAE launcher, and now HDInstTool only sees the 8GB image, again. Is there a way to have it see both virtual drives? I suppose that's the first step before I can prepare the new one with the correct file system, right?

Thank you
Cristian

[Quaxo76]

Oh, OK. I was hoping I could use the two images, because I have the physical one installed inside the Amiga; and besides, last time I tried, I had some problems using the physical CF with FS_UAE (I'm on Linux).
I'll look for ways to fix this last problem, then...
Thanks
Cristian

[Quaxo76]

So I managed to run FS_UAE with the physical SD card as a system drive, and the additional virtual image (7GB) as a "secondary" drive.
But it still doesn't work. If I force HDInstTool to use uaehf.device, then it sees the CF card. If I don't, it sees nothing.
But the two virtual partitions are visible on the Workbench screen (as DH0: and DH1: ), and they actually report the correct size, but they are not formatted in SFS2: Check4GB reports them as DOS3, and while the first one is small and reported ok, the other one obviously fails the 4GB check.
How can I reformat them as SFS2, if HDInstTool does not see that disk? Or should I use another filesystem altogether, and how?

Thanks again
Cristian

[Quaxo76]

Originally Posted by Boing-Ball

Okay. Has this been posted in the right place? Are you selling something? Or wanting to buy something?

Whoops. So sorry. I have no idea how this ended here. It was supposed to go to the support.hardware section.
Is it possible to move it there? Or should I delete this post and post again there?


Cristian