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#1 |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: The World!
Posts: 454
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Is there Compact Flash (via PCMCIA) size limit?
I would like to put the complete WHDload games collection on a single compact flash card to play directly on the Amiga via the PCMCIA converter. The WHDload collection needs an 8gb CF card to fit. The CF will be formatted as Fat16 to make it easy to transfer files from PC to Amiga.
Will I be able to use an 8gb CF? Will I have to partition it as 2 x 4gb in order for it to work? If I install FAT32 instead, then there would be no size limit? Thank you in advance for suggestions and help ![]() E'Blue |
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#2 | |
Not dead yet!!! :D
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Aveiro / Portugal
Age: 42
Posts: 690
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Quote:
Yes. "Will I have to partition it as 2 x 4gb in order for it to work?" No. Use one FAT32 partition. "If I install FAT32 instead, then there would be no size limit?" Sort of. Even with FAT32 you'd be limited to a 128GB CF card (because of LBA28), not that it is much of a problem at this time. ![]() Just choose the CF card brand well. I advise Sandisk, Toshiba, Delkin or Peak, specially the first two. |
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#3 |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Oooh what a feeling yeaaah dancing on the ceiling
Posts: 314
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Relevant info:
FAT16 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/118335 and FAT32 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314463 |
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#4 |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: The World!
Posts: 454
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#5 |
Phone Homer
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: 5150
Posts: 5,809
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What is it that stops cards from working via PCMCIA?
Ive a had both a 2GB and 4GB CF card not work. |
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#6 |
Thalion Webshrine
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Oxford
Posts: 14,448
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They have to appear as FIXED disks and not REMOVABLE disks. Almost all new cards appear as REMOVABLE because that enables them to be HOT-SWAPPED in certain high-speed Card Readers.
For (some) SANDISK cards you can change this attribute using one of two utilities for the PC: For Athens based cards you can use ATCFWCHG.COM For earlier cards you can use NDCFWCHG.COM I believe that the drivers (CFD and scsi.device) could be re-written to use REMOVABLE type cards but they are closed source projects. |
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#7 |
Phone Homer
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: 5150
Posts: 5,809
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Ill have a look at those tools the cards are a couple of cheapys.
DATASAFE = 4GB Kingston = 2GB The only cards ive ever had working working were the small size Kingston cards from AmigaKit. Can anyone recomend a large cheap card that works? |
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#8 |
Thalion Webshrine
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Oxford
Posts: 14,448
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Those tools are SANDISK only. They dont work with any other card
No-one can at this point, as ALL cards are going to the REMOVABLE type and being just a firmware configuration two cards can look identical and one be FIXED and the other REMOVABLE. The only way anyone can recommend them is if they've personally tried them OR it is sold (at a premium) under the title FIXED. Rule of thumb though, the RED & BLUE Sandisk cards are OEM Atheros based and work with ATCFWCHG.COM, but beware there are lots of fakes. ![]() ![]() ![]() The RED & BLUE Sandisk cards with the gold stripe are RETAIL possibly pre Atheros and work with NDCFWCHG.COM ![]() ![]() ![]() Last edited by alexh; 18 January 2009 at 12:36. |
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#9 |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: The World!
Posts: 454
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So will this work out of the box:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...:X:AAQ:GB:1123 Also, is there a way to know if that is the real deal or pirate job? Thanks! |
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#10 | |
Not dead yet!!! :D
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Aveiro / Portugal
Age: 42
Posts: 690
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Quote:
I don't have the same opinion as alexh about removable cards. I've seen removables work and fixed ones not work. To see if its genuine or not you have to read the information directly from the card. If you connect the card to a PC via a PCMCIA adapter it should give you a clue. I have one counterfeit Sandisk which is actually a Lexar. ![]() |
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#11 | |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: The World!
Posts: 454
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Quote:
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#12 | |
Thalion Webshrine
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Oxford
Posts: 14,448
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Quote:
I think the evidence from users on this board proves that I am in someway right. Too many users converted their SANDISK cards to FIXED using the tools and they suddenly worked. Last edited by alexh; 18 January 2009 at 15:46. |
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#13 | |
Not dead yet!!! :D
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Aveiro / Portugal
Age: 42
Posts: 690
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Quote:
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#14 | ||
Thalion Webshrine
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Oxford
Posts: 14,448
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Quote:
Quote:
Unsure if removable cards work well with CF->IDE->SCSI adapters such as the ACard 7720U. Would be an interesting experiment. |
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#15 | |
Registered User
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Mason, Ohio / USA
Age: 48
Posts: 391
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Quote:
When I first got it, I just connected it to my PC, formatted it FAT32 and popped it in my PCMCIA adapter and it worked fine. I think NovaCoder uses the Sandisk Ultra II 8 gig card internally on the ide bus. So it will work in either use. I use the 4 gig version on my ide bus as my HD. Heres a picture of mine in the Amigakit EasyADF adapter: Last edited by thgill; 18 January 2009 at 16:23. |
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#16 |
The Sacred Armour Of
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Sussex, UK
Age: 45
Posts: 1,141
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Very cool stuff gentlemen, who would have thought that A1200's would one day be able to have solid state hard drives (technically) via this method?
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#17 | |
Global Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Sidcup, England
Posts: 10,300
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Quote:
Some work has already been done on this with promising results. See this thread for more information: http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=41108 |
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#18 | |
Registered User
Join Date: May 2001
Location: ?
Posts: 19,646
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Quote:
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#19 | |
Global Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Sidcup, England
Posts: 10,300
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Quote:
ATCFWCHG.COM seems to be available at various places on the net (keeps moving around), but NDCFWCHG.COM I cannot find a copy of anywhere. Do you have a copy of this utility you could upload, please? prowler |
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#20 |
Thalion Webshrine
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Oxford
Posts: 14,448
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Nope, dont have it. It is for the VERY old cards though.
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