Using a Compact Flash card on a600/a1200 PCMCIA

[nobrainer]

Originally Posted by supaduper

Hi have you tried another power adapter? just to eliminate its not that, and open her up and check all connections are good ie the floppy and IDE ones, and its a pain but try a fresh install, good luck keep us posted

Hey Supa, no I did not try another power adapter as I don't have one, but I think it's not the adapter.. the Amigaboots ok, works properly as long as I don't insert anything in the PCMCIA slot.

Also, when I insert a floppy, I get this icon: "MS0:Unreadable" and the floppy icon has a windows microsoft logo?!

Yes, been trying a new, fresh install on another 4gb CF card via winuae, have managed to install 3.1 and the AmiCDROM-1.15, and when i restart I get this message: Cannot open "uaescsi.device" unit 0

So stuck there too... man I feel lost, help anyone?

[supaduper]

MS0 is the fat95 DOS driver found in the `DEVs/DOSdrivers` drawer and is trying to read a non MS disk
Try just taking it out of the drawer and see what happens,it is iniatialized when WB boots up,

Have you got a cdrom on the system?

[nobrainer]

@Supaduper

Thanks for jumping in, much appreciated. I have tried to remove it, same thing, nothing changes. But if I boot with a workbench floppy inserted, floppy works properly, so not sure what is going on?

No cdrom on this Amiga, I was talking about the Winuae setup, trying to setup another CF drive and got stuck there as well, any ideas what to do?

[supaduper]

It will boot from floppy cos it has DF0 by default, ie will check the floppy first to boot, HDO second to boot.

I am begining to think you have a hardware fault with port probably because of the constant swapping,
And also for the cost of a stamp I am sure one of us on here will re-install the OS onto your card bud

[fgh]

Let's start with your PCMCIA issue.
Does having a PCMCIA card inserted during boot produce a freeze when booting from the workbench floppy or the other CF harddrive?
Did you try booting the messed up CF-harddrive without startup-sequence?
(Keep both mouse buttons pressed during boot)
If it doesn't freeze in these scenarios you just messed up the software on that card.

Then the floppy issue.
It is normal that MS0 will show up as unreadable with a floppy that has an unsupported format, and amiga formatted floppies are unsupported by FAT95.
I don't know why DF0 doesn't show up, but as supaduper said, try removing the MS0 file from devs/dosdrivers. (move it to storage/dosdrivers or somewhere else).
If, after a reboot, you still see a MS0 symbol, you removed the wrong file

And finally the CF issue
When preparing a CF card in WinUAE for use in real hardware, you should set your WinUAE configuration to match your real hardware.
Why you would use uaescsi for anything in this process is beyond me.
If you cannot figure out how to set up a new card in WinUAE, check out FitzSteve's tutorial.

[nobrainer]

@superduper

I have managed to boot in via floppy and moved those files back into the dosdrivers folder so now it boots again, thanks so much. Regarding a potential hardware failure.. I doubt it, as I was not swapping the cards at all, I was only using the PCMCIA slot for my wired ethernet card, and just checked the pins, they are all good, no issues there.

Yes, I am already in the process of ordering a CF card from Fitzsteve, so I can at least use my miggy until i learn more about this and fix it. But I want to learn how to set these cards up myself and I will do it, half way there... thanks for all your support man.

@fgf

Thanks for stepping in, this is getting beyond me now so need help.

Yes, if I leave my ethernet card or any other removable CF card in my PCMCIA slot, Amiga won't boot, neither from the internal CF drive, neither via floppy.. I only get green power led on and that's it, it hangs there. Same thing goes for leaving the startup-sequence out by pressing both mouse buttons.. it doesn't boot, only green power led on and that't it.

Floppy issue:

I've tried removing the MS0 file and booted, nothing changes, same thing.

CF issue:

Regarding the uaesci.. I am following this guide http://awesome.commodore.me/download...0cwb%203.9.pdf (look for AMICDROM from pages 30 to 51), that pdf file, page 61 at the bottom, it says to press f12 and then to reset the winuae, but when I do that, I don't see the image shown on page 62, instead, I get the: uaesci.device error, device missing or somethinf like that, it cannot find it obviously? I will ask this on that thread. I will check Steve's tutorial as well, maybe his is easier. thanks.


This is from this thread http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=61180

[supaduper]

"Regarding the uaesci.. I am following this guide http://awesome.commodore.me/download...0cwb%203.9.pdf (look for AMICDROM from pages 30 to 51), that pdf file, page 61 at the bottom, it says to press f12 and then to reset the winuae, but when I do that, I don't see the image shown on page 62, instead, I get the: uaesci.device error, device missing or somethinf like that, it cannot find it obviously? I will ask this on that thread. I will check Steve's tutorial as well, maybe his is easier. thanks."

Ok when you hit f12/reset,what happens winuae will try and boot the `Emergency disk`(DF0) for 3.9
next time before hitting f12/reset, go to the `floppy` page and eject the `emergency disk` in DF0
Then hit f12/reset and see if it will Boot at all
Also are you using an virtual 3.9 iso(mounted) or a disk ?

[nobrainer]

Yeah, I have tried it now ejecting the floppy just to see what happens and yes, it does boot normally back to workbench, so I guess everything was setup properly until this step?

I am using a mounted iso, but I think I've tried the cd as well, let me check the cd way and see if that goes through...

EDIT: Just tried it with a real CD and I get this "System Request" error popup saying:

"Volume
AmigaOS3.9
has a read/write error"

then I can either RETRY or CANCEL.. retry keeps the same popup showing up over and over.. the CANCEL button gets me to the blank Workbench screen, with only the title bar of the workbench showing up, nothing else... weird stuff huh.

[supaduper]

My guess is there is an error when you are installing amicdrom because thats whats is interfacing with your iso or cd drive( CD0 is the dos driver in Devs/Dosdrivers is what you create in amicdrom,is the the driver/interface for your cd drive) when you reboot f12,so look hard at that area of the install when you come to it

EDIT: Just tried it with a real CD and I get this "System Request" error popup saying:

"Volume
AmigaOS3.9
has a read/write error"
either your 3.9 disk is dirty/no good, or your cd drive is faulty

[nobrainer]

When it comes to install the amicdrom, I choose system:Tools, as per pdf suggestion and I get the "installation was successful" so that must have been installed properly I guess.

I've checked if the CD0 is in thedevs/dosdrivers and it is there and when click on it, there's the usual "it's already mounted" message, so that's good as well?

Beats me.

[supaduper]

hit f12 go to the hard drives page and tick the add pc drives and the automount removable drives and the CDFS automount which you should have ticked otherwise winuae wont see any cd drives ! then hit start


Also just because your CD0 is mounted does not mean anything cos the disk could technically be in CD1, CD2, CD3 .......

[nobrainer]

Originally Posted by supaduper

hit f12 go to the hard drives page and tick the add pc drives and the automount removable drives and the CDFS automount which you should have ticked otherwise winuae wont see any cd drives ! then hit start


Also just because your CD0 is mounted does not mean anything cos the disk could technically be in CD1, CD2, CD3 .......

Have done that, ticked all 3 of those, same thing, I've just got the same "read/write error" again... oh my, got no love from the Amiga Gods..

[supaduper]

Originally Posted by nobrainer

Have done that, ticked all 3 of those, same thing, I've just got the same "read/write error" again... oh my, got no love from the Amiga Gods..

just one small point you do run winuae as `Administrator`?

When the Gods desert you, then there is only us mere mortals to help, and when that fails always remember what the `Anchor Man` cites
`By the Beard of Zeus work you B------D !!

[nobrainer]

Yes, always running it as an admin.

good one

btw, when i click cancel on the above popup error message, I get this:



This is it. I will probably open a new proper thread and see if any other have got any idea what's going on here, otherwise I am throwing it out the window.... nah just kidding, hope she didn;t hear me lol.

[supaduper]

looks like your `emergency disk ` is corrupt it cant assign or find the fonts folder or the `executables in the C: folder(system) like makedir(make directory) And also RAM:T

You really need to try another WB 3.9 disk ,its the WB 3.9 that creates the disk and Its telling you you it cant read from it.
I think its no good bud, just to eliminate you need to try another disk
Look at it logically you have put WB 3.1 on winuae no probs so my hunch its the disk ..bad

Also never throw her out the window cos she will bounce off and hit thee on thy bonce !!

[fgh]

I just noticed in the other thread that you use an ACA card..
Did you try the floppy and pcmcia without the ACA board installed? It would eliminate ACA and power issues..
Are you loading some modified kickstart image with you ACA software?

In gerneral - if you cannot boot a workbench floppy, or any of your cf cards (even without startup-sequence), with either a CF card or an ethernet card in the pcmcia, the pcmcia issue sounds like a hardware fault. Meaning pcmcia port, motherboard, power issue or ACA trouble.

Floppy issue just sounds like software mess on that one CF card. Or perhaps if there are any floppy settings you can screw up with the ACAtune software?

As for the CF - I'd just wait for a nice prepped card from Steve
Remember to back it up before you start messing with it!

[nobrainer]

@superduper

Could be the issue yeah, will try another 0S3.9 disk and see what happens.

@fgf

Yes, I tried to remove the ACATune and ACA card restart and test, same thing, didn't work. Not using any modified kickstart image.. just loaded up some ACATune settings, but that wasn't an issue I think.. now that I remember this problem appeared when I've put my floppy back in and messed with the FAT32 files.. not really sure what exactly messed it up, but gladly everything is back to normal.

BUT… what I did next was to remove the floppy only and put the ACA back in.. restart and now PCMCIA slot is working again, at least for the ethernet though, the 4GB CF I've bought to use as a transfer card from PC to Amiga cannot be read on my PC, MAC… so how do I format it to FAT32 if my PC/MAC does not even detect it when inserted to the CF card reader.. how would one overcome this issue?!

Will wait to Steve's 8Gb card to arrive… hopefully that one works 100%.. fingers crossed.

Thanks for all the help guys, much much appreciated.

[Neil79]

I finally got my PCMCIA working after all this time, I formatted it using FAT - Default allocation. Not Fat 32 or NTFS which worked only half the time, usually 3 times out of 10

[pedrorq]

I've bought a PCMCIA/CF kit (this one) and I can't seem to get it to work.

After copying the supplied CompactFlash.device, FAT95 and the CF0 files, I run CF0 with no issues, but then any attempt to access the CF card, I get a "no disk in drive" message.

Curiously enough, if I insert a floppy in the internal drive (DF0: ), and then try to access CF0: again, it lists me the contents of DF0: ...

Help please?

[Nobby_UK]

Let us see the CF0: mount-list text