What am I doing wrong with HDF files?

[zardoz]

I've created a 2gb (2000Mb / OFS / FFS / RDB) HDF file in Winuae / 0s 3.1. It shows up as NDOS on first boot, so format it in Workbench (FFS / International)

Then I've run up DOPUS. It's listed it as a 1Gb drive (< 1000000 free bytes). No matter, I populated it with a trove of games, apps and system, rebooted and it was fine.

Now it's listing as NDOS again or it just doesn't show (winuae can't determine its physical structure).

Any ideas?

[thomas]

If it shows up as NDOS on first boot without running HDToolbox and creating partitions first, then you did not use RDB mode.

1000000 bytes is one megabyte, not one gigabyte.

[zardoz]

Thanks Thomas guess I missed out those zeros

No I haven't partitioned the disk, just formatted it. HDToolbox doesn't display any hard disks at all though?

[thomas]

Originally Posted by zardoz

(winuae can't determine its physical structure)

WinUAE never can do this. It's not possible. If you don't use RDB mode, then you have to remember all the physical parameters (Surfaces, Sectors, Reserved and Block size) yourself and enter them again in exactly the same way whenever you add the HDF to a new configuration.

Originally Posted by zardoz

No I haven't partitioned the disk, just formatted it. HDToolbox doesn't display any hard disks at all though?

Firstly you should enable RDB mode in WinUAE. Then the HDF should no longer appear as a drive but only in HDToolbox.

Secondly you have to either connect the HDF to IDE0 controller or change HDToolbox' tool types to look for uaehf.device instead of scsi.device. (only one of them, not both: either UAE controller -> uaehf.device or IDE0 controller -> scsi.device). Only then HDToolbox will find the drive.

For IDE0 to work you also have to choose a chipset with IDE controller and a ROM which matches the chipset (i.e. A1200 chipset with A1200 ROM or A4000 chipset with A4000 ROM).

[mark_k]

Originally Posted by thomas

WinUAE never can do this. It's not possible. If you don't use RDB mode, then you have to remember all the physical parameters (Surfaces, Sectors, Reserved and Block size) yourself and enter them again in exactly the same way whenever you add the HDF to a new configuration.

Recent versions of WinUAE support .geo files which can be used to tell WinUAE the geometry and filesystem etc. (basically they're similar to AmigaDOS mount files). That's very handy for using image files of your old MO/Zip/Jaz/SyQuest/whatever disks with WinUAE. You can specify multiple defaults in default.geo, then have a specific .geo for an individual hardfile if its partition layout differs.

[Of course that won't help zardoz's specific problem.]

[zardoz]

.. and my specific problem eludes a solution

(time for this )

I failed utterly when following these instructions (wrong hardware configuration / rom / hard disk controller? I don't know, HDToolbox never shows any hard drives).

Could someone create and prep a 2gb hdf file and zone it (it will be tiny when zipped) / attach it to this thread? I'd be really properly grateful and it would be quicker than trying to work out where I'm going wrong.

Ta.

[thomas]

Done.

The attachment contains four VHD files:

- one FFS partition
- two FFS partitions
- one PFS partition (PFS3 AIO)
- two PFS partitions

Each file defines a 2016 MB hard disk for WinUAE.

[zardoz]

Thanks Thomas

[wlcina]

I have problem with adding HDDfile, I want to create new system, so I created HDD file 256MB (OFS/FFS/RDB), named it A1200HDDfile.hdf (read/write - Bootable, priority 0), controler UAE (all default), device is set as DH0.

I booted the winuae with workbench disk install, but I cannot see harddrive (I think I suppose to see NDOS hdd), and when I try to use HDD toolbox, it wont show any hdd.

(When I create a directory based HDD, it is shown)

[Toni Wilen]

Standard partition hardfiles can't be partitioned and don't need to be partitioned. Just format the NDOS partition in WB and it is ready.

If you want to emulate "real" harddrives with partition tables and everything, enable "RDB Mode" in hardfile panel.

[wlcina]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

Standard partition hardfiles can't be partitioned and don't need to be partitioned. Just format the NDOS partition in WB and it is ready.

If you want to emulate "real" harddrives with partition tables and everything, enable "RDB Mode" in hardfile panel.

Yep, but it wont show me any NDOS icon in the bios (both amiga mouses at start) I see DH0, but when I load workbench, there is no NDOS icon.

[wlcina]

I tested winuae 2.70 - WB does not show DH0:NDOS icon, the same configuration and hardfile on 2.61 - it shows DH0:NDOS icon.

Could someone test and confirm if its a bug ?

Steps to repeat

(I have A 1200 config, - very basic (2chip, 4 fast ram), Kick 3.1, Created HDD file 256MB (I dont think size matters), insert Workbench 3.1 MAIN (1) to DF0, and boot

Winuae 2.70: Workbench DOES NOT show DH0:NDOS
Winuae 2.61: Workbench DOES show DH0:NDOS

[thomas]

Originally Posted by wlcina

I tested winuae 2.70 - WB does not show DH0:NDOS icon

Could someone test and confirm

Confirmed. DHx does not mount if HDF is empty (no RDSK and no DOS identifier at the beginning). It does mount however if the first three bytes are changed to DOS.

Additionally WinUAE uses a rather strange geometry of 9/63 instead of the usual 1/32.

[Toni Wilen]

Oops, some partition HDF special cases got broken..

[spannernick]

I know this is old but I am having the same problem with WinUAE 4.4.0(2020.07.01)64bit, I want to make a copy of my HDF file that boots ok , I need to split it in to 3 HDF files and loads Classic Workbench(it looks like WB 1.3 but its 3.1) 3.7GB I made 3 HDF files at 1000mb and added them to WinUAE so I have 4 HDF files and its only seeing the first HDF file Classic Workbench loads and no icons of the other 3 HDF files....? Should I use the 32bit version of WinUAE...?