A600 hard disk

pjtb · 13 March 2008, 18:07

Hi - New to this scene. I bought an A600 thorugh ebay on a whim as I used to have an ST and never experienced the Amiga.

I have fitted a 4gb hard disk formatted to FAT32. Obviously I didn't have the install disk with workbench so I have ordered PD software which should fulfill the same function (hopefully).

My first question is that should the hard disk be recognised anyway as the HD light flashes slightly on boot, but does not appear on the workbench? I understand the workbench version may limit the capacity of the drive I can use (2.05 ROM / Kickstart V.37.30, workbench v. 37.71).

Secondly, what are the virtues of upgrading the ROM and associated software - I assume there is a thread somewhere that will give me an answer to this.

Apologies if these are basic question but I have tried searching and not found the answers easily.

Any help greatfully appreciated.

alexh · 13 March 2008, 18:20

I am not 100% sure but I think you need to use HDToolbox to prep and partition the drive before it will appear in Workbench.

http://www.amigau.com/amigarealm/thi...ml/towb17.html

If you have a 2.5" disk caddy (or adapter) for your PC you can prep your hard drive on your PC using WinUAE. That should give you access to Install disks in ADF format off the internet.

If you upgrade to KS3.1 v40.63 you'll be able to install workbench 3.1 and enjoy all the benefits and compatibility which goes with it.

pjtb · 13 March 2008, 18:24

Thanks Alex - I may give that a go - I'll try the PD disks first and I intend to try 'Amiga Explorer' using serial connection.

I assume the HD light flashing isn't an issue?

alexh · 13 March 2008, 18:28

I think it's just trying to read the RDB (Rigid disk block) to see if the hard drive is there.

Remember that you will need a KS ROM 2.05 v37.350 or later to autoboot and use a 4Gig drive

v37.300 has a bug in it which means you may have trouble

http://www.gregdonner.org/workbench/wb_205.html

pjtb · 13 March 2008, 18:31

I didn't know that - are these roms easy to acquire?

What is the max size I can format to with my v37.300 ROM?

Sorry for so many questions - and thanks for the responses.

alexh · 13 March 2008, 18:32

I dunno the website above says that some people report it working with upto 800Mbytes.

If I were you I'd just try to get a KS3.1 v40.63 asap.

alexh · 13 March 2008, 18:33

I wouldnt bother with AmigaExplorer either. You've got a PCMCIA slot, you can get a PCMCIA->CF card adapter and a USB card reader and you'll be able to transfer data to the Amiga (with the CFD and Fat95 drivers installed on your main hard drive) at about 20Mbyte/sec much faster than Serial.

pjtb · 13 March 2008, 18:41

Thanks excellent advice - Youve given me plenty to look into.

Do I need to upgrade the workbench? I assume I will.

alexh · 13 March 2008, 19:16

You cannot upgrade beyond Workbench 3.1 v40.42 with a 68000 CPU.

A workbench v3.1 disk set is reasonably cheap.

If you install your hard drive using a PC and WinUAE I'm sure you can "borrow" some ADF images of WB3.1 off the internet (which you will of course buy later

)

coze · 13 March 2008, 19:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexh

(which you will of course buy later

)

He's an Atari guy. He'll never buy and support the Amiga

pjtb · 13 March 2008, 19:27

Thanks again AlexH for all your help - much appreciated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by coze

He's an Atari guy. He'll never buy and support the Amiga

ST's long gone didn't consider buying another.

adolescent · 13 March 2008, 20:11

I have a 37.300 A600 and have used a 2GB, now a 1.2GB using Workbench 2.1. (Take that for what it is though, my experience... I would try first before trying to upgrade).

20Mbyte/sec!? No way is the A600 PCMCIA that fast. I'd be surprised if you could squeeze 200KB/sec out of it.

alexh · 13 March 2008, 20:21

20Mbyte/sec is the speed you'll get transferring the data to the CF card on the PC and it can then stay on there forever (or until you need to delete it) and be used directly by the Amiga where it is.

Of course I didnt mean the speed to transfer from the PCMCIA card to internal hard drive.

The overall transfer from the PC domain to the Amiga domain is 20Mbyte/sec

pjtb · 13 March 2008, 21:06

Thanks adolescent - will try when my PD disk arrives as its on an Amiga formatted disk. Tried to use a 720k PC formatted disk with another utiltiy but can't get the Amiga to read it (I didn't hold much hope of it working anyway). I did read elsewhere on the forum that this sometimes works.

Is there any limit to the size of CF card you can use in the adapter? or at least a limit that the Amiga can access?

alexh · 13 March 2008, 22:51

With CFD driver and FAT95 I think there is a 128Gbyte limit or something.

Hewitson · 14 March 2008, 03:56

Get a PCMCIA network card. Far more useful than a CF card adapter.

Get a 2.5" to 3.5" converter and hook your drive up to the PC and use UAE to install Workbench 2.1. This will also give you the ability to use PC formatted disks. I suggest getting a copy of the PFS3 filesystem to use on the drive.

alexh · 14 March 2008, 08:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hewitson

Get a PCMCIA network card. Far more useful than a CF card adapter.

Not on an A600. Transfer rates are insanely slow (sub 10Kbyte/s) compared to the 20Mbyte/s you'll get with a CF card connected to the PC with a USB reader.

With only 1 or 2Mbytes of RAM you struggle to even install the necessary TCP/IP stack for your network card let alone any software to support it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hewitson

I suggest getting a copy of the PFS3 filesystem to use on the drive.

While it works on the plain 68000 does it really work with 1-2 Mbytes of RAM? Does it offer any speed up on A600?

Hewitson · 14 March 2008, 08:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexh

Not on an A600. Transfer rates are insanely slow (sub 10Kbyte/s) compared to the 20Mbyte/s you'll get with a CF card connected to the PC with a USB reader.

With only 1 or 2Mbytes of RAM you struggle to even install the necessary TCP/IP stack for your network card let alone any software to support it.

While it works on the plain 68000 does it really work with 1-2 Mbytes of RAM? Does it offer any speed up on A600?

I didnt realise the A600 PCMCIA was so much slower than A1200. Even so, I would recommend going down that path, youll have to upgrade the ram to make the machine useful anyway.

If you set a low buffers (eg 50) PFS3 will use maybe 250k of ram. It certainly does offer a speedup on 68000, I use it on my 68010 A2000 and it is considerably quicker than FFS.

pjtb · 14 March 2008, 09:04

AlexH & Hewitson - Thanks for your assistance.

It sounds as though a memory upgrade is a sensible route whether I network or not. From your posts I assume the maxiumu I can install is another 1Mbyte giving 2M in total.

Hewitson · 14 March 2008, 09:19

You might want to take a look at this thread: http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=33671

13 March 2008, 18:07	#1
pjtb Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Wiltshire Posts: 24	A600 hard disk Hi - New to this scene. I bought an A600 thorugh ebay on a whim as I used to have an ST and never experienced the Amiga. I have fitted a 4gb hard disk formatted to FAT32. Obviously I didn't have the install disk with workbench so I have ordered PD software which should fulfill the same function (hopefully). My first question is that should the hard disk be recognised anyway as the HD light flashes slightly on boot, but does not appear on the workbench? I understand the workbench version may limit the capacity of the drive I can use (2.05 ROM / Kickstart V.37.30, workbench v. 37.71). Secondly, what are the virtues of upgrading the ROM and associated software - I assume there is a thread somewhere that will give me an answer to this. Apologies if these are basic question but I have tried searching and not found the answers easily. Any help greatfully appreciated.

13 March 2008, 18:20	#2
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,432	I am not 100% sure but I think you need to use HDToolbox to prep and partition the drive before it will appear in Workbench. http://www.amigau.com/amigarealm/thi...ml/towb17.html If you have a 2.5" disk caddy (or adapter) for your PC you can prep your hard drive on your PC using WinUAE. That should give you access to Install disks in ADF format off the internet. If you upgrade to KS3.1 v40.63 you'll be able to install workbench 3.1 and enjoy all the benefits and compatibility which goes with it. Last edited by alexh; 13 March 2008 at 18:26.

13 March 2008, 18:24	#3
pjtb Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Wiltshire Posts: 24	Thanks Alex - I may give that a go - I'll try the PD disks first and I intend to try 'Amiga Explorer' using serial connection. I assume the HD light flashing isn't an issue? Last edited by pjtb; 13 March 2008 at 18:48.

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13 March 2008, 18:28	#4
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,432	I think it's just trying to read the RDB (Rigid disk block) to see if the hard drive is there. Remember that you will need a KS ROM 2.05 v37.350 or later to autoboot and use a 4Gig drive v37.300 has a bug in it which means you may have trouble http://www.gregdonner.org/workbench/wb_205.html

13 March 2008, 18:31	#5
pjtb Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Wiltshire Posts: 24	I didn't know that - are these roms easy to acquire? What is the max size I can format to with my v37.300 ROM? Sorry for so many questions - and thanks for the responses.

13 March 2008, 18:32	#6
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,432	I dunno the website above says that some people report it working with upto 800Mbytes. If I were you I'd just try to get a KS3.1 v40.63 asap.

13 March 2008, 18:33	#7
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,432	I wouldnt bother with AmigaExplorer either. You've got a PCMCIA slot, you can get a PCMCIA->CF card adapter and a USB card reader and you'll be able to transfer data to the Amiga (with the CFD and Fat95 drivers installed on your main hard drive) at about 20Mbyte/sec much faster than Serial.

13 March 2008, 18:41	#8
pjtb Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Wiltshire Posts: 24	Thanks excellent advice - Youve given me plenty to look into. Do I need to upgrade the workbench? I assume I will.

13 March 2008, 19:16	#9
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,432	You cannot upgrade beyond Workbench 3.1 v40.42 with a 68000 CPU. A workbench v3.1 disk set is reasonably cheap. If you install your hard drive using a PC and WinUAE I'm sure you can "borrow" some ADF images of WB3.1 off the internet (which you will of course buy later )

13 March 2008, 20:11	#12
adolescent Powered by Motorola Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Age: 52 Posts: 1,065	I have a 37.300 A600 and have used a 2GB, now a 1.2GB using Workbench 2.1. (Take that for what it is though, my experience... I would try first before trying to upgrade). 20Mbyte/sec!? No way is the A600 PCMCIA that fast. I'd be surprised if you could squeeze 200KB/sec out of it.

13 March 2008, 20:21	#13
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,432	20Mbyte/sec is the speed you'll get transferring the data to the CF card on the PC and it can then stay on there forever (or until you need to delete it) and be used directly by the Amiga where it is. Of course I didnt mean the speed to transfer from the PCMCIA card to internal hard drive. The overall transfer from the PC domain to the Amiga domain is 20Mbyte/sec

13 March 2008, 21:06	#14
pjtb Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Wiltshire Posts: 24	Thanks adolescent - will try when my PD disk arrives as its on an Amiga formatted disk. Tried to use a 720k PC formatted disk with another utiltiy but can't get the Amiga to read it (I didn't hold much hope of it working anyway). I did read elsewhere on the forum that this sometimes works. Is there any limit to the size of CF card you can use in the adapter? or at least a limit that the Amiga can access?

13 March 2008, 22:51	#15
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,432	With CFD driver and FAT95 I think there is a 128Gbyte limit or something.

14 March 2008, 03:56	#16
Hewitson Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Age: 41 Posts: 3,773	Get a PCMCIA network card. Far more useful than a CF card adapter. Get a 2.5" to 3.5" converter and hook your drive up to the PC and use UAE to install Workbench 2.1. This will also give you the ability to use PC formatted disks. I suggest getting a copy of the PFS3 filesystem to use on the drive.

14 March 2008, 09:04	#19
pjtb Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Wiltshire Posts: 24	AlexH & Hewitson - Thanks for your assistance. It sounds as though a memory upgrade is a sensible route whether I network or not. From your posts I assume the maxiumu I can install is another 1Mbyte giving 2M in total.

14 March 2008, 09:19	#20
Hewitson Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Age: 41 Posts: 3,773	You might want to take a look at this thread: http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=33671

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