WB1.3 save preferences

[Rissy]

I want to save my preferences to my WB1.3 disk. i.e. clock style, serial preferences etc etc.

When i attempt to do so, i get this error message.

I don't know what it means.

Any help on how to fix it?

[malko]

What is your boot device ?

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Why don't you use the Copy system command?
The message says that the file system-configuration of the floppy is in use

[Matt_H]

If you hit the Save button in Preferences it saves your settings to disk, specifically to devs:system-configuration. They are automatically loaded at the next boot.

CopyPrefs is a tool to copy those settings to another disk, i.e. if you have a basic Workbench disk and a customized Workbench disk for a specific application you could use CopyPrefs to copy your preferences from your basic Workbench to your custom Workbench so that you don't need to reset your prefs manually on the custom disk (especially if you've deleted the preferences program to save space).

It looks like you're using CopyPrefs to copy your preferences from one disk to the same disk. You can't copy a file over itself, hence the error message.

[Rissy]

ok, i think i understand. So when i boot into Workbench, I'm always having to set it to display the clock, in digital format, displaying seconds, and date, and be 24hr format. I want those settings to remain as such for the next time i boot into Workbench. What do i do to do that? I think my serial port settings are staying where i want them strangely enough.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

You have to start Clock with the parameter, example:

Clock Digital2

To know all the parameters from a Shell type Clock ? if it doesn't work in Toltype create a script to run on Workbench

[Rissy]

Originally Posted by AMIGASYSTEM

You have to start Clock with the parameter, example:

Clock Digital2

To know all the parameters from a Shell type Clock ? if it doesn't work in Toltype create a script to run on Workbench

I'm sorry to admit that I'm a novice and don't know what you are talking about. Do i have to do some programming? If so, where? Using what? So far, i'm just using the mouse to open up the clock and then right clicking to change the parameters, which then don't "stick".

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Sure OS 1.3 is an obsolete Amiga OS where everything is more complicated, even running a Workbench application from CLI.

To understand what I'm talking about look at screenshot !

[Rissy]

Originally Posted by AMIGASYSTEM

Sure OS 1.3 is an obsolete Amiga OS where everything is more complicated, even running a Workbench application from CLI.

To understand what I'm talking about look at screenshot !

Okay thank you. So do i type what you've shown there, and then that will stick?

What other operating system can i use on my Amiga 500 (Rev 6A motherboard) with everthing stock factory build?

[Matt_H]

So, to speak to your initial confusion: the Preferences tool (and CopyPrefs) only saves the settings that can be adjusted with that tool. The "clock" adjusted there is the internal system time. "Clock" the program is a different entity, simply the tool used to display the internal system time.

The version of Clock that ships with OS1.3 is, unfortunately, very limited. Its settings cannot be saved and it doesn't support tooltypes (which are a way of adjusting/storing simple program settings in an icon). Your only option for getting it to look the way you want when you start it is to either run it with commandline arguments from a Shell or a script.

As AMIGASYSTEM mentions, the correct Shell command is "Clock Digital2". If you want your Clock to be visible every time you boot up, having to run this command every time is, of course, highly impractical.

So you can add it to your startup-sequence to run it automatically.

0. Never modify an original Commodore Workbench disk; make sure you're using a copy (or emulation, Gotek, etc.)
1. Open a Shell
2. Type "ed s:startup-sequence"
3. Scroll down to the bottom
4. Insert a line right before the last line, between the LoadWB and endcli lines.
5. On that new blank line type "Run >NIL: SYS:Utilities/Clock DIGITAL2" (without the quotes)
6. Press Escape, then x, then Enter to save the file and quit the editor
7. Reboot and Clock should be running in the toolbar

There are other, "cleaner" ways of doing this, but since you said you were a novice I thought this would be easiest.

And there are lots of other (and better) Clock programs available that might suit your needs. Have a look at Aminet, particularly the early Fish Disks, which will have programs compatible with OS1.3.

[Matt_H]

Originally Posted by Rissy

What other operating system can i use on my Amiga 500 (Rev 6A motherboard) with everthing stock factory build?

On a stock system, OS1.3 is the limit. If you upgrade the Kickstart chip you can go up to OS3.1. (The new 3.1.4 is not practical without additional RAM.)


If you don't have them, you might want to look at the manuals for the A500 and OS1.3. See here, the files AmigaDOS_V1.3_Enhancer_Software.pdf and Amiga_500_Introduction.pdf.

[Rissy]

Thank you for your replies, it's much appreciated to help my learning process.

I bought Amiga Forever premium edition, and on one of the DVD's are various Workbench versions ranging in the 1, 2 and 3 regions. Which is the latest WB version i can run on my Amiga with a bogo standard factory Kickstart 1.3 chip installed on it?

[Rissy]

While we're here discussing kickstart ROMS. When you boot up WB 3.1, above the disk icon is "RAM DISK". Is this the Kickstart Chip, or just your available RAM? I have 1Mb of RAM. I'm sure i've read some place that you can "backup" your ROM chip, is this right? And if so, how does one do that?

[coldacid]

If you have a KS 1.3 chip, you can only run Workbench 1.x on it, if I'm not mistaken. You'd need a newer ROM to use newer versions of Workbench and other Amiga OS software.

As for the "RAM Disk" that's just available RAM being used as if it's a regular disk. You can copy stuff there temporarily or put a program and its support files there to avoid reading from disk during runtime. If you've only a single MB of RAM I wouldn't recommend it though, since that has to still be shared with all the other programs running on your system.

[Matt_H]

Originally Posted by Rissy

Thank you for your replies, it's much appreciated to help my learning process.

I bought Amiga Forever premium edition, and on one of the DVD's are various Workbench versions ranging in the 1, 2 and 3 regions. Which is the latest WB version i can run on my Amiga with a bogo standard factory Kickstart 1.3 chip installed on it?

As I mentioned above, 1.3 is the limit for your system (unless you replace the ROM chip).

Originally Posted by Rissy

While we're here discussing kickstart ROMS. When you boot up WB 3.1, above the disk icon is "RAM DISK". Is this the Kickstart Chip, or just your available RAM? I have 1Mb of RAM. I'm sure i've read some place that you can "backup" your ROM chip, is this right? And if so, how does one do that?

The Ram Disk is a representation of your RAM that can be used as a temporary storage area. I use it for extracting archives. It's unrelated to the ROM.



Numerous tools exist to backup/dump the ROM to a file. I think Amiga Forever comes with one called transrom. GrabKick is another. You would want a ROM image for either using in an emulator (not necessary in your case since you have Amiga Forever) or for softkicking.


Softkicking is a procedure by which you can load a different ROM image into memory and trick the system into thinking it's the Kickstart ROM (at the expense of some RAM). I don't think a stock A500 is capable of softkicking, but I could be wrong. Typically an accelerator, MMU, or Kickstart 2 or higher is needed.

[TjLaZer]

It's because you are trying to copy the file on to itself.

[Rissy]

I've just been looking up this "transrom" thing. I couldn't find it anywhere within my Amiga Forever software DVD, but after a quick google, i found a French chaps Youtube video demonstrating transrom, and he told me where to get it.

Here: https://www.winuae.net/download/ "[zip-archive (32-bit)]".

Unzip it, and navigate to "Amiga Programs" and its in there.

The French chap then discusses using "CrossDOS" (Never heard of that before) and floppy disks to get transrom on to an Amiga disk.

I'm taking it that I can instead use Amiga Explorer to do this?

I have an Ebay chinese PC USB floppy drive, which as I found out fairly quickly, is so cheap and nasty that it barely reads floppy disks (i literally had to physically keep hitting the thing to get it to work!) and it clearly has no write head, as it just gives a Windows error when attempting to write data to a floppy.

People be warned. Don't buy cheap chinese USB floppy drives! Buy old reputable branded ones from others finished with them instead.

If i can get transrom on to a floppy disc, then I think I can somply follow this chaps instructions for copying my KickStart ROM....?

UPDATE: I've just discovered that "CrossDOS" is only a viable solution for Amigas with a minimum of KickStart 2.0. I have 1.3. I'll have to try the Amiga Explorer route.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Verify that the floppies are not damaged or demagnetized, Windows does not handle well floppies with bad sectors.

CrossDOSFilesystem and CrossMACFilesystem are used for mounting PC and MAC floppies, physical, virtual, 720KB or 1.44 MB.

[Rissy]

UPDATE:

I've managed to take a copy of my Kickstart 1.3 ROM chip using transrom and Amiga Explorer. Pretty easy. Much easier than using the French chaps method, which i presume was the only way before Amiga Explorer...?

[DamienD]

Originally Posted by Rissy

UPDATE:

I've managed to take a copy of my Kickstart 1.3 ROM chip using transrom and Amiga Explorer. Pretty easy. Much easier than using the French chaps method, which i presume was the only way before Amiga Explorer...?

Why do you need this though?

You already have all required ROMs for emulation use.