A1200 CF IDE hd - ACA1233n-40 and OS 3.1.4

[rabidgerry]

Hi,

I'm not sure if this is the correct category or not so feel free to move it moderators

Anyways been having a lot of issues using my ACA1233n-40 and trying to hold the new kickstart 3.1.4 in ram so as I can complete the install. It's been a bit of a nightmare actually and I had to revert to rough house tactics to actually get a boing ball on my screen at any point! Below steps took a while to figure out so I dunno if what I was doing before hand to try and figure out how to achieve 3.1.4 kick in ram so I can boot into the new workbench using install disk may have harmed my machine or drives.

Can someone tell me have I put my machine in danger by doing the following.

1) Load up classic WB 3.1 on my CF hard drive

2) Use Acatool to maprom to new kickstart 3.1.4

3) Restart Amiga using Amiga key shortcut

4) Hold down both mouse buttons to get to the early startup control screen

5) Take out the old hd drive with Workbench 3.1 on it

6) Insert Install disk 3.1.4

7) Click Boot and Workbench should load

then follow the usual install steps from here.


One thing I have noticed since doing this is it seems to take a long time to see my original kickstart 3.1 screen with CF Hd removed and no disk in df0.

Am I being paranoid? What are the dangers of taking out CF card mid way through things?

A few things I have tried before those steps which are relatively more streamlined was:

booting into the CF card with WB 3.1

load kickstart 3.1.4 loaded using the Acatool map rom

Reboot and it would stall at this screen



then insert the install disk to get past this

Check and ensure Kick 3.1.4 is loaded

reboot (not cold as that wipes the kick from memory according to Jens but I did not realise this of course so took me a few tries)

before anything gets a chance to get going, pull the CF HD out so classic WB 3.1 doesn't load

then finally the install disk should load into 45.194

So was it risky to have pulled the cf card out before it could kick off? At the time I did not see any other way to keep the kickstart loaded in ram. It was pretty awkward. That is when I landed on the idea of stalling at the early startup screen. But I just hope I haven't damaged anything or corrupted anything. I suppose with the drives I'm ok since I have backup images but I'd be more worried I was fucking too much with the hardware I dunno This is i why I ask.

After all that I did manage to install 3.1.4 but then what a pain in the arse that was trying to get kickstart onto it to keep 3.1.4 kick in ram but from the new install side. I couldn't just pcmcia it to the new hard drive as that function did not work for some reason. That was disappointing actually cause I could have just transferred Acatool and kick 3.1.4 on to the new drive easily.

[solarmon]

I have a physical Kickstart 3.1.4 ROM in my A1200 and I have done a clean/stock install of Workbench 3.1.4, so I don't have the same situation and issues that you have.

It is definitely not recommended to swap out the HD whether it is an IDE or CF one whilst the Amiga is on.

One thing you could have done is to copy over the workbench.library and icon.library to your Workbench 3.1 installation first so that when you soft kick in to 3.1.4 then these files are already in a LIBS: path on the HD.

Kickstart 3.1.4 does not have workbench.library and icon.library in ROM, so that is why it is looking for it and asking for it. Once you insert the Install3.1.4 disk it will find these libraries as it is on the floppy disk/image.

[rabidgerry]

Originally Posted by solarmon

I have a physical Kickstart 3.1.4 ROM in my A1200 and I have done a clean/stock install of Workbench 3.1.4, so I don't have the same situation and issues that you have.

It is definitely not recommended to swap out the HD whether it is an IDE or CF one whilst the Amiga is on.

Thanks for the response.

Well my installs have been clean also (apart from one where I updated over the top of 3.1.4)

I mean things seem to be still working, but if I was to damaged something what would most likely get screwed?

Unfortunately I see no other way with my accelerator to be able to swap to the empty CF card. This is what is an actual bitch about this whole thing. If I cold boot and swap cards the rom mapped gets lost (according to Jens).

So have to map the rom in 3.1,

then cold boot for the switch (of roms) to occur,

then boot into 3.1 since we are still using my previous CF HD,

then reboot using shortcut,

then stall the boot by going to early startup,

then swap the 3.1 CF card for the empty one CF card.

It's the only way I have been able to keep the Mapped rom in ram is by doing this. Tried doing the floppy method and it doesn't work with the Acatool.

Originally Posted by solarmon

One thing you could have done is to copy over the workbench.library and icon.library to your Workbench 3.1 installation first so that when you soft kick in to 3.1.4 then these files are already in a LIBS: path on the HD.

Kickstart 3.1.4 does not have workbench.library and icon.library in ROM, so that is why it is looking for it and asking for it. Once you insert the Install3.1.4 disk it will find these libraries as it is on the floppy disk/image.

I could but I still have the issue of when can I place the empty CF card in the slot. I get by the workbench.library thing by sticking the disk in which is not too much hassle to get to the next step, but still leaves me with the same problem of when am I able to swap the old CF card out for the new blank one

[indigolemon]

Sorry to ask a potentially daft version, but is there a reason you can't just use a set of 3.1.4 ROMs? Would make your life a lot easier.

[fitzsteve]

CF IDE adapters are not hot swappable, you certainly should insert or remove a CF card while power is on, apart from loss of data you could cause a short and damage your Amiga.

I recommend you setup your CF card on WinUAE that way you can use the 3.1.4 Rom Image in WinUAE to install Workbench 3.1.4, add ACATune with Maprom to 3.1.4 Image. make sure you add to your startup sequence the call for ACA maprom early so that it's loaded in before workbench starts to load.

Should solve your issues.

If you just want to use Classic Workbench then you don't need 3.1.4 Roms.

[rabidgerry]

Originally Posted by fitzsteve

CF IDE adapters are not hot swappable, you certainly should insert or remove a CF card while power is on, apart from loss of data you could cause a short and damage your Amiga.

I recommend you setup your CF card on WinUAE that way you can use the 3.1.4 Rom Image in WinUAE to install Workbench 3.1.4, add ACATune with Maprom to 3.1.4 Image. make sure you add to your startup sequence the call for ACA maprom early so that it's loaded in before workbench starts to load.

Should solve your issues.

If you just want to use Classic Workbench then you don't need 3.1.4 Roms.

Shorting Amiga is something I don't want to do! I can live with loss of data as I've backup images.

Yes I have done this and road block is can't map rom to ram to load the f-ing Cf card with OS 3.1.4. Acatune or Acamaprom do not work with my accelerator according to Jens. I have to use Acatool which maps the rom for me. My aca1233n was from the last run I think and it's very specific that it has to be used with the Acatool.

I have even installed Acatool on my new CF hd and mapped the rom on that also and it still doesn't work without me mapping rom on my old CF HD and doing all the dangerous stuff I talked about in my previous post.

Originally Posted by indigolemon

Sorry to ask a potentially daft version, but is there a reason you can't just use a set of 3.1.4 ROMs? Would make your life a lot easier.

Well now I will have to buy those as well from a dealer which defeats the purpose of the maprom option. Ok, Ok had I known it was going to be this much bother I would certainly have went and got an additional set of roms but it should work this way and not be so difficult. Others can do it. Seems like if you have an Aca1233n then you're fucked.

Another reason for not getting the chip roms would be that I don't want to take the full plunge with this new OS just yet, not until I can get it to where my Classic WB 3.1 hard drive is as far as having all the tools and programs on there that I need and all that kind of stuff and as I am finding out it doesn't come with everything the same way Classic WB from Bloodwych's siite was when I first got it installed.

[indigolemon]

Ah I see. I'm 90% sure I read that 3.1.4 installs on a system with 3.1 Kickstart, but you need the Modules disk (part of the download) to let it load the updated components into RAM. This uses LoadModule and works without any maprom software involved.

Have you tried just running the 3.1.4 install disk on your 3.1 KS directly?

[fitzsteve]

As far as I can tell reading the Wiki ACAtool has the same functionality, you should able to call Maprom to an image file from the startup sequence, are you sure you're doing this correctly? Can you post a copy of your startup sequence? Take out WEP key if you have it in there! (For security reasons)

[rabidgerry]

Originally Posted by indigolemon

Ah I see. I'm 90% sure I read that 3.1.4 installs on a system with 3.1 Kickstart, but you need the Modules disk (part of the download) to let it load the updated components into RAM. This uses LoadModule and works without any maprom software involved.

Have you tried just running the 3.1.4 install disk on your 3.1 KS directly?

No but I actually think I read that as well but might have some issues, or something to that effect. Jens said this to me to on the Individual Comp forum as well. But again why the hell can't I map the rom!!!! I even looked into skick or similar solutions.

I also have done the update3.1.4 route which updates 3.1.4 over a 3.1 and that seemed to work nicely, but I guess I was just hell bent on getting the maprom to work as it IS supposed and others can do it. Just not in my case it seems unless you play with fire as I have done. Feel bad now, poor old Amiga was abused

Originally Posted by fitzsteve

As far as I can tell reading the Wiki ACAtool has the same functionality, you should able to call Maprom to an image file from the startup sequence, are you sure you're doing this correctly? Can you post a copy of your startup sequence? Take out WEP key if you have it in there! (For security reasons)

ok I will once I get a chance. Currently working

When you use Acatool and hit save to startup sequence it automatically writes the line to startup sequence which contains the path to the rom file. So I dunno what I could be doing wrong. Wouldn't surprise me though if I was.

[rabidgerry]

ok here it is, it's so long on the line that I had to take two screen shots. This is in WINUAE btw.

This line is automatically written by Acatool.

[rabidgerry]

Could I perhaps need loadmodule installed? I notice my Classic Workbench 3.1 drive has loadmodule installed.

It looks like this in it's startup sequence.

c:LoadModule Devs:A1200IDE.scsi.device.43.45

Just wondering as this really should work. Changing the path to load the new rom into ram on my old card should load it fine as it does normally and a cold boot having switched the cards to OS3.1.4 with the rom being mapped to the exact same location on this CF card should get the new drive to load with kickstart 46143.