GVP IMPACT Series II A500-HD+ Workbench Installation Question

Peter · 17 February 2010, 17:06

I have a question about installing Workbench onto the GVP IMPACT Series II A500-HD+ External Hard Drive...

I have the GVP Fastprep Disk so I thought I would prep & format my 60MB hard drive and re-install Workbench 1.3 together with the 1.3 Extras disk.

Prep & format is easy - the GVP disk also seems to install a sort of GVP cut down version of Workbench as well as all it's own GVP software, diagnostic tools etc...
If you then re-boot, the hard drive boots perfectly and within my single hard drive partition are the files mentioned.

I wondered what was then the best route to take to get all the other components of Workbench 1.3 installed - together with the 1.3 Extras disk.
It cant just be a case of dragging and dropping files from the Workbench floppy disks into your HD partition... can it?

If I use the option during the fastprep process to install additional floppy disks and I install WB1.3 & WB Extras1.3 disks - upon re-boot the hard drive wont start and I am presented with a blue and white 1.3 hand screen.

I wondered how others have installed Workbench onto these hard drive devices... can you please post and let me know.

Here is my GVP Series II

NOTE - I don't really want to upgrade this set up in any way at present - I know that there are upgrades and different drive types to consider.

Photon · 17 February 2010, 17:47

Well, there should be a way of installing Workbench from the harddisk install floppy itself. Not sure what it's called.

But it's easy enough without it, just locate your WB floppies and boot the one called 'WB 1.3 Install'. Someone else can maybe help you with the name of the icon to click without reformatting the harddisk, there were some similar names there IIRC. 'Install Workbench?' How'bout that huh huh.

I may be way off but I'm not cheating and peeking on the 1.3 disk.

Peter · 17 February 2010, 18:03

I'm not sure Photon, I may be way off also but I don't think I have ever seen a 1.3 install disk, not a Commodore version.

coze · 17 February 2010, 18:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter

I wondered what was then the best route to take to get all the other components of Workbench 1.3 installed - together with the 1.3 Extras disk.
It cant just be a case of dragging and dropping files from the Workbench floppy disks into your HD partition... can it?

the best (and only, to my knowledge) way of installing workbench 1.3 onto any device is "copy df0: dh0: all"

Photon · 17 February 2010, 19:41

Heh. As I typed it some back alley braincell shouted 'they didn't have a separate install disk then!'.

It's 'kinda' coming back to me, but it was 21 years since I installed it :P I think it was two disks, Workbench and Extras and yeah, just copy their contents to the harddisk. Probably it was on the WB 2.0x install disk that I saw a few icons with similar names and I think it was 'Setup HD' or 'Install HD' that wiped the harddisk... might be wrong, just a faint memory.

rkauer · 18 February 2010, 00:47

Correct "install" command is (with WB disk inserted on floppy unit):

Code:

Copy DF0: name_of_Boot_HD_: all clone quiet

Jope · 18 February 2010, 08:26

This is what the prep disks also do that came with the 2090 and 2091 controllers.

They also copy some disk icons over, but those are quite irrelevant.

So .. it's as official as it gets really.

Peter · 19 February 2010, 12:17

Thanks for the advice guys...

What I have done is to prep and format the drive sing the GVP disk, then re-boot via a WB1.3 floppy disk - initialize/wipe the single HD partition, then I rename the HD partition back to DH0 and use use rkauer's command to copy over contents of WB1.3 floppy disk - repeat for extras floppy disk.

All boots fine - I guess if I need to use the GVP tools I can just run the GVP floppy disk.

Now if I do upgrade this can anyone point me in the direction of the correct RAM I would need to purchase - a web link would be useful (of course I will have a look myself but I appreciate advice!) also a link to a SCSI/IDE adaptor would be really interesting to see if anyone has a minute to point me in the right direction....

coze · 19 February 2010, 13:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter

Now if I do upgrade this can anyone point me in the direction of the correct RAM I would need to purchase - a web link would be useful (of course I will have a look myself but I appreciate advice!) also a link to a SCSI/IDE adaptor would be really interesting to see if anyone has a minute to point me in the right direction....

check your HD8+ to see what kind of RAM it uses. It either uses 30 pin standard SIMMs or 64 pin GVP SIMMs. 64 pin GVP stuff is notoriously difficult to find, but HD8+ usually uses 30 pin SIMMs. Check here for a sample, this is rather expensive, you may find it cheaper if you're patient and search a little bit ... (search for 30 pin 4 mb SIMM)

cosmicfrog · 19 February 2010, 16:47

I might have some 1mb 30 pin simms somewhere

17 February 2010, 17:06	#1
Peter Still an Amiga user Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Kent Age: 55 Posts: 2,715	GVP IMPACT Series II A500-HD+ Workbench Installation Question I have a question about installing Workbench onto the GVP IMPACT Series II A500-HD+ External Hard Drive... I have the GVP Fastprep Disk so I thought I would prep & format my 60MB hard drive and re-install Workbench 1.3 together with the 1.3 Extras disk. Prep & format is easy - the GVP disk also seems to install a sort of GVP cut down version of Workbench as well as all it's own GVP software, diagnostic tools etc... If you then re-boot, the hard drive boots perfectly and within my single hard drive partition are the files mentioned. I wondered what was then the best route to take to get all the other components of Workbench 1.3 installed - together with the 1.3 Extras disk. It cant just be a case of dragging and dropping files from the Workbench floppy disks into your HD partition... can it? If I use the option during the fastprep process to install additional floppy disks and I install WB1.3 & WB Extras1.3 disks - upon re-boot the hard drive wont start and I am presented with a blue and white 1.3 hand screen. I wondered how others have installed Workbench onto these hard drive devices... can you please post and let me know. Here is my GVP Series II NOTE - I don't really want to upgrade this set up in any way at present - I know that there are upgrades and different drive types to consider.

18 February 2010, 00:47	#6
rkauer I hate potatos and shirts Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Sao Leopoldo / Brazil Age: 58 Posts: 3,482	Correct "install" command is (with WB disk inserted on floppy unit): Code: Copy DF0: name_of_Boot_HD_: all clone quiet

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17 February 2010, 17:47	#2
Photon Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Eksjö / Sweden Posts: 5,659	Well, there should be a way of installing Workbench from the harddisk install floppy itself. Not sure what it's called. But it's easy enough without it, just locate your WB floppies and boot the one called 'WB 1.3 Install'. Someone else can maybe help you with the name of the icon to click without reformatting the harddisk, there were some similar names there IIRC. 'Install Workbench?' How'bout that huh huh. I may be way off but I'm not cheating and peeking on the 1.3 disk.

17 February 2010, 18:03	#3
Peter Still an Amiga user Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Kent Age: 55 Posts: 2,715	I'm not sure Photon, I may be way off also but I don't think I have ever seen a 1.3 install disk, not a Commodore version.

17 February 2010, 19:41	#5
Photon Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Eksjö / Sweden Posts: 5,659	Heh. As I typed it some back alley braincell shouted 'they didn't have a separate install disk then!'. It's 'kinda' coming back to me, but it was 21 years since I installed it :P I think it was two disks, Workbench and Extras and yeah, just copy their contents to the harddisk. Probably it was on the WB 2.0x install disk that I saw a few icons with similar names and I think it was 'Setup HD' or 'Install HD' that wiped the harddisk... might be wrong, just a faint memory.

18 February 2010, 08:26	#7
Jope - Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Helsinki / Finland Age: 43 Posts: 9,920	This is what the prep disks also do that came with the 2090 and 2091 controllers. They also copy some disk icons over, but those are quite irrelevant. So .. it's as official as it gets really.

19 February 2010, 12:17	#8
Peter Still an Amiga user Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Kent Age: 55 Posts: 2,715	Thanks for the advice guys... What I have done is to prep and format the drive sing the GVP disk, then re-boot via a WB1.3 floppy disk - initialize/wipe the single HD partition, then I rename the HD partition back to DH0 and use use rkauer's command to copy over contents of WB1.3 floppy disk - repeat for extras floppy disk. All boots fine - I guess if I need to use the GVP tools I can just run the GVP floppy disk. Now if I do upgrade this can anyone point me in the direction of the correct RAM I would need to purchase - a web link would be useful (of course I will have a look myself but I appreciate advice!) also a link to a SCSI/IDE adaptor would be really interesting to see if anyone has a minute to point me in the right direction....

19 February 2010, 16:47	#10
cosmicfrog The 1 who ribbits Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: leek, Staffs, UK Age: 56 Posts: 3,557	I might have some 1mb 30 pin simms somewhere

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