Copy WB 3.1 from my A1200?

[VotarGuy]

I still have my WB 1.3 floppies, but I assume WB 3.1 would be much better to use in the emulation... My A1200 boots to 3.1 from its internal hard drive.

So how do I copy the 1200's version of WB to use in AmigaForever/WinUAE?

Or is there a simpler way to boot into the most 'up to date' Workbench?

??

[desiv]

There isn't an easy way to do that...

You could remove the hard disk and connect it to your PC and make an image of it to use in WinUAE/AmigaForever. (Of course, you need an adapter to connect the hard disk to the PC.
You could get an PCMCIA / CF adapter.
Then you can "back up" all the files on your hard disk to the CF card.
Then you can restore them to an AmigaForever/WinUAE drive image.
(Probably best with lha to create an "archive" of your files onto the CF card to preserve the attributes...)
If you want to just install a clean OS into your emulator...
The most up-to-date Workbench is 3.2.2 and for sale:
https://www.hyperion-entertainment.c...-and-available

If you have the Plus edition of Amiga Forever, it comes with the 3.1 ADF files:
http://cloanto.com/kb/13-114

[VotarGuy]

Thanks - that's interesting. Didn't realize it was so tricky. Not sure why I don't have any WB 3.1 install floppies, but my memory is fuzzy. Maybe the internet was in existence then and I might have downloaded the originals 'back in the day', or they came pre-installed on the 1200? I still have my original A1000 and A2000, but no WB floppies.

I DID recently get the CF reader/adapter for the 1200 tho, and just ordered a bigger CF card (4GB). So I guess the idea would be maybe partition the CF card as 2 gigs DOS and 2 gigs Amiga so I can transfer files around more easily? And maybe put a backup image of the A1200 drive on the CF card, which I'm guessing would only take 100 mb or so.

Is there an easy tool to create an HDF from the A1200 drive onto the CF? Something built into Amiga OS? I think I have an old backup utility called "Quarterback", but not sure it handles disk images.

thanks again

[desiv]

Originally Posted by VotarGuy

That's a good question.
I'm not aware of any Amiga software to do that, tho I would think there might be...

Aha!

Maybe this:
http://68k.aminet.net/package/disk/misc/tsgui

You'll need a PCMCIA-CF adapter and a CF card large enough to hold the image (always handy anyway, Amigakit sells them with a disk with the software I think).

[AmiClassic]

This is not difficult.
What kind of internal hard drive do you have in this A1200?

[VotarGuy]

Originally Posted by AmiClassic

This is not difficult.
What kind of internal hard drive do you have in this A1200?

Good question - I'd have to check. It's my wife's machine and still has the original factory HD in it, so I'd guess it's a basic 100mb or less IDE drive.

Amazon just dropped off my 4GB CF card, so I guess now I have to figure out the 'partitioning' dance on the A1200. I think I used to know this stuff, 30 years ago. But I was more familiar with VideoToaster and animation software on my A2000 before I wandered off into Mac land...

[desiv]

Are you planning on using the CF card as your Amiga 1200 hard drive (requires a CF-IDE adapter)?
Or are you planning on using the CF card to back up your hard drive using something like TSGUI (requiring a PCMCIA-CF adapter)?

If the former, then I found it was easy to use a USB card reader that supported CF, and then I just used WinUAE to see the CF Card and create everything there.
It isn't too difficult, tho you do need to remember to change the device identifier in HDToolbox (uaehf.device instead of scsi.device).
I think you are planning on using your Mac for that tho, so not sure how to do that...
This might be that? (https://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=104286)

If the latter and you are just using TSGUI to create an image that you can use in your Amiga emulator, then the CF card can be formatted with FAT32. (You might need to make sure it is smaller in size, depending on the size of your CF card...)

[EctoOne]

Just to clarify, you want to transfer the content of your boot drive to a PC and use it in an emulator right?
And you have a way to transfer files between the Amiga and the PC?

If so, you probably can use something like LHA to archive the content of the boot drive, transfer the archive to the PC and extract it to a new hdf. No need to create an image. If you can extract lha on your PC you even could do that (in a separate directory of course) and then use that directory as new device in the emulator.

Edit: I have just noticed that this was already mentioned. Time to get some sleep.

[VotarGuy]

Originally Posted by EctoOne

Just to clarify, you want to transfer the content of your boot drive to a PC and use it in an emulator right?
And you have a way to transfer files between the Amiga and the PC?

If so, you probably can use something like LHA to archive the content of the boot drive, transfer the archive to the PC and extract it to a new hdf. No need to create an image. If you can extract lha on your PC you even could do that (in a separate directory of course) and then use that directory as new device in the emulator.

Well I guess the goal is twofold:

1) make a digital 'image' of the A1200 internal drive so that it's 'safe' and if the drive dies I'll have a backup,

2) use the drive image in WinUAE so I can boot from it, rather than have to pay or pirate to get WB 3.1

So it's not just the content on the drive, but the OS and structure I'm hoping to preserve. I do have a CF card reader on the 1200, and I just wasn't sure if - for example - I could use some Amiga software utility to create an 'HDF' backup image onto a DOS formatted CF card. I'll be exploring some of these avenues today...

Really appreciate everyone's input here. It's been quite a nostalgia trip seeing the old Workbench environment and remembering the hours/days I spent hunched over my A2000 back when it was all 'cutting edge'. :-)

[desiv]

Originally Posted by VotarGuy

I do have a CF card reader on the 1200, and I just wasn't sure if - for example - I could use some Amiga software utility to create an 'HDF' backup image onto a DOS formatted CF card.

I haven't tried it myself, but I believe is what TSGUI should do for you!
http://68k.aminet.net/package/disk/misc/tsgui

Let me know if that works..
I might try that myself.. ;-)

(I have my 1200 on my local network, so I have just been backing up my files to a network share in an archive (LHA)...)

[fgh]

You could plug it in the mac and image it like you did the SCSI drive.

From the specs of your PC it might not have a regular IDE/ATA connector, just SATA, but according to wikipedia every powermac G4 has regular IDE/ATA (as well as the optional SCSI on yours).

If the drive is a 2,5" drive (small, fits the a1200 hard drive cradle, no power cable), you'd need a 3,5-2,5 adapter though.

The CF adapter you bought for the A1200, is that for internal use (IDE/ATA connector on a bare cirquit board), or external (metal rectangular device for the PCMCIA slot) ? If it's the PCMCIA type, that would be a good option as well.

[AmiClassic]

For a 2.5" drive:
If you don't want to open Amiga, then PCMCIA is best solution.
You create a .lha archive of your system, or simply copy files to card in PCMCIA.

If you decide to open Amiga, you can plug this drive into USB port on your MAC or PC via such a simple 'IDE44 to USB' adapter:



... and use it under WinUAE or make an backup of this disk as .hdf.

A slightly more expensive solution for a 2.5" or 3.5" or SATA drive:

[VotarGuy]

Originally Posted by fgh

You could plug it in the mac and image it like you did the SCSI drive.

From the specs of your PC it might not have a regular IDE/ATA connector, just SATA, but according to wikipedia every powermac G4 has regular IDE/ATA (as well as the optional SCSI on yours).

If the drive is a 2,5" drive (small, fits the a1200 hard drive cradle, no power cable), you'd need a 3,5-2,5 adapter though.

The CF adapter you bought for the A1200, is that for internal use (IDE/ATA connector on a bare cirquit board), or external (metal rectangular device for the PCMCIA slot) ? If it's the PCMCIA type, that would be a good option as well.

I can't connect the 1200 to my Mac the way I did my Syquest drive, coz the Syquest was SCSI (which my old mac has built in). I guess I might be able to connect the A1200 to the Mac via null-modem, but i was hoping the PCMCIA - CF card would be the simplest method.

HOWEVER today I tried to put the 4GB DOS-formatted CF card into the Amiga and it wouldn't read it. Only response I could get was "Bad directory". My guess was that 4GB is just too large for an old A1200 to comprehend? I tried to reformat the card with smaller partitions, but the Mac (my current i9 desktop) wouldn't allow me to change the partition scheme on the CF card, which I guess is some sort of limitation?

Anyway, seems I'm at another new roadblock if the Amiga won't deal with the 4GB CF card. Any tips or walkthrus anyone knows of to solve this one? I've used smaller CF cards (like 8 MB) with the A1200 without prob. So not sure what the issue is with this bigger card. Hmmm.

[desiv]

4GB should be fine...
Did you load the software to mount a Fat32 filesystem on your Amiga?

Might be it doesn't like the card...

Also, what kind or RAM expansion/accelerator does your Amiga have, if any?
Some don't cooperate with PCMCIA too well...

Also, you might need "cardreset and/or cardpatch" in your startup sequence..
(You can find those on Aminet)

There is a whole thread on getting PCMCIA CF working:
https://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=30757

It's like 23 pages long, so something to search and/or post there to get the experts assistance... ;-)

[redblade]

Originally Posted by VotarGuy

Good question - I'd have to check. It's my wife's machine and still has the original factory HD in it, so I'd guess it's a basic 100mb or less IDE drive.

Hi, What did your wife use the A1200 for? High school/ University?

[VotarGuy]

Originally Posted by desiv

4GB should be fine...
Did you load the software to mount a Fat32 filesystem on your Amiga?

Might be it doesn't like the card...

Also, what kind or RAM expansion/accelerator does your Amiga have, if any?
Some don't cooperate with PCMCIA too well...

Also, you might need "cardreset and/or cardpatch" in your startup sequence..
(You can find those on Aminet)

There is a whole thread on getting PCMCIA CF working:
https://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=30757

It's like 23 pages long, so something to search and/or post there to get the experts assistance... ;-)

Thanks, I'll comb thru this and see what I can figure out. All I know is that after initially installing the PCMCIA adapter and the drivers for the "CF0:" device, it seemed to work fine with the first few CF cards I used - but they were less than 100mb. So I thought maybe the size of the newer card was a factor in the driver not recognizing it. Hopefully this thread you've linked to will have some answers.

[VotarGuy]

Originally Posted by redblade

Hi, What did your wife use the A1200 for? High school/ University?

Thanks - my wife and I were both long out of school by the time Amigas came around. I initially pressured her (!) to drive me from Toronto to Buffalo NY to see the first Amiga 1000, and then when she decided she needed her own computer, the A1200 had just come out. She used hers mostly for writing and book-keeping, while I used mine for writing and animation. And then of course she got addicted to 'Lemmings'. :-)

[VotarGuy]

Success - after my 4GB CF card refused to work in the A1200, I found an old 64MB card that showed up fine, AND then I used the utility somebody else here recommended to copy my A1200's system drive as an HDF. BUT then my PC didn't want to read my CF card any more !!!! However my Mac had no prob with it... so I had to copy the files off the card to the Mac then back onto a DOS USB-stick and finally back into the PC PHEW. Now WinUAE boots up from the same WB as my A1200 (except it gets confused about drive names - guess that's my next puzzle to solve). Step by step!