How do you partition a cf 4g card

[spanner]

I need help with this cos never done it before on a CF card only a HD(pic attached)

I know I need to use Diskpart but how,what is the commandline I put in..?(Im on Windows 7)

Might be a good idea to sticky this one for future reference..

RetroFan's PFS3 Install GUIDE


*Features... http://www.angelfire.com/amiga/greed/pfs3specs.html(Added by Span)

"WARNING !!!

Backup your files and be sure you want to do this.
The procedure you will see requires you delete your partitions and therefore losing all your data!
Don't blame me for any data loss.
I already warned you!"

Install first another. Change it later to PFS3. Download it here: http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/PFS3_53 and ask any doubt, but it has an installer.

You can use PFS3 without changing the scsi.device with your 4Gb CF.

When you select it with HDToolBox (Workbench 3.1 Install floppy*) to change the file system (Highlight the partition, Click Add/Update, Add New Filesystem, then put the address of the file of PFS3, then Ok) you have to overtype the 0x43465300 or whatever you have depending on the FS you're using to:

PFS3: 0x50465303 (it's the numeric code of the name of the File System).
or if you want to use
PFS3DS: 0x50445303

And later change it in each partition: Select a partition, Click on Change, Click on the top box until it cycles through PFS3 or PFS3DS that you want to install.

You have to know this:
Mask: 0x7FFFFFFE
Max Transfer: 0x0001FE00
About buffers for each partition, in the instructions says to use 150 buffers for normal partitions, 250 for bigger ones and MAX for the rest, so you can use 150 for DH0 and 250 for the other.

Quote:
Originally Posted by thomas
... MAX means the maximum you can afford. Each buffer has the size of one disk block. So with a block size of 512 bytes (0.5 KB), 200 buffers need 100 KB of RAM. Depending on how many partitions there are and how much RAM the computer has, this can be quite expensive. For example on an A500 with 512 KB RAM, using 100 KB for HDD buffers hurts quite a lot.
Also IIRC the PFS3 manual says that PFS3 cannot handle more than 600 buffers, so with PFS3 "MAX" is equivalent to 600.

Remember pressing return after each thing you'll change (recheck them twice changing the screen).

Anyway, you have to know that changing to PFS3 you will have to format each partition you'll change, so make a backup, and never do a full format but a quick one (longer life for your CF).

If you want to change the buffers after installing it, you don't lose any data making that and you won't have to format it again, so you can do it.

I think this is a good -and the shortest- guide IMHO .

*If you are installing it in WinUAE, you have to change the HDToolbox of the WB3.1 Install adf, right clicking, selecting information from the icon and changing it to SCSI_DEVICE_NAME=uaehf.device

How to change your partition to SFS..

I added Retrofan's PFS3 guide so I thought I add this too,thanks to alex76gron from youtube for it...

After reading Killergorilla's excellent SFS guide, i thought that partitioning and formatting your Amiga hard drive can be done without involving Winuae.
In these two videos you will see how to partition and format your hard drive using only your real Amiga.

You will need the following:
1) An Amiga with hard drive.
Although for these videos i used my A1200, i think that the procedure can also be applied on other Amiga models too.
2) An Amiga DOS formatted empty floppy disk.
3) SFS filesystem version 1.277. You can download it from Aminet.
4) SFS filesystem version 1.279 patch. You can download it from "Strohmayer.org".
5) Killergorilla's SFS guide. See links at the end of the info.
6) Some basic knowledge on partitions and formatting.


WARNING !!!

Backup your files and be sure you want to do this.
The procedure you will see requires you delete your partitions and therefore losing all your data!
Don't blame me for any data loss.
I already warned you!

Video here: [ Show youtube player ]

Useful links:
1) Killergorilla's SFS guide: http://wiki.classicamiga.com/How_to_...ddrive_within_...

2) SFS filesystem version 1.277 : http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/SFS

3) SFS filesystem patch version 1.279 : http://strohmayer.org/sfs/

4) RDB-Informer utitlity : http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/RDB-Informer

5) DirectoryOpus version 4.16 : http://aminet.net/package/biz/dopus/DOpus416JRsrc

[spanner]

I have used diskpart to make the cf be unallocated (It don't have a partition on it now) so it don't have a filesystem on it but i have put it in winuae under the drive tab but when workbench loads there is no icon for it..?

[fitzsteve]

You can always prep the card in the real Amiga with a Workbench Install Floppy if Windows 7 gives you greif.

Remember to use Max Transfer 0x1FE00 (you must press enter after you type it or else it wont save)

There are a few guides kicking around, I'm sure someone will be along and link one soon.

Steve.

[thomas]

Originally Posted by spanner

I know I need to use Diskpart but how,what is the commandline I put in..?(Im on Windows 7)

You can enter help at any time.

help
help list
help list volume
help list disk
help list part
help select
help select volume
help select part
help clean
help create
help create partition
help format
help assign

Here is an example: http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=788683&postcount=23

[Retrofan]

Man I always use a real Amiga for the first steps. Use the install disk as fitzsteve says and make the partitions. As I told you I would make 2, one small with around 400mb and another with the rest using HDToolbox.

Are you installing the Cf with WinUAE in the PC? If so, then you can change the file system easily. If not, just copy the file system you are going to install in your Cf and then change it with HDToolbox again.

Here's a tutorial: http://wiki.classicamiga.com/How_to_..._within_WinUAE

Another: http://www.pcguru.plus.com/uae_hdtoolbox.html

Other with videos: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC8E0EE2344C2E02A

Smart File System: http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/SFS

Professional File System: http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/PFS3_53

[johnim]

you could also have a look at my guides in my sig spanner which i made just for cf cards

[spanner]

I have ordered this adapter for the A1200 but its not arived yet properly cos its from china(ebay) at 99p.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-CF-to-...ht_3720wt_1037

I was hoping to sort out the card in winuae first...dam win7..
i have a look at the guides and see if it works..

[spanner]

oh I do have my CF card connected to a E-Blue Blade MR Edition 55 in 1 USB 2.0 muiltislot cardreader/Writer..

dose it make a differents..?

[Retrofan]

No, as long as before formatting for the Amiga your Pc can see it, and after using WinUAE.

[johnim]

spanner my guide was done with win7 and works fine with my usb media bay

[spanner]

Originally Posted by johnim

spanner my guide was done with win7 and works fine with my usb media bay

Thanks to your sfs guide its formatting it now..

[Cammy]

Although this time it seems to be for your A1200, remember that SFS needs a 32bit CPU and won't run on an unaccelerated A600. PFS3 however will work on any Amiga and is slightly faster than SFS so is worth using on the A600 definitely, when you get around to setting up a CF for it.

[spanner]

Hi again,sorry if this has been asked before..

How do you install PFS3 on a real Amiga..??

[Retrofan]

Install first another. Change it later to PFS3 when you have access to the PFS3 files you've stored in your Pcmcia or whatever.
Or -easier- on WinUAE you can directly install PFS3 if you add a folder of your PC in "CD&Hard drives" with the PFS3 files.

Download it here:

This for PFS3AIO: http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/pfs3aio

And this is the original, but it also has the tools that you should have (PFSDoctor is the one I would copy):
http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/PFS3_53.

You can use PFS3 without changing the scsi.device with your 4Gb CF.

Originally Posted by Jope

OS up to 3.1:
PFS3DS + unpatched scsi.device = you can use a cf card up to 8GB
PFS3 + unpatched scsi.device = you can use a cf card up to 4GB

You can use larger cards with a patched scsi.device and the non-ds version of PFS3.

And with PFS3AIO:

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

SCSI controllers rarely need patches if filesystem uses directscsi. (PFS3AIO/PFS3DS)

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

... if you use PFS3 dostype instead of PDS3 (=NSD will be used, not DirectSCSI)

When you select it with HDToolBox (Workbench 3.1 Install floppy*) to change the file system (Highlight the partition, Click Add/Update, Add New Filesystem, then put the path of the file of PFS3, then Ok) you have to overtype the 0x43465300 or whatever you have depending on the FS you're using. The numbers that you are going to write is the hexadecimal code that represents the name of the file system.

PFS3: 0x50465303 (it's the numeric code of the name of the File System).
or if you want to use
PFS3DS: 0x50445303

And later change it in each partition: Select a partition, Click on Change, Click on the top box until it cycles through PFS3 or PFS3DS that you want to install.

You have to know this:
Mask: 0x7FFFFFFE
Max Transfer: 0x0001FE00
About buffers for each partition, in the instructions says to use 150 buffers for normal partitions, 250 for bigger ones and MAX for the rest, so you can use 150 for DH0 and 250 for the other; for a large partition Max is 600.

Originally Posted by thomas

... MAX means the maximum you can afford. Each buffer has the size of one disk block. So with a block size of 512 bytes (0.5 KB), 200 buffers need 100 KB of RAM. Depending on how many partitions there are and how much RAM the computer has, this can be quite expensive. For example on an A500 with 512 KB RAM, using 100 KB for HDD buffers hurts quite a lot.
Also IIRC the PFS3 manual says that PFS3 cannot handle more than 600 buffers, so with PFS3 "MAX" is equivalent to 600.

Remember pressing return after each thing you'll change (recheck them twice changing the screen).

Anyway, you have to know that changing to PFS3 you will have to format each partition you'll change, so make a backup, and never do a full format but a quick one (longer life for your CF).

If you want to change the buffers after installing it, you don't lose any data making that and you won't have to format it again, so you can do it.

If you need to change/update the scsi.device (>8Gb HD):

Originally Posted by emufan

Don_Adan rewrote the scsi.devce - and from the comments it does work very well.
Latest version is available here. called SCSI.lzx .
this might be a candidate for you, replacing the original scsi.device

If you want try the new scsi.device, follow these steps:

1) download SCSI.lzx from site above - store in RAM: ( for example )
2) you need lzx and loadmodule from aminet
3) loadmodule command must sit in folder c:
4) in a shell / amigados ( icon in workbench --> system --> Shell )
type: lzx x ram:scsi.lzx devs:
5) edit startup-sequence - in the shell type
ed s:startup-sequence
insert the following on top of the startup-sequence:

IF EXISTS DEVS:scsi.device_A1200
C:LoadModule DEVS:scsi.device_A1200
EndIF

save startup-sequence and reboot.
hdtoolbox should show correct size of your new 40 gb harddrive.

Well, before making this change in the s-s take a look because it can already have a Loadmodule... Devs:scsi.device. In that case you can edit the s-s or just rename in Devs your scsi.device to scsi.deviceOriginal and copy there the new scsi.device_A1200 and rename it to scsi.device.

I think this is a good, detailed and the shortest guide IMHO .

*If you are installing it in WinUAE, you have to change the HDToolbox of the WB3.1 Install adf, right clicking, selecting information from the icon and changing it to SCSI_DEVICE_NAME=uaehf.device

[spanner]

Originally Posted by Retrofan

Install first another. Change it later to PFS3. Download it here: http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/PFS3_53 and ask any doubt, but it has an installer.

You can use PFS3 without changing the scsi.device with your 4Gb CF.

When you select it with HDToolBox (Workbench 3.1 Install floppy*) to change the file system (Highlight the partition, Click Add/Update, Add New Filesystem, then put the address of the file of PFS3, then Ok) you have to overtype the 0x43465300 or whatever you have depending on the FS you're using to:

PFS3: 0x50465303 (it's the numeric code of the name of the File System).
or if you want to use
PFS3DS: 0x50445303

And later change it in each partition: Select a partition, Click on Change, Click on the top box until it cycles through PFS3 or PFS3DS that you want to install.

You have to know this:
Mask: 0x7FFFFFFE
Max Transfer: 0x0001FE00
About buffers for each partition, in the instructions says to use 150 buffers for normal partitions, 250 for bigger ones and MAX for the rest, so you can use 150 for DH0 and 250 for the other.




Remember pressing return after each thing you'll change (recheck them twice changing the screen).

Anyway, you have to know that changing to PFS3 you will have to format each partition you'll change, so make a backup, and never do a full format but a quick one (longer life for your CF).

If you want to change the buffers after installing it, you don't lose any data making that and you won't have to format it again, so you can do it.

I think this is a good -and the shortest- guide IMHO .

*If you are installing it in WinUAE, you have to change the HDToolbox of the WB3.1 Install adf, right clicking, selecting information from the icon and changing it to SCSI_DEVICE_NAME=uaehf.device

Do i have to have workbench on the drive first to install it,but thats the drive I need to change ..how..?

[Retrofan]

You can boot your Cf in WinUAE and you add in Hardrives an empty archive of your PC to store the files. You copy the System (DH0) to your pc archive, with Dopus, for example. Later change the file system of your Cf ,that you can make in WinUAE or in your Amiga if you like.
To have again your Workbench you can boot for example Amikit, that I know you have and is very fast, and you add in Hardrives your Cf and your Pc archive. It will boot Amikit, and then you copy again your Workbench to your Cf.

[Lord Aga]

What are the advantages of PFS exactly ?

[Retrofan]

Originally Posted by Lord Aga

What are the advantages of PFS exactly ?

I like its tools, PFSDoctor, and it seems it's the fastest of all. Better read here for opinions: http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=18046

[bdb]

This is my opinion, but like teaching someone to drive using an automatic transmission is easier than teaching them on a manual transmission; I believe that the same is true for getting used to handling Amiga drives to teach them the basics on FFS/OFS than the SFS/PFS's. Once one can handle small partitions using standard files systems, they can learn the specifics of the others once everything is working

[spanner]

Originally Posted by Retrofan

I like its tools, PFSDoctor, and it seems it's the fastest of all. Better read here for opinions: http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=18046

Thanks..

Your guide is on the first post now..