Amiga 1200 hardware trouble...

Hammy · 19 March 2005, 00:17

just got my first amiga with a working hard drive.
took the hard drive out, and put another one in to test it.. the amiga seemed to pick it up (hd light on the unit, and the disk was spinning)
took it out and put my other one back in, and now that's doing the same..
when it used to boot to the os and had 2 partitions, but now it's doing nothing.

does anyone know what's going on? the format command on the workbench disk picks nothing up for bolth drives, and when i connect them, i make sure that they are connected up correctly, but pin 1 on the hd cable is cut but it came like that and was working before i started messing i've also tested the drives on my other a1200 and still doing nothing.

anyways.. i really need help, someone will prolly laugh at me for being so stupid.

Hammy · 19 March 2005, 12:26

well, i've got it working (ish) installed workbench, but it won't boot to it and will only boot to amiga DOS i don't even get the bios screan.
anyone help with this one?

DopPie · 19 March 2005, 13:04

If it worked before with a damaged cable (eg. pin 1 cut) that could well have been just luck. I don't know what pin 1 actually does but having a good cable is one thing you need.

Did you try to warm boot the amiga after poweron. Some harddisk have a tendency to be slow starters (just like me in the morning). Anyway it could be the harddisk is ready in time after poweron. The amiga should detect the harddrive out of warm reset.

TikTok · 19 March 2005, 14:29

Tend to agree with DopPie.

When you say it will only boot to DOS - you mean it will go to AmigaDOS from the harddisk? If so, surely its unlikely to be a physical HD problem.

What happens if you type c/LoadWB from the prompt?

narud17 · 19 March 2005, 14:40

If I remember rightly my cable had pin one cut it has something to do with spin up times and never stopped my HD from working correctly.Just a thought but could you have dislodged a jumper on the HD when messing with it? if so it may now think it is a slave and not master.Hope some of this helps.

lloyd · 19 March 2005, 15:44

Pin (or wire) 1 of my HD cable is cut also, and the drive works fine. Try powering up the Mig, then after about 5 seconds, do the three fingered reset thingyumy to re-start. You should find it helps. The answer seems to be that some drives are just slow starters, and need 2 or 3 seconds to start spinning up.

I think somebody should invent coffee for HD's!!

Amiga1992 · 19 March 2005, 17:41

I disconencted my pin1 cable. What the thing does is to not let the drive power off and back on every bloody time you reset, thus decreasing bootup times. It doesn't hurt, it actually helps!

Hammy · 19 March 2005, 20:14

the hard drive is working now, i just can't get it to boot workbench on power up. it seems to be booting dos from the hard drive. i think it's more of a software problem now..

TikTok · 19 March 2005, 20:19

Wait - does Workbench always refuse to load, or just on the first boot?

Hammy · 19 March 2005, 20:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by TikTok

Wait - does Workbench always refuse to load, or just on the first boot?

i cant get it too boot from hd. the files are on hd tho

Hammy · 19 March 2005, 21:15

in other words, it always won't boot. i tried the command c/loadwb , but it says invallied command...

TikTok · 19 March 2005, 21:23

Hmmm....what if you type 'dir' at the prompt? Or 'cd' with no arguments.

Hammy · 19 March 2005, 21:32

'dir' does nothing, but 'cd' pops up "Workbench:" workbench being the name of my main partition.

TikTok · 19 March 2005, 21:39

dir does nothing?

Er, then apparently there are no files or directories on your hard disk!? I'm running out of ideas here. Is your HD partitioned? Can you list the other partition contents using dir?

Hammy · 19 March 2005, 22:30

the hard disk is fine. i can use the drive when i insert the workbench 3 floppy. there is 2 partitions, bolth with workbench on them (created with install 3 disk + install)

i just typed in 'dir' with nothing else, is there something else to add?

TikTok · 19 March 2005, 22:48

No, nothing else to add. On its own it will list the contents of the current directory, which from the 'cd' command we know is the root of your hard disk.

What does your startup-sequence contain? To check boot from your Workbench floppy, open hard disk window, show all files, go to the s directory, and then open startup-sequence in ed or more.

Hammy · 19 March 2005, 23:00

i've found the start up sequence, and more. more asks for the directory.
how is this written in amiga terms:

Harddrive(named workbench)/s/startup-sequence

Hammy · 19 March 2005, 23:13

found it:

T already exists
clipboards already exists
env already exists
env/sys already exists

TikTok · 19 March 2005, 23:20

OK, that isn't the contents of your startup-sequence (I hope!). Try this:

1. Boot from Workbench floppy
2. Go to the Workbench menu and select Execute Command
3. Type in more dh0:s/startup-sequence

That should display the contents of your startup-sequence in a window. If you get a 'Can't open file' message, try hd0 instead of dh0 in the above line.

Hammy · 19 March 2005, 23:52

ok, i've got it. is there anything i should be looking for?

19 March 2005, 00:17	#1
Hammy Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: England Age: 36 Posts: 113	Amiga 1200 hardware trouble... just got my first amiga with a working hard drive. took the hard drive out, and put another one in to test it.. the amiga seemed to pick it up (hd light on the unit, and the disk was spinning) took it out and put my other one back in, and now that's doing the same.. when it used to boot to the os and had 2 partitions, but now it's doing nothing. does anyone know what's going on? the format command on the workbench disk picks nothing up for bolth drives, and when i connect them, i make sure that they are connected up correctly, but pin 1 on the hd cable is cut but it came like that and was working before i started messing i've also tested the drives on my other a1200 and still doing nothing. anyways.. i really need help, someone will prolly laugh at me for being so stupid.

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19 March 2005, 12:26	#2
Hammy Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: England Age: 36 Posts: 113	well, i've got it working (ish) installed workbench, but it won't boot to it and will only boot to amiga DOS i don't even get the bios screan. anyone help with this one?

19 March 2005, 13:04	#3
DopPie Zone Friend Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Den Hoorn, NL Age: 45 Posts: 259	If it worked before with a damaged cable (eg. pin 1 cut) that could well have been just luck. I don't know what pin 1 actually does but having a good cable is one thing you need. Did you try to warm boot the amiga after poweron. Some harddisk have a tendency to be slow starters (just like me in the morning). Anyway it could be the harddisk is ready in time after poweron. The amiga should detect the harddrive out of warm reset.

19 March 2005, 14:29	#4
TikTok Registered User Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Malayasia Age: 43 Posts: 657	Tend to agree with DopPie. When you say it will only boot to DOS - you mean it will go to AmigaDOS from the harddisk? If so, surely its unlikely to be a physical HD problem. What happens if you type c/LoadWB from the prompt?

19 March 2005, 14:40	#5
narud17 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Leicester Age: 57 Posts: 117	If I remember rightly my cable had pin one cut it has something to do with spin up times and never stopped my HD from working correctly.Just a thought but could you have dislodged a jumper on the HD when messing with it? if so it may now think it is a slave and not master.Hope some of this helps.

19 March 2005, 15:44	#6
lloyd Mehh :D Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bristol, SW UK Age: 61 Posts: 242	Pin (or wire) 1 of my HD cable is cut also, and the drive works fine. Try powering up the Mig, then after about 5 seconds, do the three fingered reset thingyumy to re-start. You should find it helps. The answer seems to be that some drives are just slow starters, and need 2 or 3 seconds to start spinning up. I think somebody should invent coffee for HD's!!

19 March 2005, 17:41	#7
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,654	I disconencted my pin1 cable. What the thing does is to not let the drive power off and back on every bloody time you reset, thus decreasing bootup times. It doesn't hurt, it actually helps!

19 March 2005, 20:14	#8
Hammy Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: England Age: 36 Posts: 113	the hard drive is working now, i just can't get it to boot workbench on power up. it seems to be booting dos from the hard drive. i think it's more of a software problem now..

19 March 2005, 20:19	#9
TikTok Registered User Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Malayasia Age: 43 Posts: 657	Wait - does Workbench always refuse to load, or just on the first boot?

19 March 2005, 21:15	#11
Hammy Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: England Age: 36 Posts: 113	in other words, it always won't boot. i tried the command c/loadwb , but it says invallied command...

19 March 2005, 21:23	#12
TikTok Registered User Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Malayasia Age: 43 Posts: 657	Hmmm....what if you type 'dir' at the prompt? Or 'cd' with no arguments.

19 March 2005, 21:32	#13
Hammy Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: England Age: 36 Posts: 113	'dir' does nothing, but 'cd' pops up "Workbench:" workbench being the name of my main partition.

19 March 2005, 21:39	#14
TikTok Registered User Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Malayasia Age: 43 Posts: 657	dir does nothing? Er, then apparently there are no files or directories on your hard disk!? I'm running out of ideas here. Is your HD partitioned? Can you list the other partition contents using dir?

19 March 2005, 22:30	#15
Hammy Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: England Age: 36 Posts: 113	the hard disk is fine. i can use the drive when i insert the workbench 3 floppy. there is 2 partitions, bolth with workbench on them (created with install 3 disk + install) i just typed in 'dir' with nothing else, is there something else to add?

19 March 2005, 22:48	#16
TikTok Registered User Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Malayasia Age: 43 Posts: 657	No, nothing else to add. On its own it will list the contents of the current directory, which from the 'cd' command we know is the root of your hard disk. What does your startup-sequence contain? To check boot from your Workbench floppy, open hard disk window, show all files, go to the s directory, and then open startup-sequence in ed or more.

19 March 2005, 23:00	#17
Hammy Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: England Age: 36 Posts: 113	i've found the start up sequence, and more. more asks for the directory. how is this written in amiga terms: Harddrive(named workbench)/s/startup-sequence

19 March 2005, 23:13	#18
Hammy Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: England Age: 36 Posts: 113	found it: T already exists clipboards already exists env already exists env/sys already exists

19 March 2005, 23:20	#19
TikTok Registered User Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Malayasia Age: 43 Posts: 657	OK, that isn't the contents of your startup-sequence (I hope!). Try this: 1. Boot from Workbench floppy 2. Go to the Workbench menu and select Execute Command 3. Type in more dh0:s/startup-sequence That should display the contents of your startup-sequence in a window. If you get a 'Can't open file' message, try hd0 instead of dh0 in the above line.

19 March 2005, 23:52	#20
Hammy Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: England Age: 36 Posts: 113	ok, i've got it. is there anything i should be looking for?

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