1997-07-31 Various "goodies" to Amiga. Collected from amiga related newsgroup. Best Regards //Patrik Sjoblom ** Amiga 500 ** Stockholm, SWEDEN email: Patrik.Sjoblom@ebc.ericsson.se ***************************************************** ******** ******** ******** ********* ***************************************************** From gavinm@vsprsun_14 ( Mr Gavin Moran) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.games Subject: Re: 3.5 games -> HD? Date: 2 Aug 1995 14:32:55 GMT John Girvin (jgirvin@news.unibol.com) wrote: : On 19 Jul 1995 21:00:46 GMT, Andrew Roehrig wrote: : :>I thought of a brilliant system to install "any" game on HD. : :>Use FMSdisk (available on Aminet) to make images of the disks as files on : :>HD. This solves the nonDOS problem. However, for this to work, there must be : Err...not quite. What happens when the game, which still thinks its on : floppy BTW, tries to load in something? It uses its custom trackloader : that doesnt know about HDs and tries to load from a non-existent floppy... : (cue floppy-lights and whirry sound :) Right... The FMS device only really works when the game is AmigaDOS- friendly. Its still a great tool when mags mount disks that are compressed into .DMS files though. Its feasible you could write a similar program and _maybe_ intercept calls to the floppy drive and patch them to work off the HD. Thats a big maybe though and would depend on how the coder was doing his trackloader. The solution is for coders to make their damn code DOS-friendly. For gods sake- theres a whole flexible I/O system there to do the work for you thats proven to work on ALL machines. If you want to compress the data use xpk-compatible compressors. Maybe it does need more system memory but people cant expect to get away with 1 meg A500s any more. gavan -- email: G.Moran@ee.qub.ac.uk | 'There can be only one!' or gmoran@nyx.cs.du.edu | - The Highlander ********************** ********************** From gerner@login.dknet.dk (Gerner Mortensen) Newsgroups: bit.listserv.i-amiga Subject: Re: undmsing NDOS: disks to RAD: and usage... Date: 23 Feb 1995 18:09:00 GMT In : bit.listserv.i-amiga, on subject : Re: undmsing NDOS: disks to RAD: and usage... dated : Thu, 23 Feb 1995 12:, nick@CIMIO.CO.UK wrote to : All : [cutalot] N> * Make sure there is enough memory to still have a decent amount left N> after allocation of an 880K RAD disk and installation of a load of N> workarounds. N> * Set up an 880K RAD disk with exactly the right number of "tracks", N> "sectors", etc... N> * un-DMS a DMS file into the RAD disk N> * make sure the RAD disk will be booted off - perhaps boost it's boot N> priority up a bit. N> * change *ALL* relevant library and device tables so that any possible N> reference to "DF0:" will go to "RAD:". A simple ASSIGN will NOT work. df0todf4 : (332 bytes file) This tool was made for HD-owners, who want to run games from ther harddrives. You know the problem, you load the game, it starts, and tries to load it's data from df0: !!! there are 2 ways to solve this problem. 1: patch the program. 2: use this tool. First time you run df0todf4 it will convert df0: to df4:. Now you can assign df0: to you'r game directory on you'r HardDrive, and you'r problem is solved. When you are finished playing, type "assign df0: remove", run df0todf4, and it will make you'r internal drive to df0: again. enjoy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Where it says harddrive it could say RAD: or actually, when unachiving a dms file, RAD: get renamed to the original diskname, so I will say that 'assign df0: radnewname:' works after using the above tool. If not, hey, copy from rad: to harddisk and go by the text above. Still won't work, hmm, bad luck. ******************** * Gerner Mortensen * ******************** gerner@login.dknet.dk * Offline Orbit 0.73b * ********************** ********************** From Rob graham Newsgroups: bit.listserv.i-amiga Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 09:44:41 -0700 Subject: DOS Thanks to all who replied about me queiry about using version to test whick kickstart is loaded into ram. from the replies I got this is how I have arranged the the startup sequence to select which os version to boot with. dh1:c/assign env: ram: dh3:c/version >NIL: setenv >NIL: $Kickstart IF $Kickstart EQ 40.70 assign env: run >NIL: execute dh0:s/startup3.0 endcli >NIL: ENDIF IF $kickstart EQ 37.71 assign env: run >NIL: execute startup2.05 endcli>NIL: ENDIF assign ENV: run >NIL: execute starup1.3 ENDCLI >NIL: Now on the very first boot it will execute startup 2.05 as that is the version of rom i have. But after I select which version I want to rekick click on the Icon and the eq statement takes care of which version after that. From all of the replies this I found to be be the quickest and easiest way.Which also doea not have a window open to cause requesters from Iprefs. * Offline Orbit 0.75a * ********************** ********************** From Philip Stokes Newsgroups: bit.listserv.i-amiga Subject: Re: dos Date: Thu, 21 Sep 95 16:19:17 BST Rob graham (rgraham@FREENET.VANCOUVER.BC.CA) wrote: > hi all I was wondering if it is possible to use version to check what > kickstart is being used from with in the startup-sequence and from the > output execute a selected file without opening a window by using if > statements.ie if version 37 then use startup sequence 37 or if not > use startup3.1. > any kind of syntax help would be appreciated. Yes, but you can only test for the minimum version number required so you have to do it backwards, i.e. test for version 40, and if not present select startup.37 Here's an example: --------------------------------- Version >NIL: Version 40 If Warn ; ; Kickstart v.40 not found ; Execute Startup-Sequence.37 Else ; ; Kickstart v.40 found ; Execute Startup-Sequence.40 Endif --------------------------------- Phil. -- Philip Stokes phil@stokes.demon.co.uk Hertfordshire England ********************** ********************** From Tetragon@Lisa.apana.org.au (Gavan McCormack) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware,aus.computers.amiga Subject: Re: 3.5" Maxtor Drive in A1200 Date: Tue, 7 Feb 95 02:21:38 +1000 In article <3gulj3$pp4@uqcspe.cs.uq.oz.au>, Steven Butler (seb@cs.uq.oz.au) wrote: > the drive locks up, making a reboot necessary, after which the drive > is validated. I changed the Maxtransfer to 0x1fe0 in HDtoolbox, which was > the value I was using successfully with the WD drive. The problem remains. MaxTransfer should be set to 0x0ffff. 0x1ef0 still should work, but some IDE devices have problems with transferring chunks larger than 64k ($ffff) so don't use anything higher. > block read errors, so I decided to reformat the drive (having a backup to > restore from). Unfortunately, the format command bombs, trying to format the > first track it just sits there indefinitely doing nothing. It works when This is precicely the same problem I have had. > I do a quick format though, and restores the partition to being usable, but > that doesn't fix the drive errors. I checked the drive with validate blocks > and it came up fine. I really have no idea what the problem might be, so if I still cannot understand this error. I found that booting off my clean 3.0 original WB disk, and formatting a part freshly setup in HDToolBox, still resulted in format just sitting there in limbo as above. I fixed it myself by quickformatting the partition, and going over it with an HD tools util to check for errors, and map any out. (Didn't find any.) I also found I had to remove any filesystems off all RDB's on disks mounted by the OS on bootup. (Go into add/update filesystem in the HDToolBox partition screen, and delete ALL filesystems for ALL HD's connected to the system.) > Steve. -- ============================================================================== // Gavan A.McCormack..MdX A1230-50/10-420 Tetragon@Lisa.apana.org.au \X/ "[Ring!] Joe's Taxidemy! You snuff `em, we stuff `em!".. -SrD[7F24] ********************** ********************** From jikorhon@cc.Helsinki.FI (Jouni I Korhonen) Newsgroups: alt.sys.amiga.demos,comp.sys.amiga.hardware,comp.sys.amiga.misc Subject: Re: slowing down a hard disk Date: 26 Jan 1995 09:27:44 GMT Toby Douglass (cm4bctrd@bs47c.staffs.ac.uk) wrote: : : : I *think* what you're looking for is in HDToolbox, the Max Transfer Rate : : : setting. Unfortunately, I cannot remember what it's supposed to be set *TO* : : : :-\ : If it is set too high, certain problems occur when moving large files : around. For example, if I set my MaxTrans to 0xffffff (largest possible : value) when I copy the DPaint executable, and then attempt to run the : copy, I get an error "Bad loadfile hunk". If I try moving a big IFF : around, and then view it, the image is corrupted from about 300kb : downwards. I have same type probs with my A.. Though I have A2k with GVP accel. & IDE controller & Quantum LPS drive. : My current MaxTrans is 0xffff, as suggested by ADPro. Previously, I had : it set at 0x14f (as suggest by my vendor (vendor, in this case, equals : idiots)) which gave me a data transfer rate of about 250kb/sec. Bleah! : (I rang the C= helpline at the time. What a joke. Customer support? My : *** ****!!! The woman on the other end of the line, not having a perfect : grasp of English, assured my that this was normal and everything was : okay. 250kb/sec OKAY?!?! Jesss!) Anyway, when I set MaxTrans to : 0xffff, my transfer rate went up to 955kb/sec (much nicer :-).) I spent quite a long time searching working MaxTrans values and I had to go as low as $ff to HDD work without errors... And it also lowered the transfer rate down to 960Kb/sec ;) Ok, I can live with that speed but copying data from partition to another is slower than copying to floppy.. cheees.. /// \\ /// Jouni Korhonen - jikorhon@cc.helsinki.fi \XX/ a2k/030/33/10/245.. Dead Coder's Society ********************** ********************** From cm4bctrd@bs47c.staffs.ac.uk (Toby Douglass) Newsgroups: alt.sys.amiga.demos,comp.sys.amiga.hardware,comp.sys.amiga.misc Subject: Re: slowing down a hard disk Date: 24 Jan 1995 18:33:27 GMT : : I *think* what you're looking for is in HDToolbox, the Max Transfer Rate : : setting. Unfortunately, I cannot remember what it's supposed to be set *TO* : : :-\ Okay, boys and girls; here is the answer. The MaxTrans value (which is in HDToolBox->Partition Drive->Advanced Options->FileSystem->Near the bottom of the left hand column) is the variable you need to change to get your HD working properly. If it is set too high, certain problems occur when moving large files around. For example, if I set my MaxTrans to 0xffffff (largest possible value) when I copy the DPaint executable, and then attempt to run the copy, I get an error "Bad loadfile hunk". If I try moving a big IFF around, and then view it, the image is corrupted from about 300kb downwards. Not good. My current MaxTrans is 0xffff, as suggested by ADPro. Previously, I had it set at 0x14f (as suggest by my vendor (vendor, in this case, equals idiots)) which gave me a data transfer rate of about 250kb/sec. Bleah! (I rang the C= helpline at the time. What a joke. Customer support? My *** ****!!! The woman on the other end of the line, not having a perfect grasp of English, assured my that this was normal and everything was okay. 250kb/sec OKAY?!?! Jesss!) Anyway, when I set MaxTrans to 0xffff, my transfer rate went up to 955kb/sec (much nicer :-).) Whew - onwards! So, basically, try various settings, each time copy a big file (500kb plus) and see if the file is okay after a copy. If it is; Bingo! I suggest the ADPro value, since that does seem to be the highest workable value on my system. (I lose about 50kb/sec dtr by not having MaxTrans at 0xffffff, so its not too bad.) Toby :-) ********************** ********************** From "Rich `Lego-Master' Jesse -- 7633" Newsgroups: bit.listserv.i-amiga Date: Thu, 3 Aug 1995 08:02:37 -0500 Subject: Re: Floppy Screwy/User Bummed (For the 2nd time in as many days I've had a post that apparently didn't go thru. Can anybody confirm if the following message is a dup? Yes, the listserv should post my messages back to me. Franx.) "BRUCE A. WILLINGHAM" posted: BW> One of my floppy drives is acting strange. Sometimes it gives me a BW> "df1:Bad" message on the workbench icon. If I pop the disk out and then put BW> it back in everything is ok. When using Word Perfect or Microfische Filer BW> the drive frequently gives "not a DOS disk" or "read/write error" messages. BW> Pop the disk out and put it back in and everything is ok. I smell an alignment. For approx $40 (I think) for the alignment/cleaning from a reputable service, you are probably better off replacing the drive. They do wear out, eventually. Some things to remember about your DF1: 1) When you write to a disk, you risk trashing it. At the very least, you'll probably get read/write errors (track 40 is a good place for those!). 2) Don't even bother trying to format a floppy on it. You might as well copy them to NIL:. 3) Hey! Just remembered! There might not be anything wrong at all, other than an overtaxed system! My stock A500 used to complain vehemently on my 3rd party DF1 whenever the system was even mildly busy. The same drive has worked flawlessly on my stock (for now) A1200. What kind of machine do you have? If you want to see the difference between your DF0 and DF1, get a speed tester for your drive. Like maybe disk/misc/DiskTest2_10.lha from Aminet. Use a *SCRATCH* disk, and test the speed of DF0: (hopefully a C= original). Compare the speed to DF1. I think you'll see a noted difference. My DF0 has a constant speed -- very smooth operation. My DF1's speed fluctuated with the peak below DF0's speed. My point being that your DF1 may not be as reliable as DF0. Hope this drivell helps. :) Good Luck! Rich Jesse Programmer/Analyst rjesse@qgraph.com Quad/Graphics Inc, Sussex, WI USA ********************** ********************** From jpstanford@space.honeywell.com (Jeff Stanford) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.introduction Subject: Re: C Compilers Date: 10 Feb 1995 18:50:33 GMT In article <3hdrud$fvo@linux.cpsc.ucalgary.ca>, byersi@cpsc.ucalgary.ca (Ian Byers) wrote: > Does anyone out there know if GCC (a C compiler) is out there for > the Amiga? I only have an original 500 (with a meg, old Agnus, no hard > drive....a real dinosaur) and am an almost starving student so there is > no upgrading for me. If GCC exists, where can I get it? How much > (hopefully shareware????)? > If not, then what else is out there that anyone would recommend (given > my limitations), if there is anything that doesn't need a HD. > Thanks for any info.... Gcc is a memory monster, 1 meg will probaby not satisfy it's needs. Nor do I believe you can trim down SAS C6.51 or DICE C to work within the confines of 1 meg and no HD. I skimmed through an index for Aminet and here are some alternative C compilers you could look into which may work within your confines: Compiler.lha dev/c 83K+An optimizing C compiler for m68000. HCC.lha dev/c 637K+Port of Limited's C Complier, Sozobon. V2. NorthC.lha dev/c 494K+Complete C compilation environment. V1.2 PDC.lha dev/c 714K+Complete C compilation system. V3.33 SmallC.lha dev/c 41K+Port of the Small-C compiler. gcc263-c++.lha dev/gcc 1.4M+Gcc v2.6.3 - C++ Compiler - C/C++/ObjC Com gcc263-c.lha dev/gcc 717K+Gcc v2.6.3 - C Compiler - C/C++/ObjC Compi (I included the main Gcc files for reference, there are 4+ megs of lha files which make up the Gcc setup) Good luck, Jeff -- Jeff Stanford Don't even think these words come from my employer, cause jpstanford@space.honeywell.com they don't! j.stanford@genie.geis.com ********************** ********************** From: Greg Tallent Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc Subject: Re: Use PC CD-rom on Amiga? Date: 28 Jan 97 21:22:57 -800 Organization: Mendocino Community Network Way back on 23-Jan-97 03:57:52 Patrik Sjoblom said: Use PC CD-rom on Amiga? >Hi! >Can I connect a cheap PC CD-rom to my A500+KS2.04+WB2.0+1Mb mem? >What do I need? Hmmm... I'd say, Get a SCSI controller and a SCSI CD-Rom for the 500. I don't think that an IDE controller for the 500 will work with a CD-Rom drive. Do what I did, Get a SlingShot board to connect to the expansion port, Then get a SCSI controller for the 2000. I have a GVP 2000-HD8 controller with 8 Megs of ram on it and 5 Hard Drives and 1 NEC CDR-210 CD-Rom connected to it. The SlingShot board gives your 500 a Zorro II slot to connect any Zorro card to your 500 including Graphics cards and SCSI controllers. >Cheers! >//Patrik S. Yamaha FJ 1100-84 Greg Tallent |Amiga2000/040/33mhz/3.1 32 megs ram,2 gig/Toaster3.1 | gregt@mcn.org |Amiga 500/020/14mhz/3.1 8 megs ram,2.5 gig/Supra28.8| In Northern Calif. |TermiteTCP,IBrowse,AWeb II,Miami 1.1,DirWork 2.1 | Living on 750 Acres|P133/64 Megs ram,9 gig hd's, LightWave, WinNT 4.0 | Fun,FUN,FUN!! NOT! |AMD P133/32 Megs ram 2 gig hd's, LightWave, Win95 | STICK \'stik\ n. 1: A boomerang that doesn't work. ********************** ********************** From marc@aargh.incubus.sub.org (Marc 'Nepomuk' Heuler) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer,comp.sys.amiga.misc Subject: Re: SoftKick Explanation Date: Mon, 14 Aug 1995 18:02:42 CET In article <40d7t9$9qg@tbd120.tbd.ford.com>, Chris"Big-Kahuna"Rampson writes: > Can someone help me out here? I want to softkick 1.3 and 3.1, AND have > them boot from my hard drive. Is it possible? Get SKick 3.43 ********************** ********************** From "Rich `Lego-Master' Jesse -- 7633" Newsgroups: bit.listserv.i-amiga Date: Thu, 3 Aug 1995 08:02:37 -0500 Subject: Re: Floppy Screwy/User Bummed (For the 2nd time in as many days I've had a post that apparently didn't go thru. Can anybody confirm if the following message is a dup? Yes, the listserv should post my messages back to me. Franx.) "BRUCE A. WILLINGHAM" posted: BW> One of my floppy drives is acting strange. Sometimes it gives me a BW> "df1:Bad" message on the workbench icon. If I pop the disk out and then put BW> it back in everything is ok. When using Word Perfect or Microfische Filer BW> the drive frequently gives "not a DOS disk" or "read/write error" messages. BW> Pop the disk out and put it back in and everything is ok. I smell an alignment. For approx $40 (I think) for the alignment/cleaning from a reputable service, you are probably better off replacing the drive. They do wear out, eventually. Some things to remember about your DF1: 1) When you write to a disk, you risk trashing it. At the very least, you'll probably get read/write errors (track 40 is a good place for those!). 2) Don't even bother trying to format a floppy on it. You might as well copy them to NIL:. 3) Hey! Just remembered! There might not be anything wrong at all, other than an overtaxed system! My stock A500 used to complain vehemently on my 3rd party DF1 whenever the system was even mildly busy. The same drive has worked flawlessly on my stock (for now) A1200. What kind of machine do you have? If you want to see the difference between your DF0 and DF1, get a speed tester for your drive. Like maybe disk/misc/DiskTest2_10.lha from Aminet. Use a *SCRATCH* disk, and test the speed of DF0: (hopefully a C= original). Compare the speed to DF1. I think you'll see a noted difference. My DF0 has a constant speed -- very smooth operation. My DF1's speed fluctuated with the peak below DF0's speed. My point being that your DF1 may not be as reliable as DF0. Hope this drivell helps. :) Good Luck! Rich Jesse Programmer/Analyst rjesse@qgraph.com Quad/Graphics Inc, Sussex, WI USA ********************** ********************** From ma3dhcy@bath.ac.uk (D H C Yau) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.games Subject: Re: Are these games HD installable? Date: Wed, 8 Mar 1995 14:52:20 GMT In the referenced article, ken@msor.ex.ac.uk writes: >In article , ma3dhcy@bath.ac.uk (D H C Yau) writes: >>On the point of the subject of this thread, is any1 out there maintaining >>a list of HD installable games (on disk or PD installers?) >No, but you're quite welcome to start one if you want :-) I'll put a >pointer to it in the FAQ when you do... Oh thanks! ;P I would, but I don't have access all these games...wish I did tho' I'm a poor student you know... If ppl want to mail me a list of the games which they have tried THEMSELVES and installed on HD then great...I'll pop it all onto my web page and give the link to this ken geezer ;P If you've found a patch somewhere and it works on a particular game then mail me also, saying where it is...(upload to aminet if not already there) We'll need: TITLE, MACHINE(500/1200/...), HD install on ORIGINAL disks? If its a PATCH, where it is found (aminet?), whether the patch is 'LEGAL' or not (coded by the s/w house/programmers) Any SPECIAL REQuirements for the HD install? (0.5M extra mem? HD space required) This info is neccessary cos the patch may have been coded by some spotty over-achieving 14 year old (no offense to spotty...) and may have a 'format HD0:' type bug in it! TITLE MACHINE ORIG/PATCH SPECIAL REQ LOCATION hyper-Wombat {5/12}00 Patch by Spod 0.5M mem, 5M free aminet:game/patch/hw1.lzh mr bl*bby 1200 legal by 0.5M mem, 2M free on disk 2 Or something like that? PS:NO PIRATE GAMES HD INSTALLS PLZ! (Damn MK2 hack had me going!) dEN..."Why me? Why me? (TV version of Robocop)" oh yeah...a sig...ok...email/web page is there...just don't ask me where! -- __ ____ ___ Aliens|MariahCarey|Discworld|Prodigy|PulpFiction|Therapy __/ // __// _ \ X-Files|:-)|Dreamer|Ironic|Lost|Mellow|Searching|Soulful / , // __// // /\ YrII|BScComputerSoftwareTechnolgy|A1200+80HD|MK2|DGalaga /___//___//_//_/ / ma3dhcy@midge.bath.ac.uk|http://www.bath.ac.uk/~ma3dhcy/ \___\\___\\_\\_\/ 67TriangleNorth,OldfieldPark,Bath,BA2 3JB,UK|0225 429899 ********************** **********************