X-Mass help please

[TotO]

You are speaking alone? 

[pelrun]

BDOS just gives me a bootloop when I install it (!!!)


I'm damn lucky I saw that tip about holding Esc to prevent rom init the other day...

[TotO]

The X-MEM notice explain that!
(you can move the green jumper too, for disabling the ROM side, if not using FW3.15)

[TFM]

the ability to write files from the mini booster directly to the symbiface or xmass ide device will be wonderful. I'd like to see a symbos app to do it, but doing it from basic will be pretty awesome too.

I assume one can use the Arkos ROM with ACMEDOS to do that in the native environment.

[CraigsBar]

I assume one can use the Arkos ROM with ACMEDOS to do that in the native environment.

I hope so. As the Arkos rom works with transfers to a FW 3.15 silicon disc as Drive |C then I see no reason why it shoudl have any issues with a IDE Drive |D either. at least that is the plan I will be testing s son as ACMEDOS is released.

[pelrun]

How well does the arkos rom handle the higher drive letters? |WDSK uses 'C' for the minibooster serial link, so I'm not sure how I would go about writing a dsk image to the silicon disk and from there to drive A.

[CraigsBar]

How well does the arkos rom handle the higher drive letters? |WDSK uses 'C' for the minibooster serial link, so I'm not sure how I would go about writing a dsk image to the silicon disk and from there to drive A.

when writing disk images why go to C at all. You can go straight to A or B. When using |GF or |GFA then the file is sent to whichever drive is currently in use. This works fine with a silicon disc, and so I assume the ide drive provided by acmedos too.

[00WReX]

If anybody is interested (and this was inspired by CraigsBar's excellent SymbOS Quick Start Guide  ).

Here is what I did to get BonnyDOS working with the X-Mass.

There is no English User Manual as far a I can tell...so here goes.

Get the ROMs/Files from here...BonnyDOS - CPCWiki

* BonnyDOS ROMs (v1.72) <-- Use these ROMs (BDOS ROM + 2x Addon ROMs)
* BonnyDOS System Disks <-- Use the Setup on these Discs

Note: The System Disc's include the slightly earlier version 1.71 BDOS ROM.

Place the ROM(s) in positions below the AmsDOS ROM in postition 7

* BonnyDOS does not replace the AmsDOS ROM.

I placed them in positions 4, 5, 6.

On the 'SetupA' disc, run"disce (English).

The initial screen is in German, but once loaded the Menu's are in English.

Select 'Install'.

Select 'Create'.

For a single partition, select 'Maximum' then 'Go'.

The partition is created and then you are asked to create a Supervisor Account.

Select 'Yes' and follow steps (choose user & password).

After partitioning your disk, it must be formatted.

Exit the setup utility.

Reboot the CPC and Enter |LOGIN

Enter your previously configured 'User & password'

Enter |FORMAT

When formatting is completed you can enter a partition/disk name.

Once completed, reboot the CPC.

Now you should be able to access the X-mass with |C and 'cat'.

To go back to the 'A' drive enter |AMS

You can create folders (directories) with the |MD,"DISK1" command (DISK1 is an example only).

You can copy files from the 'A' drive to the 'C' drive with |DCOPY,"TEST.BAS" or *.BAS etc.

* Remember to go into the directory on 'C' that you want the files copied to before beginning the copy.

* Note, BonnyDOS uses it's own File System. SymbOS cannot read it once formatted under BonnyDOS.


Cheers,
Shane

[TotO]

Sad that BonnyDOS don't allow to use the "D" letter by default.
I imagine that you have removed the FW3.15 EXP ROM to not conflict with "C" ?

The best will be a patched ROM to use |D to avoid problems.
Try to replace &C3 value at address &81 (string: C3 46 4F 52 4D 41) by &C4 into the BDOS172.ROM file and let me know.

[pelrun]

Can we rename |C in X-MEM's roms instead? Something like an M: drive would be nice, leaving A,B,C etc for actual non-volatile storage...


Note: I don't actually use the silicon disk, and leave it disabled, but X-MEM still hangs onto |C. (wait no it doesn't?, I'm full of crap)

[pelrun]

Turns out that the bootloop was being caused by whatever version of FW3.15-EN I had installed. Reinstalling from my X-MEM disc fixed it (but rolled me back to FW3.14-EN), and installing again from a freshly downloaded copy of the X-MEM disc image got me a working FW3.15-EN setup. Yay!

[00WReX]

Sad that BonnyDOS don't allow to use the "D" letter by default.
I imagine that you have removed the FW3.15 EXP ROM to not conflict with "C" ?

The best will be a patched ROM to use |D to avoid problems.
Try to replace &C3 value at address &81 (string: C3 46 4F 52 4D 41) by &C4 into the BDOS172.ROM file and let me know.

Hi TotO,

Yes, I had the FW3.15 EXP ROM 'Parked'.

I have just hex edited the BonnyDOS ROM as per your suggestion and also changed the hard coded Drive C when you do a 'cat'.
It works well and with FW3.15 fully enabled, BonnyDOS seems to play nice with everything and now using |D

I have attached some screen shots as well as the BonnyDOS ROM's (both original & modified + wrapped them all up in a .DSK).
I also grabbed the Spanish User Manual and Google Translated it to English along with some tidying up and re-inserting some pictures that were lost. The result is not as bad as may be expected and much better than no English manual at all.

Cheers,
Shane

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[pelrun]

Google Translate does a sterling job on the German version as well You just saved me from having to continue doing that conversion

[TotO]

Can we rename |C in X-MEM's roms instead? Something like an M: drive would be nice, leaving A,B,C etc for actual non-volatile storage...

CP/M use C for the RAM drive and some CPC tools too. It's why, whe have chosen D for Drive.
Changing to C (like on PC) should cause more problems than it will solve.

[TotO]

Have you tested the |FCAT and others FAT12 related command to copy files from/to a 720K PC floppy on the drive B?

[protek]

I'm using GraigsBar's excellent guide to get Symbos installed on the X-MASS. I have the ROMs now in X-MEM and can start Symbos by typing |sym. I'm getting a floppy disk error 26 on startup. Do I just have a bad floppy or is it because I'm using the 3,5" B drive, to which I've changed before starting Symbos?

[Prodatron]

Does your drive has a ready signal? Supporting "modern" drives without a ready signal is something which is still missing. Does everything else work?
Can you access the other devices?

[protek]

My floppy is a Samsung SFD321B, in which I've moved the jumper from DC to RY. It works otherwise. I can even run the Batman demo on it. Have to try the other drives later this evening.

[Prodatron]

Was there a disc inserted in this drive, when you got the error message? (which means "disc missing") When |B was active in Amsdos before and there is no SYMBOS.INI in the IDE device it tries to load the INI from drive B.

[protek]

Yes there was, but the error message just gave me something to check. I either have somewhat bad cable or something but the drive is a little picky about being moved. Simply moving it half a centimeter can cause a "Disk not found" error in Basic.

[TFM]

Yes there was, but the error message just gave me something to check. I either have somewhat bad cable or something but the drive is a little picky about being moved. Simply moving it half a centimeter can cause a "Disk not found" error in Basic.

Sounds like a wobbling contact somewhere. Better fix that before is gives you a bad time for long.


@Prodatron : Is there a way to switch SymbOS in a state that it does actually tell the error / problem instead of telling a number?

[protek]

Tried it again. I'm pretty positive that Symbos is trying to access A:. I was able to cat B: in Basic after I had switched to B:. It makes no difference whether I run Symbos from X-MEM or from B:. The desktop loads but the error is displayed and I get the same error, if I try to run control panel.

I'll try copying the files on the 3" floppies.

[Prodatron]

I am curious it's only the 3,5" Drive B then which makes problems?

[protek]

I made some progress. Symbos was indeed trying to read drive A. I made a 3" floppy and Symbos started without errors.

Now, when I try to create a partition on X-Mass, I get error while adding 1 devices, device number 2, error 30.

Any ideas?

[Prodatron]

30 = "Device not suported", this only happens, when the device doesn't support LBA mode (only CHS mode). Since 2004 I never had a harddisc or Cf card which doesn't support LBA mode, as this is standard since end of the 90ies. What I wonder is, if this is only a problem within the way of detection.