CompuServe Messages

Having had 3.1 for whole week, I now feel able to offer some observations on the upgrade. I installed it on an A2000 and an A3000 with varing degrees of success. Hardware/Software. ROMS are dependent on machine type, kit for 500/2000 seperate kits for 3000 and 4000. No kit for 1200, perhaps you can use 4000 kit? ROM installation painless on 2000 but confusing on 3000. My 3000 takes ROM 0 in socket marked ROM 1, the socket numbers are correct tho. Software install was faultless, even WBStartup and icon tool types were updated O.K. The kit comes with manuals for Workbench,DOS and REXX. Pretty mutch the same as the 2.1 items, as is most of the software in C: LIBS: ,but if it aint broke, why fix it. In use… Pretty much the same as 2.1 and 2.04 other than a couple of changes to some preference editors, the addition of multiview and datatypes. Devices,printers and monitors are handled as in 2.1, a great improvement over 2.04. Improvements in graphics speeds are at best marginal, although a 16 colour WB seems bearable now on the 2000. The CD file system works fine on the 3000. Simply plug CDROM into SCSI port, boot and click on CD0 in the storage drawer (move it do devs for permanent use) and the CDROM mounts. PC and CD32/CDTV disks seem fine. No dice on the 2000, the ICD controller seems to be causing trouble. SCSI diagnostic programs find the drive type O.K, but DOS reports no disk in drive.:( The drive BTW was an NEC multispin. Hdtoolbox now has the facility to increase block size up to 32K. Hdtoolbox crashes when used with the ICD contoller (as it did under V2.0), anybody got a fix? Problems…. Afraid so, well nothing ever is perfect is it? The 3000 is fine bar two problems. At first the thing wouldnt boot at all, HD light came on and stayed on, the floppy wouldnt boot either. Had to switch it on and off quickly (dodgy practice) to get the ROM boot screen, then boot from floppy. Seems that having sychronous SCSI set caused this problem. The second problem occurs when an icon is dragged, the icon flashes or somtimes disappears until the pointer stops moving(O.K. on the 2000 tho). The 2000 however is misbehaving, rather oddly in some cases. Firstly the 2000 will not warm boot, it usually takes several attempts. Possibly due to the ICD HD contoller (Can I get updated ROMS?). Multiview when used as an ILBM or Amigaguide viewer either corrupts the screen or visits the Guru, as did Amigaguide with 2.1. Oddly these problems dissapear with a 16 colour WB. No problem at any colour depth on the 3000. Janus 2.1 also has problems, a mono PC opened on its own screen seems to have a palette bug. Set your colours, save them, then close the screen. Reload and the colours have changed. The answer seems to be to create a really odd colour, and if your lucky when you reload, it will be near the colour originaly intended. Weird… Wouldnt be the first time that C= own software is incompatible with new a OS. Conclusions… If you have a 3000/4000 then go for it. If you have a modded 2000 like mine then beware of odd HD controllers Etc. Also C= accelerators need ROM upgrades, I doubt whether these are now available. I bought my kits from White Knight Technology, the only guy in the U.K. who really knows the Amiga. The official U.K. distributors are Blittersoft (who may also be good, but I havnt tried them (yet!)). Anybody got any feedback on 3.1 with RTG cards such as Piccaso? Brit users will be confused to note that the locale editor has selections for both United Kingdom and Great Britain. Obviously I have dual nationality and didnt know it:) Robert.