#Replace Toaster disks
26 messages in this thread
Am having a heck of a time trying to load the 40 odd disks of Toaster 3.0 in to
my new Amiga 4000. Have tried so many times I think the disks have developed
faults (or simply worn out in trying).
Is there any chance that NewTek will give me a replacement set…. if I send
the old ones back to them?
All the best, Hilary
Hilary,
If I'm not mistaken, there can be a pattern to the install problem. Some
systems have a tendency to hang on the 9th disk. I cannot remember what causes
this. I'm sure NewTek will chime in….
Brent
"Some systems have a tendency to hang on the 9th disk. I cannot remember what
causes this. I'm sure NewTek will chime in…."
There is a definite installation problem with A4000's running some IDE
drives.
The workaround is:
1. Open Advanced Options in HDToolBox and click Partition Drive.
2. Click on Change.
3. Click in the MaxTransfer= box and change the value to 0x1ffff.
4. Click on Okay.
I took these instructions from DannyAtkin's "Best Amiga Tips and Secrets",
but Bob Anderson at NewTek told me the same thing.
Installation went smoothly on my machine after making the change.
Don't know of any similar problems on all-SCSI machines.
Jerry
Hi Jerry!
I've got a GVP 33Mhz 040 with a 170meg HD in a A2000 and I'm having the 9th
disk problem trying to re-install my Toaster disks. It's completely repeatable,
(happens every damn time!). This configuration has worked very well since last
December when I got my Toaster setup.
The reason I'm having to re-install the software is because I did something
incredibly stupid. I tried, for the first time, to connect a syquest 44 meg
external drive to my GVP card. I tried to format the syquest but somehow, (dain
bramage?), wound up reformatting the internal HD. Needless to say, I had to
start over. I've been working at this for the past couple of days.
I'm a Mac guy who fell in love with LightWave after seeing Todd White and Glen
Miller create such excellent work on their Toasters. Todd actually set my
system up for me when I bought it. So now that I've screwed this thing up, I
figured this was the time to break down and learn how and why the Amiga does
what it does. But I'm hitting snags. Bear with me…this may take awhile.
I've archived all the messages here in the forum, (very dedicated lurker), so I
was able to go back and review all the help Hilary is getting. I didn't think I
would need it myself so soon.
Actually this all started because I wanted to upgrade my PAR software to 2.10
and since I do my online thing with my Mac, I had to sneakernet the file from
my Mac to the Toaster. Well, the floppy drive on my Mac decided it didn't want
to work that night, (but that's another story). That's when I got the idea to
format a syquest in DOS format and use it to do the file transfer between the
machines. I'd never hooked up a SCSI device to my Toaster before. So my lack of
experience and understanding of the Amiga OS caused me to blow it royally on
the formatting thing. Guess the first SCSI device I should've tried should've
been the DAT backup, huh? <g>
Anyway…by reading every manual and every ReadMe that came with every piece of
software for the Amiga I've got, I was able to get the syquest working and also
to serve as the startup volume. I then used AmiBack+Tools to get most of my
files back off the internal HD. I then did a search and repair for bad blocks
on the HD and then wiped the drive using Antiseptic. So the drive was very
clean and supposedly free of block errors. I then formatted it with AmigaDOS
and installed Workbench 2.0.
That seemed to work well so I shut down and turned off the syquest and booted
from the internal. No problems. I then started installing software from my
application disks. I got all the GVP stuff installed and working fine. But when
I installed DirOPUS and tried to use it, the machine locked up. Every time. And
the weird thing is that DirOPUS works just fine when I run it off the syquest.
[continued in the reply]
[continued]
I let that slide, hoping that you guys here can tell me what's going on, and
tried to install my Toaster disks. Everything goes fine until I hit disk #9 and
it does the first batch decompression. It chunks along for a little while, but
then I get, "Error creating Toaster/Lightwave", and that's it. Back to the
beginning. And it's done it 3 times in a row now.
Another weird thing is that when I re-booted (warm), the watch cursor came up
in the upper left corner of the screen and the machine froze. Another re-boot
and I get a message that tells me
"System Request
GVPscsi.DEVICE: unit 000
Unexpected Status $49/$46"
and gives me a 'Resume' button…gadget, whatever. When I hit 'Resume' I get
another error that tells me "Read error on block 176395". I thought mapping for
bad blocks took care of that? I re-booted again and everything came up fine.
So now that I've yacked for a half hour, do you or anyone else out there have a
clue what it is that I'm screwing up? This has been a good educational thing,
but my Lightwave jones is starting to make me itch. I've got worlds to create,
damnit! <grin> HELP!!!!!
Thanks in advance!
–>Doyle Calvert Synergistic MultiMedia
Pretty much out of my Amigaleage, Doyle.
I learned one trick and that's all I had to pass on.
Jerry
–> Pretty much out of my Amigaleage, Doyle.
I learned one trick and that's all I had to pass on.<–
Thanks anyway, Jerry!
–>Doyle Calvert Synergistic MultiMedia
Doyle,
Well, anytime I have had a disk problem, it has been during install. I would
say first to call NewTek and get a new batch of disks! Because you have the
card and bought the Toaster card, I feel that I can say the following: Go to
Todd and use his install disks! He is in your neck of the woods!
Sorry you are having these problems!
YOu bought the system after seeing works produced my todd and me? Cool!
Thanks for the Nationwide good thoughts!
GM
Thanks Brent,
On the 9th disk the un-archive of the first 9 disks commences…
In my case the fould up is random. First time I got to disk 40. After that it
has been anywhere from disk 2 to disk 20.
Hope NewTek can help, or have they given up on us Toaster owners, now that
Aommodore/Aminga is down the drink. We are just left hanging.
All the best, Hilary
Hilary, I have had some Toaster disk problems in the past, NewTek replaced them
with no hassle and no wait. Regards,Gary
Thanks for the first bit of good news….
Am giving the Amiga 400/040… and the reluctant Toaster software my "ALL…!"
this weekend. Putting the disks hopefully this time into an added 800 KByte
floppy drive – and see if that persuades the damn thing to load Toaster to hard
drive. Keep your fingers crossed and say some dynamic prayers for me!
All the best, Hilary.
Hi Hilary!
Sorry 'bout your Toaster troubles. I'm having similar problems. I sent out a
message a little while ago asking for help from everybody. My disk failures
were regular and predictable. Disk #9 every time. But after I sent that message
I got the idea to try booting my syquest with Workbench 2.0 on it and giving
the Toaster disk installation one last try before going to bed, (hopefully to
recieve help in the morning).
Well I'm pleased and somewhat surprised to report that, for reasons as yet
unknown to me, the disks are loading like they should. There is theoretically
no difference in the operating software on the syquest, but it's working, (for
the moment). This same operation failed 4 times in a row earlier this evening.
I'm writing this on my Mac while I load disks into the A2000. I'm on disk #29
right now and…Hey! It just told me that some files have to be used on the
A4000, (I have an 040 accelerated A2000), and when I clicked 'continue' it told
me the Toaster software had been successfully installed! Now for the 3.1
upgrade…And THAT went well! It finally worked! Tho I still don't trust the
operating system on the internal HD, (SCSI) or the HD itself, (even tho this is
the first problem I've had with it). I still want to know why I'm having some
of the weirdness with some of my other applications.
Well damn! I just tried to run the Toaster and the VT icon that comes up when
you click on the Start Toaster button comes up kinda double visioned and then
the load fails and I'm back at Workbench. AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!
OK. So I'll boot up the magic syquest, ( I swear I didn't do anything different
when I installed the Workbench software on it), and see if I can get it to run.
A short time later…
Well I did indeed get my Toaster up and running with the syquest. So I must've
done something stupid that I just don't know about when installing the
Workbench on the internal HD…but I was very careful. I'm incredibly tempted
to say to hell with it, back everything up to DAT, and keep the syquest for the
boot drive and be happy. But I can't do that. I need to know why this isn't
flawlessly working like it was a few days ago.
Just wrote this to tell you that I finally got my software installed. I tried
almost every suggestion everybody gave you to solve my problem, short of the
power supply thing. The external syquest serving as the boot disk seems to have
done the trick for getting installed. And I can run and use my Toaster with it
as well. Just not on the internal HD. I'll figure this out tomorrow. I'm
bushed!
Good luck to you and dynamic prayers will be said tonight on your behalf!
Best!
–>Doyle Calvert Synergistic MultiMedia
P.S. Later still…
[continued in the reply]
[continued]
Guess what! On a whim, just before calling it a night…jeeze, it's 2:30AM
already…I tried shutting down the system and ejecting the syquest cart, *BUT*
leaving the syquest drive itself running. I rebooted from the internal HD…no
apparent problems. Tried firing up the Toaster and whalah! Houston, we have
Toaster! Feeling cocky, I decide to put my theory to the ultimate test and load
a fresh copy of DirOpus, (it has crashed every single time I've tried to run it
from the internal HD). To my utter amazement it comes cheerfully to life and
suddenly things are just like they were, (before I stupidly reformatted my
internal drive by mistake).
So class, what have we learned? (No Glen, it's not that even really stupid
people can use an Amiga…) It's that the gentleman who said something about
GVP SCSI controllers being squirrely was absolutely right! On my Mac, I have 6
SCSI devices connected, but I only turn on the ones I'll be using. No sense in
having them run for nothing. The GVP evidently doesn't work that way.
Hilary, I appologize for rambling on like this for so long. I actually just
wanted to give you some encouragement, and maybe give you another solution to
try, but wound up blathering on about my own problem and solving it while
writing this message. Forgive me.
At last. All is well in the land of Synergistic Multimedia…thank you, and
good night!
DOYLE,
Stupid people???? Glad to know I am in your thoughts! :}
GM
Read your most interesting discussion on the "Loading Disks" problem.
In my case, I took the Amiga 4000 completely apart. Removed and re-inserted all
removeable chips and assemblies. Added a second floppy drive to the installed
high density. The addition was one of the old 800 KByte type. Also added a
second hard drive.
Put it all together. Re-formatted and partitioned the two hard drives. Tried
the new floppy drive, OK.
With great trepidation… started to load the Toaster 3.0 program. As I passed
the 20th disk, sweat was starting from my brow…. but continued. When it got
to the 45th disk I nearly passed out. Wonder of wonders it had loaded on to
the right partition of the right drive.
Tried the Toaster. Got the "No Genlock" signal. Sought advice. Found that I
had not moved the jumpers on the Toaster board from their old setting for my
previous Amiga 2000. Now about to correct this carlessness on my part.
Will be adding my Wangtek tape backup as an exterior SCSI device eventually.
All the best, Hilary
Hi Hilary!
Glad to hear that you're finally closing in on victory! But what a pain, eh?
Do you think it might've been because some of your external, (I assume SCSI),
devices were powered down when you tried to load the Toaster disks from the
internal floppy? After I simply had all my SCSI devices powered up, all the
problems went away. I know you've got the A4000 and it's different than the GVP
040 accelerated A2000 I've got. Just wonder if it's a possibility.
I'm now trying to solicit assistance from the gurus here to help me get
CrossDOS happening so I can once again transfer files back and forth from Mac
to Toaster. I bought my Toaster setup for Lightwave and am just now getting
deeply into the vagarities of AmigaDOS. Still a novice, I guess.
I looked everywhere for documentation but couldn't find anything. Except a note
in the Toaster manual that told me that CrossDOS was supposed to be included
with AmigaDOS 2.0. I couldn't find it after I installed new software on my HD.
Oh well. Somebody will know what I'm doing wrong and straighten me out.
Glad to hear you're doing better! Hang in there!
–>Doyle Calvert Synergistic MultiMedia
When I was using my old Amiga 2000, I too wanted to transfer Amiga type files
from my PC – which has the modem – to the Amiga platform.
On advice from Betty Clay, I bought a copy of CROSS-DOS. Worked like a charm
for me with the 2000. Notice that the Workbench Ver; 3.0 which came with my
new Amiga 4000 does INCLUDE the Cross-DOS function within its initial floppy
disks.
Do check that Cross-DOS will run between a MAC and the Amiga. Perhaps some
other bright body in the Forum can enlighten you on that point.
It woyld seem that however long one has been playing with Amigas – there is
ALWAYS something new to learn. My problem is that I forget about things the
same speed – and have to turn to the book!
All the best, Hilary.
Since most macs can now read PC disks (at least the high density ones,
like the A4000), one can use the PC disk on all 3 platforms.
OK…. but can Cross-DOS translate from Mac language to the Philadelphia lingo
of the Amiga…. or doesn't that matter?
An un-educated….. Hilary.
Hilary, The way to get files from the Mac to the Amiga, is to have them BOTH
translate to PC format. Regards, Gary
Gary… you are slowly educating me <g>.
The slow whitted…… Hilary.
Hi Hilary!
Thanks for the reply! I missunderstood about CrossDOS coming with WB 3.0. I've
only got WB 2.0. My friend who set my system up took care of adding CrossDOS to
my setup. I know for a fact that it works with my Mac, because I've been doing
it since last December.
Todd set things up for me so that I only had to focus on Lightwave. It sounds
funny, but I'm actually glad that I screwed my Amiga up. I learned a lot about
it trying to bring it back to life. I've been a Mac user since the very first
128K original Mac. The Amiga is a whole other animal and I didn't want to spend
the time to learn it deeply. I just wanted to surf LightWave. In going thru
everything I had to to get things right again I found out that there are a lot
of similarities. Things just have different names.
Again, thanks for the reply. I hope things are happier for you now.
–>Doyle Calvert Synergistic MultiMedia
Doyle,
On CROSSDOS, are you running the 2.1 version of AmigaDOS? If so, look in
your boot partition for a drawer called 'Storage'. Inside there, there
should be another drawer called 'DOSDRIVERS'. Inside that drawer (Chinese
puzzle box mode!) should be a couple of icons called 'PC0' and 'PC1'. Back
at the root level on this drive should be another drawer called 'DEVS',
also containing a 'DOSDRIVERS' drawer. Copy the PC0 (and PC1 if you have
two drives) icons from Storage/DOSDRIVERS to DEVS/DOSDRIVERS. Then reboot
the system. The Storage drawer is sort of a holding area for things that
go into DEVS: but aren't being used at the moment. Also, I think you can
activate CROSSDOS for the current session only by just double clicking the
PC0 or PC1 icons in the storage drawer, if you don't want them enabled all
of the time.
-Jim
Hi Jim!
Thank you so much for the info. I believe my version of AmigaDOS is 2.05. My
Workbench 2.0 disks actually say v2.05. Would I be correct in assuming that
this is also the version of AmigaDOS?
I appreciate the help!
–>Doyle Calvert Synergistic MultiMedia
Doyle,
You're welcome… Yes, the Workbench disks would be stamped with the
version number of AmigaDOS. The Kickstart ROM also has it's own number,
probably 2.04 or 2.05. WB2.1 was a software only upgrade, so the ROMS stay
the same.
-Jim
DOYLE,
Hey, don't call new tek like in the message I wrote minutes ago, you fixed your
system!
AmigaDos problems: Reformat your drive with the GVP util and install only the
Workbench disk. Then, reboot off the INstall disk and go through the complete
reinstall of Workbench. I think that will get you up to speed.
I think the format you want to use is "DOS FORMAT."
Let me know!
GM