#hardware problem
11 messages in this thread
I installed in my Amiga 2000 the new rom chip forversion 2.05 + the ECS
chip set. The computer will no longer recognize disks entered into drives
df:0 or df:1 unl my system also includes a 40 meg hd by gvp and it boots up
off the hd. Could this be the problem and how could I correct this? Please
send any suggestions.
Does it really not recognize disks in df0: or df1: or is it that it can't
BOOT from a disk in df0:?
To Michael Gerard. It will boot up off of a disk inserted into df:0 . Any
disk that starts out in either df:0 or df:1 can be opened and the computer
will recognize them. but if I put in another disk after the computer is
booted, the computer ignores the new disk. The red light on the drive
doesn't even come on.
I am very confused.
Jeff
I'm confused too. The drive is working when used as a boot device, but
neither drive works when you boot from the hard drive. That's one I
haven't heard before. I hope someone else online can give you a clue, but
you may need to have a dealer check your installation of the 2.05 rom &
ECS chips.
Jeffrey,
Put a new disk in DF0: and then issue a DISKCHANGE DF0: command in
a CLI, see what happens. IF the Amiga spins the drive and then recognizes
the disk, the problem is that it's not reading the diskchange line (line
11). And that line goes to one of the CIA chips (8520s) in your Amiga.
They are VERY static sensitive and can easily cause problems.
Did you do the update to 2.04 yourself, or did you have a dealer do
it? If a dealer, have them check the machine. If you did it, try swapping
the 2 8520s (and again…be VERY careful handling them) and see if the
symptom goes away. If it does…you've found your problem.
Don
I'm having a problem that is just as weird as his problem. I installed the
2.04 ROM and an A2091 hardcard w/ Quantum 52 meg drive. It worked
beautifully under 1.3 and 2.0. Next, I installed 2 megs of RAM into the
card. Now, the computer crashes when I try to boot up
under 2.0. The memory configures and works fine under 1.3, as long as I
take out the FastMemFirst line in the startup sequence. I've tested the
RAM, and the chips are fine. I took the whole setup to an Amiga dealer, and
he said the card was bad. So, I sent the card back to the place where I
bought it and they said the card was fine. They even sent me a new card to
try. The same problem occurs with the new card. What gives? I've had
expansion bus problems before that were supposedly fixed by the dealer, but
now I'm not so sure. If it helps any, I have a revision 4.1 motherboard.
If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears. The more technical the
explanation, the better. Thanks in advance,
Brad P.S. I would appreciate a reply via
E-mail.
Brad,
Make sure you have the latest ROMs on the A2091, I believe it's
version 6.6 on the ROMs. Also, make sure you use the 2.04 version of
HDToolBox to update the partitioning information on the HD. Also, I
believe under 1.3 of the OS, you had to tell the system what filesystem you
were using, that's no longer necessary under 2.04 as the FastFileSystem is
in the OS ROM. (For best performance, it's best to backup your files and
then reformat the drives under the 2.04 FastFileSystem).
Other than that, I can't think of any specific reason why you're
having a problem.
Don
Geez… is there anything that _isn't_ connected to the 8250's?
Michael,
For all intent and purposes…nope. <grin>
Don
to Don Curtis Sysop I did as you suggested and tried the diskchange
command. The computer was able to recognize the disk inserted that way.
Does this mean that I have damaged the 8520's and now need to replace them.
would simply removing them and putting them back in place really help?
Thank you for your help.
Jeff
Jeffrey,
Yes, that more than likely means you've damaged one of the CIA
chips (the lower numbered one). You can confirm this by swapping the two
chips, if the diskchange is now automatically recognized…the CIA chip is
the culprit.
No, simply removing and re-seating the chips in the same socket
will neither fix the problem, nor test if the CIA chips are the problem.
Presuming only one chip is bad, swapping the two chips should move the good
chip to the drive controller side of things and your drives may start to
work. Of course, that will also move the bad chip to the other side…the
side than handles the parallel port, serial port and some more of the disk
lines….so don't be surprised if several things "break" when you swap the
chips.
If you're not sure of what you're doing….I'd strongly suggest you
have your Amiga dealer check things out.
Don