Amiga Format 40/af040a.adf/MSDOS_Hard_Disk/MSDOS_Hard_Disk

Text File | 1992-09-16 | 7KB | 173 lines

       How to use CrossDOS with an MS-DOS formatted hard drive
                  (CrossDOS Version 4.02 or higher)

This instruction guide will help you to configure CrossDOS to properly
access  a true MS-DOS hard drive partition when using CrossDOS Version
4.02  or  higher.   Such  partitions  can be found on MS-DOS formatted
SyQuest  cartridges  and  removable  external  hard  drives.  CrossDOS
should  correctly  access  most  hard  drive  formats  although  it is
possible  to  find  a  format  created by a manufacturer that does not
conform  to  MS-DOS hard drive partition standards.  CrossDOS can also
access  most  hard drive partitions created by ATOnce and the Power PC
boards.

    IMPORTANT!   Currently  CrossDOS  with  only  operate  with a true
    MS-DOS  formatted  partition.   Pseudo MS-DOS partitions (actually
    files)  such as those created by the BridgeBoard are not supported
    at this time.

We  do  not  recommend  that  you  format  the  hard disk as an MS-DOS
formatted disk using CrossDOS.  Please use a pre-formatted MS-DOS hard
disk as formatted by your MS-DOS system.


Step 1
Determine  the  unit  number  of the hard drive you wish to connect to
your  Amiga hard disk controller card.  It will probably a number from
0 to 7.  Copy this down as "Unit = <number>".


Step 2
With the power off, make sure that the hard disk you wish to access is
correctly  connected  to  the Amiga hard drive controller card on your
system.   With  the  power  on,  you  can  probably use the hard drive
preparation program that comes with your hard drive controller card to
verify that the hard drive can be detected by the card.  DO NOT FORMAT
THE DRIVE!


Step 3
It is time to modify a mountlist entry to match the parameters of your
hard  drive  setup.  Copy the example mountlist entry we supply called
DHC:    found   in   the   file   "devs:mountlist.msdosFS"   to   your
"devs:mountlist" file.


Step 4
Here  comes the difficult part.  In the file "devs:mountlist" make the
following changes to the DHC:  entry.  Modify the "Device =" parameter
to  match  EXACTLY  the  name of the device driver that your hard disk
controller card uses.  If you do not know it, consult the manufacturer
of  the  card for this information.  "Device =" allows the file system
to  know  which  drive controller to use.  For example, Commodore uses
"scsidev.device",    GVP    uses   "gvpscsi.device"   and   ICD   uses
"icddisk.device".

    HINT  If  you  currently have another hard drive connected to your
    hard drive controller card that is AmigaDOS formatted, you may use
    a  program we provide to help you determine some of the values for
    the parameters in Steps 4 through 8.  Determine the device name of
    this  AmigaDOS  formatted  drive  (such as DH0:) and use it in the
    following  command  (found  on your CrossDOS product disk) to list
    the device parameters for this entry:

    MSDOS_FileSystem:diag/devinfo DEVICENAME

You  can  use  the  same  "Device  = ", "Flags = " and "BufMemType = "
parameters for your new entry.  the "Unit = " parameter may not be the
same since it may point to the new drive.


Step 5
Modify  the  "Unit  ="  parameter to match the unit number of the hard
drive that you found in Step 1.  Sometimes the controller manufacturer
will  use  a different numbering scheme.  If this is the case, consult
the  manufacturer  of  the card for this information.  "Unit =" allows
the device driver to know which drive to use.


Step 6
Modify  the  "Flags =" parameter to match the flags required by device
driver.   If  you  are  not  sure  which  flags  to  use,  consult the
manufacturer of the card for this information.


Step 7
Modify  the  "BufMemType =" parameter to match the cache buffer memory
type  required  by  device  driver.   Almost  all  controllers  use  a
BufMemType of 1.  If you are not sure, consult the manufacturer of the
card for this information.


Step 8
Modify  or  add any more valid mountlist parameters that are needed by
the hard disk device driver to operate properly.  Usually this step is
not  needed.   If  you do not know if a parameter needs to be changed,
leave  it  alone.   The  default setting we provide will probably work
just  fine.  If you are not sure, consult the manufacturer of the card
for this information.

IMPORTANT!   DO  NOT  modify  the following parameters:  "DosType = ",
"FileSystem = ", "GlobVec = " or "Stack = " parameter at this time.


Step 9
Next, set up some of the parameters to point to the first block of the
MS-DOS  formatted  portion  of  the drive.  This is achieved by making
sure that the following equation is satisfied:

Beginning block # of the MS-DOS formatted portion =
        (# of Surfaces) * (# of Blocks per track) * (LowCyl #)

Set  "Surfaces=<#  of  heads>"  and  "BlocksPerTrack=<#  of blocks per
cylinder>" of the drive you are using.

If the entire drive is MS-DOS formatted (such as a SyQuest cartridge),
then the MS-DOS portion probably begins on the very first block of the
disk so set "LowCyl=0".

If  the MS-DOS portion is only a part of a Amiga formatted drive (such
as  with  the  ATOnce  and  Power  PC  boards), set "LowCyl=<Beginning
cylinder #>" where the MS-DOS formatted portion starts.

The  "HighCyl="  will be ignored since CrossDOS will automatically set
it  to  the  proper value once it has validated the partition.  If you
wish, you may set "HighCyl=<End cylinder #>" of the partition.


Step 10
Determine  if  the  hard disk partition you wish to access was created
with  "FDISK"  (or a similar program) and "FORMAT" on a PC compatible.
If  it was created with "FDISK", make sure "DosType = 0x4D534800".  If
it was only formatted using "FORMAT", then set "DosType = 0x4D534400".


Step 11
Hopefully  you  have modified a correct entry for the MS-DOS partition
you wish to access.  Now "mount" the device DHC:  on your Amiga.  Open
up a shell, and type the following command:

mount DHC:

You  should  now  be  able  to  access  the  DHC:  device as an MS-DOS
partition.


Step 12
If the hard drive you have has more than one MS-DOS partition, you can
"mount"  these partitions by copying the mountlist entry for DHC:  for
each  partition.   Change  the  device  name  of  each entry using the
following  rule:   DHC:   refers  to  the  first partition of the hard
drive,  DHD:   device refers to the second partition, etc.  (DHC:  and
DHD:   correspond  to  the  C:   and  D:   partition names on a MS-DOS
system).   Each mountlist entry should be identical with the exception
of the device name.

    IMPORTANT!   The  first partition name MUST end in the letter 'C',
    the   second  partition  in  'D',  etc,  to  properly  access  the
    partitions in the correct order.

Hopefully   this   guide   should  cover  the  installation  procedure
adequately  for  you to access your partition successfully.  If you do
have questions, call us at [phone] between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM
Eastern Standard Time.

We  are  currently  evaluating  methods  to  make this installation as
effortless  and  automated  as possible.  We hope to incorporate these
changes in a future version of CrossDOS.  (No date announced)


Thank you for purchasing CrossDOS.
CONSULTRON