This is one thing you'll have to do if you're a programmer, or just want to set up some sort of slideshow, or something. If you always seem to have a few problems, or you haven't a clue how to go about it, then this article should help you out.
The first thing to do is create a blank floppy. Remember that FFS allows 880k instead of 840k, and is faster, but users must have Workbench 2.0 above.
The first thing to do is to create an AmigaDOS bootblock, which boots the disk in the first place, to place you in an AmigaDOS window. If you have a hard drive, insert your disk, and type:
Install df0:
into a Shell, CLI, or press Right Amiga+E to execute a command. If you don't have a hard drive, then your Workbench disk will need to be accessed, so type:
Install ?
[Then insert your new boot disk]
[Type:] df0: [Return]
Now I shall explain the drawers that a typical boot disk must contain...
<B>s<TR2>- </B>This contains the file 'startup-sequence', which is executed upon booting.
<B>c<TR2>- </B>This contains the AmigaDOS commands and small programs which will be used by the startup-sequence, and other programs.
<B>libs<TR2>- </B>This contains the libraries which are used by any of the programs on the disk.
<B>devs/l<TR>- </B>These two contain various other files that are required.
To begin with, use New Drawer from the menus to create the above drawers. Now use a text editor (even ed or memacs will do!) to create a new file called startup-sequence in the s drawer of your disk. Suppose we wanted to print a message, and then load the program 'Game'. We would type...
echo "Hello"
echo "Game is loading"
df0:Game
...and that's it. You might prefer that workbench is loaded first, so the user can access other files such as readmes. Type...
echo "Hello"
echo "Loading Workbench..."
loadwb
endshell
Next we must do the c directory. Basically, you must copy the commands used in the startup-sequence (eg, echo and loadwb). Let us suppose that your disk is called 'Boot!' for the following lines.
copy c:echo to Boot!:c
copy c:loadwb to Boot!:c
and so on. Note that endshell is in the ROM, so doesn't need to be copied.
Now for libs. This is fairly difficult sometimes, as you don't always know what library a particular program will need. To copy a library, just use:
copy libs:name_of_library to Boot!:libs
(This assumes that the library is in the libs drawer of your system disk; if it isn't, enter the correct source pathname.) Here are some libs which should usually be on all boot disks:
diskfont.library
mathieeedoubtrans.library
mathtrans.library
Some others may be required, to:
amos.library - for AMOS programs, if the library isn't included within the code (see compiler manual)
lh.library and octaplayer.library - required for OctaMED player
medplayer.library - required for some MED/Tracker players
powerpacker.library - required for using PowerPacker programs, including ppmore for readmes.
Next is the devs library. This is basically linked up to how your preferences are set up, so be careful; you might like to change your preference settings temporarily before doing this, especially to get rid of Workbench backdrops that you might have! The format for copying is:
copy devs:name_of_device to Boot!:devs
Here are the ones you'll need:
parallel.device
printer.device
serial.device
system-configuration
Also, type:
copy devs:keymaps all to Boot!:devs/keymaps
copy devs:printers all to Boot!:devs/printers
(Note that if don't intead to print from your boot disk, you can do away with many of these devices.
And now l. Type:
copy l:port-handler to Boot!:l
That should be all! Note that some programs will require extra files in order to work. For example, AMOS programs need the ram-handler in the l directory, so you would type:
copy amospro_system:l/ram-handler to Boot!:l
If your are in any doubt, look at the disk containing the program you are using, or the language used to write it, and see what files are on that which are not on your disk. For example, by doing this, I discovered that the lh.library was needed for the OctaMedPlayer. Taking a look at other boot disks is always a good idea, anyway. Also, consult the manual for your language for more specific information.
Lastly, a word about tooltypes. If you have a readme file for your program, click on it, and select Information from the menus. You will see an entry box next to Default Tool in the window that appears. This is the name of the program that will be loaded to view/play/etc the file if it is double-clicked on. For a text file, I suggest you set it to ppmore, and then copy ppmore into the c directory of your disk (and powerpacker.library into the libs drawer). Note that I haven't yet got AmigaGuides working from a boot disk; I just supply an AmigaGuide (as well as a readme) on the disk, and the AmigaGuide can be viewed by booting Workbench first. Does anyone know how to run AmigaGuide from a boot disk?
Anyway, that should be enough for you to create your own self-booting disks. Have fun!
