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Conference hydra::amiga_v1

Title:AMIGA NOTES
Notice:Join us in the *NEW* conference - HYDRA::AMIGA_V2
Moderator:HYDRA::MOORE
Created:Sat Apr 26 1986
Last Modified:Wed Feb 05 1992
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5378
Total number of notes:38326

1192.0. "Harddisk and Print don't seem to work together" by EVER11::EKLOF (We're everywhere.) Wed Feb 24 1988 23:39

	As of two days ago, I'm using a hard disk (and there was much
rejoicing).  It's an ST-506 disk that I'm accessing through the A2090 on
my Amiga 2000.  I've noticed a weird problem, though, and was wondering if
anyone had any ideas.

	I can't use the printer.device.  So far, my tests have been of the
form "cp file prt:" (I use Shell 2.07m).  I'm told 'Object in use: PRT:'.
This happens even if nothing else has used the printer (e.g. first command
after a reboot).  Obviously, my startup-sequence has changed radically, but
in looking through it, I don't see anything that should get within several
miles of the print device.  I can still copy to PAR:, and have no problems.
I have printer.device in the devs directory both of my boot floppy, and my
hard disk, and one of the first things I do is assign devs: to dh0:devs .
Oh, FWIW, the date on the hard disk driver that came with the 2090 is 3 
November 1987.

	Anyone have any ideas?  The utility of my system isn't greatly
enhanced by the hard disk, if, as a result I have no printer.

Mark
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
1192.1check printer driverSAUTER::SAUTERJohn SauterThu Feb 25 1988 08:278
    Check the printer driver selected in preferences.  When you boot
    the system it takes the configuration file from the floppy (since
    the hard disk isn't mounted yet) so the printer driver must be
    specified correctly in _that_ system confuguration file.
    
    To avoid confusion whenever I change something in preferences I
    copy the configuration file from the hard disk to the floppy.
        John Sauter
1192.2Why didn't I think of that!EVER11::EKLOFWe're everywhere.Thu Feb 25 1988 11:028
Re: .1

	Thanks, I'll check tonight.  I use a custom printer driver, which isn't
on the boot floppy.  The system configuration file on the floppy is the same as
the one on the hard disk, and the printer driver is on the hard disk. 

Mark
1192.3should work OKSAUTER::SAUTERJohn SauterThu Feb 25 1988 13:434
    I do exactly the same--use a custom printer driver which exists
    only on the hard disk.  Mine works, so this is probably not your
    problem.  (It wouldn't hurt to check, though, just to be sure.)
        John sauter
1192.4WJG::GUINEAUThe Mathematics of Reality ?Thu Feb 25 1988 14:384
Sorry if this is already here.

So when will Amiga support booting directly from Hard Disk?
1192.5??LEDS::ACCIARDIThu Feb 25 1988 15:3811
    re -2 and earlier...
    
    No matter what system-configuration file is on the boot floppy,
    when you ASSIGN DEVS: DH*:, won't the settings on the hard drive
    be used?
    
    Just curious, since I have the same driver and system-config on
    the floppy and the hard drive.
    
    Ed.
1192.6apparently notSAUTER::SAUTERJohn SauterThu Feb 25 1988 16:225
    re: .5--I didn't experiment a lot, but my impression was that the
    system configuration file is read from the boot floppy, and unless
    you took some overt action (like running Preferences) the copy on
    the hard disk was never read.
        John Sauter
1192.7Autoboot is the 1.3 Kickstart FeatureTLE::RMEYERSRandy MeyersThu Feb 25 1988 17:0212
Re: .4

>So when will Amiga support booting directly from Hard Disk?

When 1.3 comes out.  As to when that happens, you can get different time
estimates from next month to next fall.

In order for a hard disk to be used as a boot device, it must have a
boot rom on the controller.  So far, no Amiga hard disk controllers,
including Commodore's, has such a ROM.  Compspec has found some
non-standard way of doing autoboot hard drives, and is selling
that product today.
1192.8Bad User on DeviceEVER11::EKLOFWe're everywhere.Thu Feb 25 1988 21:018
	Wow!  Do I feel stupid?!  You bet.  I apparently hadn't copied my
custom printer driver to the hard disk.  Nor was it on the boot floppy.  I put
it on the hard disk, and everything works fine now.  I'm of the opinion that
the 'Object in use' error message was a bit lacking, though.

Mark
1192.9Lore...SAUTER::SAUTERJohn SauterFri Feb 26 1988 07:295
    Object in Use is certainly a poor message.  While following Usenet
    I read about a user reporting this message after rebooting, 
    and the problem turned out to be that his printer driver was missing.  
    Thus my suggestion.
        John Sauter