Conference hydra::amiga_v1

GURU's are caused by programs that have bugs.  Some programs aren't properly
written for a multi-tasking environment, where programs have to request 
recourses and then check to see if it was available before trying to use it.
Alot of the older PD and commercial software had bugs.  If you got your software
from the previous owner, it could be very old.  Two years ago GURU's were part
of life, but ewer software is more well behaved.  I almost never have to face 
the GURU anymore.  

re .1

Thanks,
but the machine isn't that old, only about half a year, and I can't imagine
that nearly 50% of the software has bugs.

Some questions :
  Is there some software to do something like a hardware-check ?
  If it exists, where can I buy it ?
  And who are those {__censored__} guys who sell 'buggy' programs ?
  Why do some programs run only with disconnected external floppy
    or without RAM-expansion ?
  I'm tired of removing the 512k RAM to run autoloading software, so
    what can I do ?
  Is there a way to speed up the floppy-performance (it's boring to wait
    half an hour to execute a CLI command, or to wait an hour to copy
    all the commands to RAM:) ?
  If I open a workbench-window for a disk and then close it again and 
    remove the disk, I suddenly have less free memory indicated than before.
    The same happens if I run a job (the clock for example).
    Why ?
  How can allocate the FastMem from within the CLI (without using
    NoFastMem) ?
  Is it possible to allocate a fixed amount of memory for RAM: (by
    modyfying 'Startup-Sequence') ?

Regards 
      Volker

>  Is there some software to do something like a hardware-check ?

The Amiga performs it's own diagnostics at power up.  Unfortunately, there is
no parity check on memory as in the IBM world.  Neither do the Mac or Atari ST
perform parity checks at power up.  The Amiga communicates sickness to you via
different screen colors at power up.  Somewhere in these notes are a complete
listing of different screen colors and systems.

>  And who are those {__censored__} guys who sell 'buggy' programs ?
 
    I think the previous poster was referring to the huge mass of Public
    Domain software.  Much of it is written by amateurs with little Amiga
    experience.  The majority of it (in the States at least) is fairly
    solid. 

> Why do some programs run only with disconnected external floppy
  
    The Amiga (all current models) has 512 K of CHIP ram.  This area of ram
    is where the custom chips look for graphics or sound data.  When you
    add an external floppy, about 30K of CHIP ram is consumed, never to be
    returned to the system.  A few games absolutely need that last 30K to
    store huge sound sample or spare screens.  Games that require you to
    disconnect the external drive to play are defective, in my opinion, and
    should be boycotted.  If you can be more specific, maybe we can tell
    you how they work on OUR systems. 

> or without RAM-expansion ?
  
    Any program that requires you to disconnect external ram is SEVERELY
    defective. I currently have no software in my posession that requires
    this.  When properly atomized, any program should automatically
    allocate itself to CHIP and FAST ram.  I haven't seen any software in
    almost two years that was not properly atomized. 

> I'm tired of removing the 512k RAM to run autoloading software, so
  what can I do ?
  
    This is a puzzling question, since 99.9999 % of available software,
    both PD and commercial, will properly recognize external ram.  Can you
    be more specific?  Is your 512K ram expander made by Commodore or
    MicroBotics?  If so, it should be autoconfiguring; that is, you don't
    have to do anything to recognize it. The auto-configuration hardware
    makes the memory available at boot time.  It may well be that your ram
    expander is broken. 

> Is there a way to speed up the floppy-performance (it's boring to wait
  half an hour to execute a CLI command, or to wait an hour to copy
  all the commands to RAM:) ?

    There are several ways to do this.  The first is to use a disk-caching
    program liek FACC from ASDG.  The second is to use the command
    ADDBUFFERS in your startup-sequence file.  This will allocate a small
    amount of memory to be used as a disk cache.  Both of these methods
    will increase the speed of the SECOND and subsequent disk accesses, but
    the initial one will be slow.  This is because AmigaDOS uses an
    extremely reliable but slow technique for storing files on floppys.
    The actual data transfer rate is good, but directory listings take
    forever.  So does opening up a window to display icons. A third method,
    for a two drive system, is to type... 

	copy df0: to df1: all

    This will cause the file system to repack the destination disk in as
    efficient way as possible.  There are other programs, such as BAD
    (commercial) or FastDisk (PD) that recopy the destination disk iin a
    much more efficient yet fully compatible way. 

> If I open a workbench-window for a disk and then close it again and 
  remove the disk, I suddenly have less free memory indicated than before.
  The same happens if I run a job (the clock for example).
  Why ?

    If ADDBUFFERS is used in your startup-sequence file, then you are
    losing memory to the disk-cache.  Ejecting the disk should dump the
    cache.  If clicking the mouse buttons to update the WorkBench title bar
    doesn't free up your memory, (within a hundred bytes or so) than
    something is broken.  I strongly suggest that you have your machine
    checked out by a qualified repair shop. 

> How can allocate the FastMem from within the CLI (without using
  NoFastMem) ?

    I assume that you want to run programs that won't work with fast ram
    without disconnecting the external drive.  Examine the
    s:startup-sequence file of the game, if there is one.  You could place
    NoFastMem on the game disk and run it when you boot the game, if the
    game isn't too copy protected to death.  Here again, could you be more
    specific?  Which games/programs are causing problems? It sounds to me
    like you're having far too many problems than can be simply explained
    away by 'bad software'.  Likewise with your excessive GURUs. 

> Is it possible to allocate a fixed amount of memory for RAM: (by
  modyfying 'Startup-Sequence') ?

    The Amiga RAM DISK: is elastic; it grows and shrinks automatically as
    data is added or removed from it.  You can build a VDO: device in
    memory by creating a MountList entry for it.  The same is true for the
    RAD: device under 1.3.  Both these devices function as fixed size RAM:
    disks.  You can even make them look like floppies and do diskcopys to
    and from them. 
                  
    Ed.

    Hallo to KBO Amiga Freaks..........
    
    Here we are , some more in Germany.... within the CLO Sprendlingen
    a User Group with today 6 Members.
    
    Hopefully more in the future......
    
    Our Projects today :  Hard Disk enhancements to Amiga's
                          Building our own Memory Extensions
                          
                          and , at last but not least our own
    Animations....
    
    
    By the way , Hard Disk Enhancement is not the real Problem ... not
    as easy as on the Pee Cee side but on the way.
    
    Wow but Memory Expansion isn't looking as good as it could be.
    Where are the Problems ? 
    No good Hardware Manuals are available , commercial solutions are
    using 1Meg. Chips which are much to expensive ( 256K are available
    sometimes from older Projects..)
    Timing within the Amiga looks a bit difficult.. so , we are just
    in something like an engineering phase...
    
    Are there any layouts available so we don't need to find out the
    running of a wheel another time ?
    
    If you all over the world and of course too , in KBO are interestet
    send Ai1 Mail to Sturm.Ingo @NDL or Ingo Sturm at FRAIS via VX-Mail.
    
    Or Phone CLO-GY-PRC 06103-392-228
    
    Kind Regards Ingo
    

    re: .2
    
    The problem isn't the age of the machine, it's the age of the software.
    Some of the older software (written in the days of 1.0 and 1.1 versions
    of the OS) has problems running under 1.2 due to either bad programming
    or a lack of testing (expansion ram was very expensive, few folks
    had it).  A 1Meg 500 has both expansion RAM and the 1.2 OS.
    
    One of the most common ways to get a guru under 1.1 was to run out
    of memory.  Very few programs seem to handle that gracefully.
    1.2 and 1.3 seem to handle that condition better, but I've had programs
    that guru the system when they encounter that problem.
    
    -Dave

re.3

Thanks for your (partial) answers to a frustrated beginer.
Meanwhile if found someone out here in KBO who also owns an A500,
so I can test if the GURUs are caused by the software or by
the hardware of my A500 (I just hope it's the software).
I'll check this and then tell you more about it.

> If I open a workbench-window for a disk and then close it again.....
>
>    If ADDBUFFERS is used in your startup-sequencefile, then...
>    If clicking the mouse buttons to update the Workbench title bar
>    doesn't free up your memory, (within a hundred bytes or so) then
>    something .....

  Yupp, that's it (guess I've got to spend some money on books).

The next thing I'll do is to build a switch into the Amiga to switch of
the power supply of the expension-RAM, so do you know where to find 
the +5V ?

Another question: the GURU returns two numbers separated by a dot. 
  I have a little PD programm that decodes the meaning of the second
  number, but what does the first number mean ?
  Is it possible to start the WACK (thats the build-in monitor I've been
  told) without using another machine (I only own one computer) ?
  I got some practice on the 68k, and if I buy some literature 
  about the A500 it should be posible to find the bug that caused
  the GURU and kill it.

Thanks again
   Volker
                                                              

    Hallo , Volker
    
    It is not necessary to switch off the 5V to disable the expansion
    Ram.
    You only need to cut the link between pin 32 and ground at the
    expansion Rams Connector, and then put the switch in there.
    
    So you can Switch off EX-Ram whenever needed.
    
    if you need the drawings about A500 , let me know , i'll send it
    to you.
    
    By the way , as mentioned before , we are trying to design expansion
    Ram on top of A500's normal 500K and 1Meg expansions  to get
    2 , 3 or more Megs to run using 256K Chips...
    Any Layouts are very welcome .....
    
    Kind regards Ingo
    

    re.3 re.5
    
    Thanx again, I checked it up and it's been the Software (and
    some damaged discs, which my PC with a 3.5'' drive accecpted without
    complaints).
    I just paniced (forgot the 'Hitchhikers Guide to Galaxy', I think).
    I got some programs which are more up to date and they
    worked (not all, but most off them).
    I'll get the other bugs fixed (if I can get the tools to do that).
    
    Regards
      :-) Volker (-: