Conference hydra::amiga_v1

    
    Is the 5.25" drive connected to the Amiga itself or to an AT/PC
    bridgeboard.
    If it's connected to a bridgeboard, the procedure to get files from
    and to a MS-DOS disk is descriped rather well in the documentation.
    If not then you'll have to do "black magic" things, :-)  like
    generating an mountlist entry for that drive and mount it.
    Please let us know what kinda drive it is...
    
    Regards
    
    <CB>

    Thanks for your quick reply.
    
    Having spoken to my husband he tells me that the set up is as follows:
    
    1 x hard disk @ 20 megabytes
    1 x5.25" floppy connected through PC/XT bridgeboard
    1 x 3.5" disk connected to the Amiga
    
    Hope this is enough info.
    
    If it is can you tell me how to operate the 5.25" floppy.  I think
    we have some manuals at home about Amiga BASIC and MS-DOS.  If I
    am incorrect, please can you suggest some documentation that I should
    be reading.
    
    Thanks for your help.  It's difficult when I'm such a NOVICE at
    this. (How come I can operate the DEC systems so easily!!!!?)
    
    Collette
    

    
    re: .2
    
    First off, you probably can handle the DEC stuff so easyly because
    help is only a "Help topic" away, plus your're shielded from the
    naughty hardware stuff by your friendly system manager. On the Amiga
    you'll have to read manuals and get your fingers dirty. :-) :-)
    But even here most commands react with a short description of their
    syntax if you present them with a question mark as input, ie.
    "copy ?".
    
    To access files on the 5.25" drive, you should make sure that the
    bridgeboard is up and running.
    To get to the files you'll have to use the ARead/AWrite utilities
    that came with the bridgeboard and should have been installed by
    your husband or yourself. Take a look at the bridgeboard/Janus library
    manual that came with the board for further details on these commands.
    On more info you should pass to us is what version of the Janus
    software your're using. Hopefully it's 2.0.
    
    Regards,
    
    <CB>

    Again, many thanks for your help.
    
    The version of Janus is 2.2
    
    I now have the 5.25" disk working just fine.  
    
    One "small" point you may also be able to help me with is the Hard
    disk.  I was following the instructions in the MS-DOS manual to
    copy MS-DOS to the hard disk.  However I really messed up.
    
    I typed the following command      a:*.* c:
    
    The information on the 5.25" disk copied to the hard disk OK but
    then I realised I had copied a DBASE IV demonstration disk (I know,
    what an absolute idiot not checking the drive first!)  Anyway what
    I need to know is how do I get the information deleted from the
    hard disk?  Will I have to re-format and partition the disk again?
    
    

    re note 2666.4
    
    Sorry I  typed     COPY a:*.* c:
    
    

    Re: .4, .5
    
    Nah, you don't have to reformat or partition the hard disk (HD).
    Just delete "Del name.ext" the files you don't want. See the
    MS-Dos manual for more details. Do a "Dir a:" to see the offending
    files.
    One more question to satisfy me curiousity:
    Is the HD connected to an IBM side controller or an Amiga controller?
    
    Regards,
    
    <CB>

    I'm not sure about your last question but
    
    The Hard disk is connected to a PC-XT Bridgeboard (with IBM
    compatability) and according the instruction manual the HD can be
    partitioned between MS-DOS and AMIGADOS.  Sorry I can't be more
    specific but I'm loathe to take the top of to have a look.
    

    Re: -1
    
    Oh, I asked that just to make sure I understand your systems
    setup.
    Did you manage to get rid of the unwanted files on the IBM side?
    
    <CB>

    I went home last night and copied all the files on the hard disk
    to a 5.25" floppy. (just in case I deleted something I shouldn't
    have) I then checked what was on the floppy.  I deleted everything
    from the hard disk.
    
    However, I did have one problem in that the hard disk had no name
    and there was all the DBASE IV information in a file.  For some
    reason I could not delete it using del name.exe, so I did a FORMAT.
    
    The result was that the hard disk deleted the offending file and
    I was also given the opportunity to name the disk.  To keep things
    simple I called it HARD DISK
    
    I have now copied the MS-DOS files onto the hard disk, so I don't
    need to keep using the 5.25 floppy.
    
    After getting all the files deleted, I decided to work my way through
    the MS-DOS Manual.  What a great system MS-DOS is.  I think I could
    really get to like it.
    
    As they say PRACTICE makes PERFECT and I'm gonna get there!!!
    
    Thanks for your help
    
    <cw>
    
     

>   After getting all the files deleted, I decided to work my way through
>   the MS-DOS Manual.  What a great system MS-DOS is.  I think I could
>   really get to like it.


	AAAaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    

    
     

    
    Re: .9, .10
    
    Sorry Collette, but I have to follow Alan on this one:
    
    AAAAARRRRRRGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
    
    MS-DOS is not the favourite topic of this conference...
    
    <CB>
                                                          

    MS-DOS is not so good after all, the manuals make it sound like
    the be all and end all of everything.
    
    Do you think it is even worth having the MS-DOS stuff on the hard
    disk?
    
    
    Another thing you might be able to help me with is:
    
    The manual says that you can partition the hard disk for both Amiga
    and MS-DOS.  I don't think that the Amiga partition has been done
    because when I do FDISK the machine tells me the MS-DOS partition
    is already there.
    
    As the hard disk is a 20mb disk, when I do the FDISK operation the
     screen comes up with:
    
    Partition  Status  Type  Start  End  Size
        1         A    DOS       0  614  613
    
    Fixed disk already has a DOS partition
    
            
    The AmigaDOS (ADISK) command also shows the same number for End
    and Size
    
    Questions
    ---------
    
    1.  How can I make sure that the AmgiaDOS partition is set up.
    2.  If it is not set up how do I do it?
    3.  I have KindWords and the book recommends I create a drawer on
        the Hard Disk, then drag the various items on the KindWords
        disk to the Kindwords drawer on the hard disk.  How do I create
    the drawer on the hard disk and get the Amiga to recognise it.
    
    
    Sorry I appear so thick, but my husband bought the Amiga with the
    Harddisk, Bridgeboard and 5.25" floppy drive already installed.
    The WorkBench disk (V2.0) was also supply and we have not modified
    it at all.
    
    As all these questions must appear very trivial to the veterans,
    could you suggest some information I should read up on as I feel
    that I must be asking too simple questions to be real.
    
    I already have the following books (supplied with the Amiga machine
    when my husband bought it)
    
    PC-MSDOS
    PC-AMIGA BASIC
    AMIGA 2000
    AMIGA DOS Inside and Out
    
    

    
    Re: -1
    
    First off, I'm no Bridgeboard specialist (but I play one on the
    Net(s) :-) ).
    Since your husband hopefully knew what he did when he bought the
    Bridgeboard, I assume he wanted or needed MS-DOS compatibility.
    So it would be nice idea to leave 5 to 10 MB of that HD for MS-DOS.
    
    There should be a book about the Bridgeboard, too!! Or at least
    a chapter in one of the other books.
    This documentation clearly explains how to set up and partitionate
    a MS-DOS HD for both the Bridgeboard and the Amiga.
    
    The creation of drawers and the handling of Workbench is explained
    in the Amiga 2000 book. The process is really simple, just drag
    the "Empty" drawer from your Workbench disk and place it on your
    Amiga partition of the HD. Voila, now you just have to duplicate
    it and rename the copy to your needs. The though part is to get
    the Amiga partition set up and formatted (see above).
    
    BTW, the current release of the Amiga OS is 1.3.
    The V2.0 must be on another disk or mean something else...
    
    Regards,
    <CB>
    

    Thanks for the help.  
    
    I telephone the shop where my husband bought the machine and the
    resident "Amiga Specialist" is going to re-partition the hard disk
    and then explain to me what I should and should not do.
    
    Sorry about the WorkBench error, the version is 1.2
    I am also going to speak to the Amiga man about getting the 1.3
    version.
    
    Thanks for your help.  I expect I'll look back (in time) and re-read
    this note and think "what a wally I was!"
    

    Well I'm up and running again.
    
    The dealer put the machine right, apparently the hard disk had never
    had been formatted for Amiga-DOS.
    
    Well now everything is going well.
    
    Thanks for everything.