[Coco] partial OS9 boot from hard drive (back on topic)

Sun Aug 28 20:54:07 EDT 2005

At 8/28/2005 06:44 PM, you wrote:

That is correct. I have created scripts that are custom to Cloud-9's 
hardware for the NitrOS-9 boot. Most people look at the scripts and 
learn quickly or don't look at all and just run them. I have never 
had e a script not create a bootable disk...after I'm done create it that is.

Mark

>Calm down Vern, Mark did not mean what you think he meant. There is 
>a steep learning curve with OS-9 and sometimes it is worth paying 
>for a service rather than trying to do it yourself.
>
>The NitrOS-9 Level 2 boot process is described at
>http://nitros9.org/boot_process.html
>
>Vern Burke wrote:
>>Well, heaven knows I don't want to put anyone out by asking for 
>>help getting this to work, nor was I expecting free paid type 
>>support. I'm simply asking for someone who has done this before or 
>>knows more detail about the OS-9 boot process to either give me a 
>>brief rundown on the steps in the boot process so I can understand 
>>where this is going wrong or suggestions as to what it could be 
>>trying to load that I'm not aware of that would cause the machine to crash.
>>Anyone who doesn't want to answer, feel free to ignore me, everyone 
>>else  who has replied with suggestions, I'm grateful.
>>Vern
>>
>>Mark Marlette wrote:
>>
>>>Vern,
>>>
>>>The files work. The details of getting a distribution setup. I do 
>>>it all the time and it can cause some problems in the process and 
>>>the tool kit required is a good one. My life on the coco is it. 
>>>That is why I offer the free installation on the drive. I have 
>>>spent more time on these two Email's than it takes to do the 
>>>complete installation of the distribution. I don't have the time 
>>>to support a free OS. The SuperBoard will require the same drivers 
>>>for the SCSI/IDE.
>>>
>>>Mark
>>>
>>>
>>>At 8/27/2005 09:00 PM, you wrote:
>>>
>>>>Mark:
>>>>    It was just the controller (since I have/had a ton of SCSI 
>>>> hard drives hanging around on the shelf). Unfortunately, the 
>>>> recent disintegration of my business under extreme pressure and 
>>>> the loss of almost everything I've worked for for the last 12 
>>>> years leaves me with no discretionary funds at the moment.
>>>>    I don't believe this is anything that hasn't been done 
>>>> before, but 99% of the question answer volume has been "buy 
>>>> something else", so I'll probably just end up re-shelving things.
>>>>    Regarding NitrOS-9, I was finally able to tease what appeared 
>>>> to be a good disk from the dsk file (now that I understand which 
>>>> distribution file is supposed to be what)(disk and files all 
>>>> readable from stock OS9)
>>>>however it totally refuses to boot (after DOS command, simply 
>>>>drops back to OK). The machine runs stock OS9 fine, has a 63C09E, 
>>>>and completely fails to run NitrOS9 (but runs the old Gale Force 
>>>>version I've still got hanging around on floppy).
>>>>    Maybe I'll bother pulling it back out when the SuperBoard 
>>>> comes around (yes, I've got an outstanding deposit on a 
>>>> SuperBoard from quite some time back).
>>>>
>>>>Vern
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Mark Marlette wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>At 8/27/2005 08:50 AM, Vern Burke wrote:
>>>>>Vern,
>>>>>Don't recall if you bought a SCSI system or just the controller. 
>>>>>The TCC512 is no longer supported because it is replaced with SuperDriver.
>>>>>If you bought a drive from me then it has a nitros9 directory in 
>>>>>the root with the version you are running below it. Inside of 
>>>>>that directory is a script and bootlist directory that builds 
>>>>>the boot disks for you. If you didn't then you are probably 
>>>>>finding out that $25 isn't to bad for a drive and a free installation. :)
>>>>>If you have HDB-DOS then you will be able to boot directly from 
>>>>>the hard drive at powerup.
>>>>>Get to the current version of NitrOS-9,SuperDriver and HDB-DOS 
>>>>>and you will have no problems. If not enjoy the challenge.
>>>>>Regards,
>>>>>Mark
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>OS is OS9 L2, the SCSI controller is a TCCC/Cloud 9 unit. The 
>>>>>>driver is TCC512 and, yes, the working floppy boot contains the 
>>>>>>driver and /h0 description for the hard drive. I sometimes wish 
>>>>>>for the old days of my CoCo XT and the XT ROM.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>At the time I got mine, and as far as I know still, there is no 
>>>>>>provision to boot this combination without use of a floppy, or 
>>>>>>to load the boot track or os9boot from the hard drive.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I certainly can just make the /dd descriptor the hard drive 
>>>>>>descriptor, the problem is that the boot will not finish with 
>>>>>>/dd set as working directory and /dd/cmds set as execution. The 
>>>>>>boot finshes up /d0 and /d0/cmds and it's a pain in the butt 
>>>>>>because I have to do a manual chd/chx to the hard drive.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Vern
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Robert Gault wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Vern Burke wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Ok, we're straying way the heck off track here :). Lemme lay 
>>>>>>>>this out again:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>What I have to work with:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>A working hard drive and SCSI controller with no support for 
>>>>>>>>booting directly from the hard drive.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Why no support? What SCSI controller and OS? Do you just mean 
>>>>>>>that you don't know how to set up OS-9 to boot from the hard 
>>>>>>>drive or that your SCSI OS can't boot from the hard drive?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>A working OS9 boot floppy with /dd and /d0 as the floppy and 
>>>>>>>>/h0 as the hard drive.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Does this working floppy contain a hard disk driver (hdisk) in 
>>>>>>>the os9boot file?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>All the standard disk manipulation tools (ezgen/etc, ded)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>The goal:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Boot from floppy and finish with the hard drive as /dd, the 
>>>>>>>>working directory set to /dd, and the execution directory set to /dd/cmds.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Just change /dd so that it is the hard drive. There should be 
>>>>>>>substitute /dd modules on the NitrOS-9 80T disk or 40T disk 2 for this purpose.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>I will not/can not:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Rewrite BOOT or any other module (I can patch where required, 
>>>>>>>>not a programmer).
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Buy an RS-BASIC replacement.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Meaning what? Again, what disk OS is in use with your hard drive system?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>How do I get there from here? :)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Vern
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
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>>>>>>http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
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