[Coco] using /ddr0 as default (not boot) drive

[Vanderberg Family]

-----Original Message-----
>From: Robert Gault <robert.gault at att.net>
>Sent: Jun 24, 2011 4:53 AM
>To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts <coco at maltedmedia.com>
>Subject: Re: [Coco] using /ddr0 as default (not boot) drive
>
>Boisy G. Pitre wrote:
>> Ed,
>>
>> I am going through the steps in my mind on how to try this here on my 512K CoCo 3.  Here are the steps:
>>
>> 1. Create a bootable disk with r0 and rammer in the bootfile
>> 2. Boot into that disk, then type the following commands:
>> 	- iniz /r0
>> 	- format /r0
>> 	- makdir /r0/CMDS
>>          - copy sysgo -w=/r0
>>          - copy CMDS/shell -w=/r0/CMDS
>>          - copy CMDS/grftdrv -w=/r0/CMDS
>>
>> 3. Use DED and modify the bootfile on the floppy disk to rename the existing DD descriptor to DX, and rename R0 to be DD
>> 4. Hit the reset button.
>>
>> Are your steps similar?
>> --
>> Boisy G. Pitre
>> http://www.tee-boy.com/
>
>Boisy,
>
>That would work the first time and as long as the power was not turned off. Then 
>the floppy would be unusable for booting as /dd would be /r0 which had not yet 
>been stocked.
>
>Ed's main question is why the Help and Error functions don't work from the RAM disk.
>The source code for Help has
>helpfile fcc    "/DD/SYS/helpmsg"
>That means each time the reset button is pushed, Error and Help get redirected 
>to /d0.
>
>Ed should create a new Help file by using dEd to change the program to
>/R0/SYS/helpmsg . Then a Reset and a chd /r0; chx /r0/cmds would keep Help 
>working from the RAM disk as long as the stock Help was not loaded into memory 
>by the re-Boot process. Error could be treated in the same fashion.
>
>So when stocking /R0, the new Error and Help commands pointing to /R0 should be 
>placed in /R0/CMDS and the stock commands left in /D0/CMDS.
>

And after doing the above ( and also to P3 module to get extended error msg) everything is working like a dream.
>From cold boot, if I do not enable the ram drive, everything works normally from /d0.  If I format /r0 and backup the /d1 pre-built image to /r0 and chx/r0/cmds & chd /r0 then I can leave /d0 in the drive or remove it.  System doen't care.  Everything works perfectly from /r0.  Even extended error messages.  And the response is just as you would expect from ram and of course totally silent.
>From warm boot all works exactly the same except I can skip the format & backup.

In either case, if I use /d0/cmds, it looks in /d0/sys and doesn't care if I even use a ram disk (thank you Mr. Gault for pointing out the desirability of stock help & error on /d0 and modded versions on /r0).  If I use /r0/cmds, it looks in /r0/sys just as Robert, Boisy and Gene envisioned and doesn't care if there is a /d0. So I can have my cake and eat it too, and still have it on reboot. 
The only downside I see so far would be the need to modify help, error and krnP3_err when a new version of NitrOS9 comes out and that is no downside at all!  Two minutes work (the problem will be my memory, not the solution <grin>).

Now the only thing is to spend time on it and make sure that my mods don't cause something else to choke.

I thank you all again for your interest and tips and recommend you try it if you are floppy based and have 512k.
Ed


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