Enterprise Forever

:UK => Hardware => Topic started by: John Fante on 2018.August.03. 19:54:34

Title: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: John Fante on 2018.August.03. 19:54:34
I am using HxC manager but have something I think is a problem but that maybe a "feature" :-)

When I boot up HxC manager the program only displays one of the directories and there is a lot of garble:

HXC-boot (https://www.dropbox.com/s/nosvmrb6andm6zn/HXC-boot.jpg?dl=0)

Then I go down in the directory and up again and not it shows the root content as it should:

HXC-Root (https://www.dropbox.com/s/1q72cpsc7anb2v5/HXC-Root.jpg?dl=0)

The HxC works and mounts disks fine on both a: and b:

I have compared my HXCSDFE.CFG (https://www.dropbox.com/s/c19rtnzo19z1oad/HXCSDFE.CFG?dl=0) file (taken from the firmware as it advises to) to others here on the forum and can not see any difference.

I have followed advice from this thread regarding pins on the HxC. I am using a twisted cable.

I am running the latest beta firmware.

Is this how it should be? :-)
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: Zozosoft on 2018.August.03. 19:59:21
Is possible my bugs :oops:
Can you make a VHD of your SDCARD?
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: John Fante on 2018.August.04. 08:54:25
Is possible my bugs :oops:
Can you make a VHD of your SDCARD?

Thank you for looking into it :-)

Here my SD card is attached as a .img (https://www.dropbox.com/s/qmqsm617qlwcsh6/EP-SD.rar?dl=0) and here as .vhd (https://www.dropbox.com/s/8p866u72a7fqt3y/EP-backup.rar?dl=0).

Both created on Windows 7.
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: John Fante on 2018.August.05. 12:31:59
Is possible my bugs :oops:
Can you make a VHD of your SDCARD?

Things are beginning to get a bit strange up here ... :-)

Yesterday - after I posted the dumps of the SD-card - HxC manager suddenly started to not be able to mount disks (I had been able to do that without a problem for the last couple of days). Or to be more precise: In HxC Manager it looks like it is mounting the disks fine but when I pres F1 (or STOP for that matter) and go back to basic the computer says that the disk is not ready.

I have made a short film here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/g6njbxmbq9yyvod/HxC%20mount%20error.MOV?dl=0).

When I use the display and bottoms on the HxC the disks are mounted without any problem.

I have tried formatting the card again and also tried another card. Same situation.

Furthermore I am not sure if this is related to the new 256K ROM that you where so kind to make so that Pear could burn it.

The reason is that Exdos is not loaded when I start the machine. I can not :dir or :exdos. I have to load HxC manger or EPdos to get Exdos. Is this normal?

Sorry for asking all of theese questions but this error is rather strange.
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: gflorez on 2018.August.05. 17:02:58
Clean the Edge connector with a contact cleaner spray. Probably it is a false contact.

It also aids releasing and pluging the card several times.

Observe the pins alignement.

Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: Zozosoft on 2018.August.05. 17:58:09
I will try to build same config and look what will happening...
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: John Fante on 2018.August.05. 18:33:22
Clean the Edge connector with a contact cleaner spray. Probably it is a false contact.

It also aids releasing and pluging the card several times.

Observe the pins alignement.


I have cleaned the edge connector on the computer (it was a bit dirty) and taken the controller card in and out several times. Also checked that all the IC's are firmly in socketed and replaced the floppy cable. No change. But thank you for the suggestion :-)

I will try to build same config and look what will happening...

Thank you :-)!

It seems like the LBA connection is lost when I pres F1 or STOP so the computer does not know that there is a disk mounted. At least the LCD screen on the HxC changes from LBA to the normal directory listing when the computer reboots. Can not recall if it is sopposed to do that but I do not think it is.

On the positive side it seems like the problem with the garbled boot screen is gone .... :-)

Here is a short video (https://www.dropbox.com/s/qmuds5exfqlkhz0/LBA%20connection%20lost.MOV?dl=0) that demonstrates.
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: Zozosoft on 2018.August.05. 18:39:12
It seems like the LBA connection is lost when I pres F1 or STOP so the computer does not know that there is a disk mounted. At least the LCD screen on the HxC changes from LBA to the normal directory listing when the computer reboots. Can not recall if it is sopposed to do that but I do not think it is.
It is normal, you see the LBA only during the HxC Manager running. When using need to see the mounted disk name...
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: John Fante on 2018.August.05. 19:15:03
It is normal, you see the LBA only during the HxC Manager running. When using need to see the mounted disk name...

Ok :-)

One question less .... :-)
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: Zozosoft on 2018.August.06. 08:45:09
Can you also make images of the current SD card?
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: John Fante on 2018.August.06. 09:36:09
Can you also make images of the current SD card?

Will do that tonight :-)
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: John Fante on 2018.August.06. 18:29:50
Can you also make images of the current SD card?

Here is my present SD-card as an .img (https://www.dropbox.com/s/50vnudwgrx8i75k/EP-SD-2.rar?dl=0) file. Takes up a bit under 80MB.

Thank you very much for all you help :smt041
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: Zozosoft on 2018.August.07. 08:26:16
I can reproduce problems...

The selected image not mounted, then the A: will be empty, this is why Not ready error. Need to mount image manually on HxC.

...debugging :oops:
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: Zozosoft on 2018.August.07. 13:20:00
Until I find what wrong with your images...
Can you try my image (http://enterprise.iko.hu/2GB_SDCARD.zip)?
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: John Fante on 2018.August.07. 14:48:35
Until I find what wrong with your images...
Can you try my image (http://enterprise.iko.hu/2GB_SDCARD.zip)?

I will give it a go tonight and report back. Thank you!!

Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: John Fante on 2018.August.07. 18:45:44
Until I find what wrong with your images...
Can you try my image (http://enterprise.iko.hu/2GB_SDCARD.zip)?

I have tried your SD card and it works. HxC can mount disks fine and they are mounted in basic when I pres F1 :lol: Same SD card etc.

I then copied the image I sent you yesterday back to the SD card and replaced my HXCSDFE.CFG with the one from your card and now everything works. Apparently there is something different between the two. But what it is ....
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: Zozosoft on 2018.August.07. 20:29:26
Great news! :ds_icon_cheesygrin:
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: Zozosoft on 2018.August.08. 14:24:12
Solved! :ds_icon_cheesygrin:

At the HxC Floppy emulator settings remove the "enable auto boot mode" setting.
If it is enable then it is switch to Slot mode, and don't use the selected filenames which saved to the CFG file. And it is forgot the last mounted file when exit from direct mode or power off/on, or remove/insert SD Card.

This setting stored at 0x0016 byte in the CFG file, 00 normal mode, 01 slot mode.
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: John Fante on 2018.August.08. 16:47:21
Solved! :ds_icon_cheesygrin:

At the HxC Floppy emulator settings remove the "enable auto boot mode" setting.
If it is enable then it is switch to Slot mode, and don't use the selected filenames which saved to the CFG file. And it is forgot the last mounted file when exit from direct mode or power off/on, or remove/insert SD Card.

This setting stored at 0x0016 byte in the CFG file, 00 normal mode, 01 slot mode.

Cool :ds_icon_cheesygrin: Way to go!!

A bit strange/surprising, thou: If you look at the Emulator Manager programs for Amstrad, Amiga, ST (https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_drive_emulator/SDCard_HxC_Floppy_Emulator_Manager.zip) then they all have "Enable auto boot mode" checked.

But thank you none the less for solving it :smt041
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: John Fante on 2018.September.30. 20:18:38
A little extra info to this. Maybe others can confirm?

I think that the latest version of the HxC floppy emulator software (2.1.11.1) makes changes in/corrupts the CFG-file in a way that causes this problem.

If I make a change in the CFG file via the floppy emulator software (for instance tell it to forget the last loaded floppy between boots) to the CFG-file from ZoZo that works then HXC manager stops beeing able to mount disk. The problem persists if I revert the change so the file should be exactly the same.

If I replace the CFG file with the one from ZoZo that works then everything works again - even thou the settings are exactly the same in the HxC emulator software.

Can anybody else confirms this? If so I will make a bug report to the HxC guys. :-)
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: John Fante on 2018.October.21. 07:18:42
I reported this as a bug in the Floppy Selector Software (that creates the cfg-files) at the HxC forum but they do not thing it is related to the Selector software.

Instead they asked a question regarding the HxC-manager program that maybe @ZoZo can answer?

Quote
"Anyway i also see that the cfg files are not in "autoboot" mode ? Is it something normal with this selector software ? The HxC selectors use the slot/autoboot mode to program the images selections."

The original discussion is here:

http://torlus.com/floppy/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3454&p=19152#p19152
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: Zozosoft on 2018.October.21. 11:06:35
Yes, it is no autoboot mode selected.
As I wrote it previously :-) (https://enterpriseforever.com/hardware/hxc-manager-garbled-boot-screen-do-i-have-the-right-hxcsdfe-cfg/msg71938/#msg71938)
Title: Re: HxC manager - garbled boot screen - do I have the right HXCSDFE.CFG
Post by: John Fante on 2018.October.22. 08:36:04
Yes, it is no autoboot mode selected.
As I wrote it previously :-) (https://enterpriseforever.com/hardware/hxc-manager-garbled-boot-screen-do-i-have-the-right-hxcsdfe-cfg/msg71938/#msg71938)

Thank you :-)