TT, Thunder, Storm, Lightning and Nova

[DoG]

Bootorder is ...

1. emulator.prg
2. menu.prg
3. sta_vdi.prg

and the two BIB files.

Use autosort.prg (found elsewhere) to get the right boot order.

[mikro]

For a first Test make a new AUTO Folder with only the Emulator Program, the Menu Program and the STA_VDI Program and the two BIB Files in it.

I'd even extend this test and test each setup separately. I.e. first just EMULATOR.PRG, then EMULATOR+MENU.PRG and then all three of them. Maybe one of them is crashing. I had a similar issue back then: https://www.atari-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=34600 and it was caused by a bad SIMM.

[SpacedCowboy]

Ok, mega-response to all this very-much appreciated help

The only thing I can think of is perhaps your boot order isn't correct for the drivers. The addition of the lightning usb should have no effect on the nova drivers at all. I use patched thunder/storm 3.06 on my TT (the roms that came with my set) with a mach64.

I don't think so, I'm being very careful to re-create the folder, then copy in the programs in the order EMULATOR, MENU_E,STA_VDI (along with the associated .BIB, .INF, etc.)
[/quote]

Just to clarify: your mach64 was working fine before all the upgrades? Did you change the hard disk or boot order?

Yep.

Has you try boot from Floppy Drive A:\ ...?

Make yourself a Bootfloppy with only the Nova driver on it in a AUTO Folder.

I just tried that, going so far as to remove the CF card from the Thunder, and it booted off floppy with the same results as above (EmuTOS boot screen, bordered-white-screen, white-screen on both screens)

This is all with the latest version of the drivers (17.11.2021). I was originally (before installing Lightning) the 29.10.2018, and if I boot without any auto folder programs, then go to the Nova folder on my HD (where the ones I was originally using are stored), I can

• Run EMULATOR.PRG - this turns the screen display to mono and returns
• Run MENU.PRG (not MENU_E.PRG in this distribution) which runs and lets me select the output to (b) Nova without GDOS. It then complains that there's no STA_VDI and tells me it's going to output to the Atari.
• Run STA_VDI.PRG, which crashes

Screen Shot 2023-12-07 at 9.39.59 AM.png (962.9 KiB) Viewed 3003 times

Looks like this STA_VDI.PRG is actually from the even-older version (2016 is the first on the site).

If I just take those original drivers and place them in the correct order, alone in the AUTO folder I get the announcement screen (Mach64/TT/L by Idek 29th Dec 2017), then the Atari screen turns into the below, and the external-card monitor never gets out of sleep.

Screen Shot 2023-12-07 at 9.46.37 AM.png (1.22 MiB) Viewed 3003 times

If you look closely you can see some garbage at the top, which looks to me like text being interpreted in the wrong video format.


... and after all that, I went back to Frank's question...

The Nova Adapter is the right one with the OGFA GAL.

Why you try a Snapshot EmuTOS Version? Try EmuTOS 1.2.1 ...

Work it all with Atari TT TOS 3.06?

I have in my Atari TT Thunder IDE + StormTT with 256MB + 10MB ST Ram + LightningVME + original Atari TOS 3.06 + HDDriver + Nova and no problems at all.

And tried to boot into 3.06 (I don't really have this set up because it doesn't see the hard drives for some reason) but having the boot floppy in place meant it ran all the (new, updated) drivers and we got the bordered-white-screen on the built-in VGA and the below on the Nova card...

Screen Shot 2023-12-07 at 9.56.08 AM.png (3.13 MiB) Viewed 3003 times

So it was EmuTOS that was causing issues. Presumably I just have to install HDDRIVER on the C: partition on the CF card and it'll boot from the HD as it used to.

So thanks all - looks like the solution is found

[frank.lukas]

For a first Test make a new AUTO Folder with only the Emulator Program, the Menu Program and the STA_VDI Program and the two BIB Files in it.

I'd even extend this test and test each setup separately. I.e. first just EMULATOR.PRG, then EMULATOR+MENU.PRG and then all three of them. Maybe one of them is crashing. I had a similar issue back then: https://www.atari-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=34600 and it was caused by a bad SIMM.

Run YAART and check your TT Fastram ...

https://www.chzsoft.de/site/hardware/di ... ware-yaart

[czietz]

So it was EmuTOS that was causing issues.

See further up in the thread:

I can confirm: Thunder + Storm + Lightning + Nova + Mach64 (even with 4 MB) + EmuTOS works OK.

This also matches my personal experience.

[SpacedCowboy]

As pointed out by Frank (news to me, because this is the first time I've used it) I'm actually running a snapshot of EmuTOS, not a release. It's the one that the Thunder/Storm/Lightning folks put in there, but I'll find YARRT and run it and see if the RAM is good. I'll be a little annoyed if it's not because it's too late to return it, but que sera, sera...

Just to be clear, @czietz - I ought to use YARRTTT from version 2.31, right ?

[edit] Aaaand that didn't take long. It passed the first test (own address), but is failing "moving inversions" a *lot*.

[frank.lukas]

STA_VDI.PRG loading into the Fastram and use it ...

[SpacedCowboy]

I am reminded of a comedy sketch with a student-doctor doing the rounds, and the resident advising the student "the patient can have as many things wrong with him as he damn well pleases"...

The state of play now is:

- I removed the faulty SIMM, and ran YAARTTT for an hour or so, it did several passes), no errors. The machine still has 128MB or RAM, which is ... quite a lot
- I can boot into TOS 3.06 from the Thunder card, but cannot get the hard drives to detect, even with a fresh "Install" from HDDRVUTL. If I do this, and put EMULATOR, MENU_E, STA_VDI into A:/AUTO, then I get my desktop as shown above.
- I can boot into EmuTos, see all the hard drives, have the exact same programs in C:\AUTO, in the correct order, and it doesn't make it to the desktop on the Nova card monitor (the built-in VGA monitor does go white, so it's running something)

Something something, cake, something eat it.

[frank.lukas]

You need a spezial patched TOS 3.06 from the Thunder Team to boot from the IDE device ...!

I use a SCSI drive to boot and sorted the HDDriver so I can boot first from my IDE device.

You can boot HDDriver from Floppy and sorted it so the IDE device is first ...

[mikro]

[edit] Aaaand that didn't take long. It passed the first test (own address), but is failing "moving inversions" a *lot*.

Ha! So (unfortunately) my hunch from previous personal experience was right.

Is there any difference if you boot EmuTOS as .PRG vs. in Flash ROM?