[comp.sys.atari.st] Waiting for HD to boot

jeroen@phil.ruu.nl (Jeroen Scheerder) (07/07/90)

Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
In-Reply-To: <1990Jul6.030726.24719@wolves.uucp>
Cc: 

	I have both a software and a hardware answer to your question.
I bought (yes, hard cash flowin') a pcb and some electronics that,
basically, on power-up is holds the ST's reset button signal HIGH (or
low, wichever is applicable) for a configurable amount of time.
The ST will then boot after the installed time.
The software solution (the reason why I never got to building in my
PCB board) is a program I've written that waits for a certain amount
of time and then resets the ST. Since a floppy must be present in drive
A: at boot time anyway (that is, unless you're patient enough to wait for
the drive to time-out) it is no problem to have to have an AUTO folder
containing this program present on floppy at boot time.
If you insist on having it the hardware way, mail me and we'll arrange
for you an instruction how to build it (I have to draw the darn thing in
that case).
If you forget about the hardware stuff you can send a request for the
software way.
I might even consider posting it to comp.binaries.atari.st.

bill@mwca.UUCP (Bill Sheppard) (07/09/90)

Berkeley MicroSystems has a boot sector on their diskette which keeps trying
the hard disk until it's ready - no reboots, and it boots immediately upon
the hard disk being up to speed. Shouldn't be too hard for any of you other
Wiz's to do the same thing...
-- 
################################################################################
#  Bill Sheppard                   #   OS-9: Seven generations beyond __/_!!   #
#  Microware Systems Corporation   #   OS-9000: 4500 times better than...      #
#######Opinions expressed are my own, though you'd be wise to adopt them!#######

kloppen@gmdzi.UUCP (Jelske Kloppenburg) (07/13/90)

bill@mwca.UUCP (Bill Sheppard) writes:


>Berkeley MicroSystems has a boot sector on their diskette which keeps trying
>the hard disk until it's ready - no reboots, and it boots immediately upon
>the hard disk being up to speed. Shouldn't be too hard for any of you other
>Wiz's to do the same thing...

Yes, I have made such a boot sector for my st.
But consider the following: not all hard disks spin up when disturbed
with 'test unit ready'. There are even different SH204's!
With those sensible hard disks duck31 or coldstart.acc and such things
dont work either.
Regards
j.k. (Jelske Kloppenburg / GMD)
     kloppen@gmdzi.UUCP

jeroen@pluto.phil.ruu.nl (Jeroen Scheerder) (07/16/90)

In article <3085@gmdzi.UUCP>, kloppen@gmdzi.UUCP (Jelske Kloppenburg) writes:
|>bill@mwca.UUCP (Bill Sheppard) writes:
|>
|>
|>>Berkeley MicroSystems has a boot sector on their diskette which keeps trying
|>>the hard disk until it's ready - no reboots, and it boots immediately upon
|>>the hard disk being up to speed. Shouldn't be too hard for any of you other
|>>Wiz's to do the same thing...
|>
|>Yes, I have made such a boot sector for my st.
|>But consider the following: not all hard disks spin up when disturbed
|>with 'test unit ready'. There are even different SH204's!
|>With those sensible hard disks duck31 or coldstart.acc and such things
|>dont work either.
|>Regards
|>j.k. (Jelske Kloppenburg / GMD)
|>     kloppen@gmdzi.UUCP
                

It *WOULD* be nice if you'd put this boot sector in comp.binaries.atari.st,
so the Atari community would greatly benefit from it. Speaking for myself,
I would be happy to use it - and I suspect many others would too.

I'd write the darn thing myself, if only I knew how to poll a HD on readiness.
Does anyone out there want to tell me all about that? Thanx.

	"Talking about Math can almost be as satisfying as the real thing,
	 and not half so risky."
				cf. 'The Bluffer's Guide to Bluffing'