ICD PRO
Resources
- Step by step guide to installing ICD Pro.
- Download the latest ICD Pro.
Readme of ICD Pro
ICD AdSCSI ST host adapter software update
------------------------------------------
IMPORTANT: READ THE "WHATS.NEW" FILE!!!
This file documents the ICD AdSCSI ST host adapter software.
These utilities are packaged with all ICD ST Hard Drive Systems
and ICD ST host adapters and WILL ONLY WORK WITH AN ICD HOST
ADAPTER in your system (except the PRO level, which will work
with or without an ICD host adapter). They are all Copyright
1987-1994 by ICD,Inc.
Companies using this software with their products must include an
ICD ST host adapter as part of that product, or have licensed the
PRO level of ICD software, or they will be in violation of United
States and/or International Copyright Laws!
If you have any questions:
ICD, Inc.
1220 Rock Street
Rockford, IL 61101-1437
Voice: (815) 968-2228
BBS: (815) 968-2229
FAX: (815) 968-6888
The ICD BBS always has the latest revisions of the ICD ST host
adapter software (regular version only), as well as various
handy utilities, etc., all yours for the downloading. Our BBS
has a US Robotics 9600 baud HST modem and is usually up 24 hours
a day. Support and updated files are also available on GEnie
(ICD or M1220) and CompuServe (76004,1600).
Suggestion: make a printed copy of this file for future
reference.
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
MANUAL UPGRADES:
This documentation only includes changes made to the ICD AdSCSI
ST host adapter software since the latest manual was printed.
The latest manual has the number 36-90 in the lower-right corner
of the back cover. If you would like to receive the latest
manual, send $15 to ICD. Funds MUST be in US dollars drawn on a
US bank.
SOFTWARE UPGRADES:
There are 3 levels of ICD ST software now in distribution
(effective with version 6.0.0 and later of ICDBOOT):
(1) The PRO level, which installs on all ST, TT, and Falcon
computers regardless of whether an ICD host adapter is
found. The PRO level supports Floptical¾ drives. This
level is available ONLY for purchase. To obtain updates,
original disk must be returned to ICD with a $15 fee.
Funds MUST be in US dollars drawn on a US bank. The
PRO level software is NOT AVAILABLE as an upgrade to any
other level of ICD software.
(2) The LINK level, which supports Floptical¾ drives. This
level is shipped only with the Link host adapter. To
obtain updates, original disk must be returned to ICD with
a $15 fee. Funds MUST be in US dollars drawn on a US bank.
(3) The regular level. Floptical¾ drives are not supported.
Updates are available from ICD on disk for $15 (original disk
not required), or are downloadable on the ICD BBS, GEnie,
or CompuServe. Funds MUST be in US dollars drawn on a US
bank.
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
Changes to the ICD AdSCSI ST host adapter software since the
latest manual was printed:
- 3 levels of ICD software are now in distribution. These are:
PRO, LINK, and STHA (or regular) levels. See notes on ICDBOOT
below.
- The PRO and LINK levels of ICD software support Floptical¾ drives.
- CHANGE IN FLOPTICAL¾ DRIVE SUPPORT: (Link and Pro level only)
Previous versions of ICDFMT and ICDBOOT only allowed you to
set up the 21 Mb diskettes according to the Insite Peripherals
standard for information exchange between different computer
systems. These disks would not auto-boot and were not useable
under TOS 1.0 - 1.2. Because of popular demand, you are now
given the choice in ICDFMT and INSTALL to set up the 21Mb
diskettes either with the Standard (Insite Peripherals) or Atari
format. If you choose Atari format, the diskettes are useable
with all TOS versions. They can also be made to auto-boot if
the the drive is the lowest ID in the system.
- A new hard disk installation program is included. INSTALL.PRG is
intended for the user who is totally unfamiliar with hard disks
and wants an easy installation. The program will automatically
format the disk if necessary. It will verify sectors, partition
the disk, sets up the auto-boot, and create a DESKTOP.INF file
and AUTO folder on partition C. There are no user-selectable
parameters. Several warnings are given allowing the user to quit.
After that, all data on the disk is destroyed.
This program is also ideal for dealers to set up hard disks for
their customers. If more than one hard disk is connected, the user
must choose which one to install. After that, this disk is set
up AS IF it is the only disk in the system. In other words, the
installed disk may then be taken to another system and plugged in.
It will auto-boot and show a desktop with the correct icons for
the number of partitions on the disk.
- ICDFMT now optionally allows 100% Atari AHDI compatibility.
See notes on ICDFMT for this and other changes.
- You do not always need to run HDUTIL to install a new ICDBOOT
on your hard drive. If the drive is already set up to auto-boot
all you need to do is to copy ICDBOOT.PRG to the root or main
directory of drive C:, rename your old ICDBOOT.SYS (to .SYX) or
trash it, then rename ICDBOOT.PRG to ICDBOOT.SYS and reboot.
- All programs have been tested and modified as necessary to
present a proper display in the Atari TT and Falcon graphics
modes. Be advised, though, that any programs which didn't
work in the ST's low-resolution also will not work in TT
low-res (256 color mode) or Falcon 40-column modes.
- Several minor bugs have been fixed. Because of this, it is
advisable that you always use the latest version of the ICD
AdSCSI ST host adapter software. Updates to all programs
(except the PRO and LINK levels of ICDBOOT) are available on
the ICD BBS, GEnie, or CompuServe.
- STacy users, using ICD PRO software and ICDFMT, see special
note below about determining drive size.
- New user options on configuring ICDBOOT: (a) you can set a
variable delay in the flush of the write cache, up to 30
seconds. (b) you can skip logical drives at bootup. (c)
you can set the software to do "retries" in case of command
phase timeouts.
- In keeping with the variable write delay, FLUSH.PRG, which
flushes the write cache to disk, is included.
- STARTHD.PRG and RELOG.PRG are included for those who have
hard disks that do not spin up automatically.
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
Changes to files on the distribution diskette:
ADSCSI.CPX
This is an extension for Atari's Extensible Control Panel
(XCONTROL). See the file ADSCSI.TXT for additional
information.
BOOTFIX.TOS
This has been updated to support drives attached to the TT
SCSI port as well as the ACSI\DMA port.
This version also disables Parity checking on Quantum ELS
series 3 1/2" hard drives. Of course, to do this, the drive
must be connected to an AdSCSI or Advantage series host adapter.
CACHEHIT.TOS
This program displays the effectiveness of the caches. It
displays the percentage of reads which were satisfied by
the cache, and the percentage of writes which updated
entries already in the cache. This can be used to
determine what cache settings are the most efficient for
your system.
It's important to note that this only gives statistics for
the cache buffers, and not the TOS buffers. The TOS
buffers are maintained by the operating system and can't be
checked. The ICD AdSCSI ST host adapter manual explains
the TOS buffers in more detail.
CACHEOFF.PRG
CACHEON.PRG
These programs are used to enable and disable the write
cache function of ICDBOOT. Users of the Supercharger PC
emulator must turn off the write cache before running the
Supercharger intialization program or the Supercharger will
NOT be able to write to the hard disk.
Turning the cache off this way does not reduce memory usage.
CFGCBOOT.PRG
This program configures COLDBOOT.PRG to skip selected
ACSI/DMA devices. You can also add a delay to COLDBOOT so
that it will wait up to 999 seconds to begin execution.
See section on COLDBOOT.PRG (below) for additional documentation.
CLEANUP.PRG
Detects and corrects structural and logical errors on GEM/BGM
partitions.
This is included only on the PRO level version, and is also
available for separate purchase.
COLDBOOT.PRG
This has been updated to support devices attached to the TT
SCSI port as well as the ACSI/DMA port.
Versions 1.30 and later of ICD COLDBOOT.PRG are
configurable to allow skipping of the ACSI/DMA ID of the
Supercharger from Talon Technologies. To configure COLDBOOT
run CFGCBOOT and specify the ID(s) you wish to skip when
doing a coldboot. The Supercharger is normally shipped as
ID 3. This should only be necessary for those users who do
not have Quantum, Seagate, or other drives which autoboot
upon power-up, and who are also using the Supercharger.
This program now accepts a command line argument and will permanently
change the boot partition on an auto-booting hard disk. To use this
feature, use "Show Info" from the File Menu to rename the file as
COLDBOOT.TTP. Double click on COLDBOOT.TTP, and when the dialog box
appears asking for the Command Line, enter the letter of your desired
boot partition. Normally this is C through P. Then press return,
and the boot partition will be permanently changed; then the computer
will be rebooted.
To use COLDBOOT to reboot the computer, but not change the boot partition,
just press return.
Note that it is possible to completely suppress the loading of all
AUTO/ACC/INF files by using COLDBOOT.TTP and choosing drive A. Normally
you would never want to do this, but you'll have the option.
Versions 2.09 and later have a user-selectable delay added.
To see what the delay is or change it run CFGCBOOT.PRG.
COPYFIX.PRG
This has been updated to fix a bug which caused
compatibility problems with several applications. There
should no longer be any problems with it.
DESKTOP.PRG
This program (formerly a desk accessory) has been updated
to be compatible the Atari TT and all TOS versions. See
DESKTOP.DOC for a more complete explanation of changes since
previous versions. DO NOT RENAME DESKTOP.PRG TO DESKTOP.ACC;
attempting to do this and installing the file as an accessory
will give you grief. This program is NOT designed to be
renamed to .ACC.
EJECT.TOS
A program to eject diskettes from the Macintosh versions of
Floptical¾ drives. This may be renamed as EJECT.TTP to run
from a command line, or you can create a file EJECT.LST for
it to run from. For more information, run the program with
no parameters, see example file EJECT.LSX, or read HDPARK.DOC.
This program is included only with the Link and Pro levels of
ICD software.
FLUSH.PRG
Flushes the write cache to disk immediately.
HDPARK.TOS
This has been updated to support the TT SCSI port.
This program replaces MAKEPARK.PRG. See HDPARK.DOC for
complete documentation.
HDPARTS.TOS
This program displays various statistics about each hard
drive partition on the system. For the most part, this
information will only be of use to people who have some
understanding of disk structures.
HDUTIL.PRG
New features of "Config":
- You can set ICDBOOT and other ICD programs to do retries
in case of a command/select phase timeout. (This would
be indicated by a "Sense: $FE" or "MSense: $FE" in the
upper right corner of your screen). If you get this,
change the Retries from 0 to 1 or a higher value. This may
make the drive in question behave.
- You can skip logical drives at bootup. This allows you
to always have a RAM disk at drive G regardless of how
many hard disk patitions are found.
- All Falcon screen resolutions are available on that
machine. If ICDBOOT is now configured to set a particular
resolution, the "ST", "TT", or "FALCON" button will have
a check mark. You can click on the button to display a
secondary dialog box which shows the available options
to change this. If set to skip setting screen resolution
then the "SKIP" button will have a check mark.
- The delay in flushing the write cache is now adjustable up
to 30 seconds. Bear in mind that if the computer is rebooted
or power is lost, the unflushed data is gone!
HDUTIL has been updated to support the TT SCSI port. This
affects several functions:
- Setting a hard disk for auto-booting will result in
either TT-SCSI boot sectors or ACSI/DMA boot sectors
being written to the drive based on which port the
drive is connected to. If you ever move the drive to
the other port, you will have to reinstall the boot
sector with HDUTIL.
- If run on a Falcon 030, the auto-boot code will be
written on the internal IDE drive.
- It is possible to disable scanning of any of the 16
devices. The device number of the TT itself will
never be scanned, regardless of the button settings.
It is now easier to bypass the hard disk auto-boot and force
bootup from floppy disk drive A. Just hold down ALTERNATE
only. It is no longer necessary to hold down SHIFT-CONTROL-
ALTERNATE. You must use HDUTIL to reinstall the "Boot" to
take advantage of this.
HDUTIL now has a new feature, called "Wipe". Previously the
only partition-blanking feature was "Zero", which blanked
the directories and File Allocation Tables. The data was
still present and a talented snoop could possibly recover
it. "Wipe" will zero out every sector of the partition, so
that you do not have to be concerned about any of your
confidential data falling into the wrong hands.
HOST.TOS
This is a utility to tell you what kind of host adapter you
have connected to each hard drive on line. Note that it is
not always possible to differentiate between Link, AdSCSI Plus ST,
AdSCSI ST, and AdSCSI Micro ST host adapters. This is
particularly true when multiple host adapters are connected.
It is also not possible to differentiate between one of
ICD's original STHA boards and one of those made by another
manufacturer. These items do NOT have signatures. We are
merely seeing which ones do full SCSI commands and which
ones have ICD real time clocks.
ICDBOOT.PRG
The names of SCSI hard disk devices are now displayed as they
are found, followed by the partitions logged from these devices
(if any).
The ID and LUN of a drive are displayed following a "Sense",
"MSense", or "Write Fail" message. The screen under a "Disk
Change" message is saved and restored after the message.
If you wish to pause ICDBOOT to read the information it prints,
press <control-S>; press <control-Q> to restart the program.
There are 3 levels of ICDBOOT now in distribution:
(1) The PRO level, which installs on all ST and TT computers
regardless of whether an ICD host adapter is found. The
PRO level supports Floptical¾ drives.
(2) The LINK level, which supports Floptical¾ drives. This
level is shipped only with the Link host adapter.
(3) The regular level. Floptical¾ drives are not supported.
ICDBOOT now recognizes hard disks formatted and partitioned
with MS-DOS and FDISK on a PC. This should simplify the transfer
of files between PCs and STs using removable media (SyQuest,
etc.) much easier. NOTE: (a) although reading and writing
MS-DOS partitions is supported, most of the ICD utilities
will not work with MS-DOS partitions. (b) very large DOS partitions
have too many data clusters, which confuses TOS, so some DOS
partitions will not be entered into the drive tables and will
not be useable.
The TIMESET function is now incorporated in ICDBOOT. This means
that the hard drive clock will automatically be read and the
system clock be set upon bootup, when using a host adapter with
real-time clock. This option may be disabled in the "Config"
option of HDUTIL for those choosing to use their Mega internal
clock or other clock device. It is no longer necessary to have
ICDTIME or TIMESET in your AUTO folder to set the system clock.
You must still run ICDTIME to install the clock handler in memory
before using the Control Panel or other software to reset the
clock in the ICD host adapter.
Previous versions of ICDBOOT would always change the screen
to medium resolution when booting with a color monitor.
The resolution is now configurable with HDUTIL, allowing
you to boot in any ST/TT/Falcon graphics mode available on your
system. As of ICDBOOT 5.5.0, you can also choose to completely
skip any resolution change; this will be useful for those with
1024x768 color monitors which require special driver software
to load before any other program.
Can now be used without an ICD host adapter present. An
ICD host adapter is still required to install the booter
and to use the various other utilities. The caching will
be disabled when running without an ICD host adapter, except
for the PRO level of ICDBOOT. This features does not work
on the STacy and there is nothing to do except get the PRO
software.
This release now fully supports the Atari TT SCSI port as
well as the ACSI port. For the most part, hard drives
connected to the SCSI port of the TT can be treated just
like drives connected to the ICD AdSCSI host adapter. The
primary difference is that the devices connected to the ICD
AdSCSI are numbered 0-7 and the devices connected to the TT
SCSI port are devices 8-15. Since the TT itself is a SCSI
device, it uses one of the device numbers. The ICD software
sets the TT to SCSI ID #7 (device 15), so that number is not
available for any other devices. Full SCSI arbitration is
supported on the SCSI port, which offers great potential.
This release now fully supports the IDE drive on the Falcon.
ICD has emulated SCSI commands for the IDE drive, which is
treated as if it was SCSI ID 16.
Drive letters are assigned to IDE drives, then to devices
attached to the SCSI port, then to the ACSI/DMA port. This
version allows you to skip logical drives (except drive C).
This is configured in the "Config" option of HDUTIL. For
example, it would allow you to always have a RAM disk at
drive G: regardless of how many hard drive partitions were
on line.
When using the ESC key to disable the booter options, only
the caching gets disabled. The TOS buffers are still
allocated so that BGM partitions can be accessed. If you
need the additional memory, use HDUTIL to disable the
buffers and reboot.
This version allows you to set the write cache flush delay
up to 30 seconds. Bear in mind that if a power failure
occurs, or the computer is reset or rebooted before the
cache is flushed, DATA WILL BE LOST. See the "Config"
option of HDUTIL.
This version allows you to set DMA retries. A few drives
tested have exhibited the peculiarity that if they are
not accessed for a while, the first access receives a
Sense $FE (selection or command phase timeout). Upon an
immediate retry, the drive worked fine. If you have a drive
that gives you a lot of Sense $FE returns, or a drive that
is not always detected, increase the DMA retries by 1.
See the "Config" option of HDUTIL.
A few other minor bugs were fixed, so it is advisable to
use this version even if you don't own a TT.
ICDFMT.PRG
This program now allows 100% Atari AHDI-compatibility. This
means that you could use AHDI as your hard disk driver. Previously
AHDI would only pick up the first 4 partitions on the hard disk.
Now, when you run ICDFMT, if the disk is not Atari-partitioned, then
AHDI Compatibility is set to "on" by default. If the disk was
Atari-partitioned, the program attempts to determine whether or not
the present partitioning scheme was AHDI-compatible. You can
change the status of this option by clicking on the appropriate
line of the Main Menu dialog box or by clicking on the "PARAMETERS"
button of the Partition dialog box. Note: if you change this option
on a previously-partitioned disk, the only thing you will be able to
do is to "PARTITION ENTIRE HARD DISK". The "OLD" button will not work
until you change the AHDI compatibility option back to its original
value. The same is true of "WRITE PARTITION INFO ONLY" and "REBUILD
ONE PARTITION ONLY".
Other changes: SCSI/FAT bad sector mapping and the number of
Verify Passes can be changed from within the Partition dialog box
by clicking on the "PARAMETERS" button. When going to the Partition
dialog for the first time, you will be told if the partitions shown
were read from disk or were calculated default values.
Fixed: bug in previous versions when going from 12 to 13 partitions
on the disk (i.e. using "WRITE PARTITION INFO ONLY" and "REBUILD
ONE PARTITION ONLY" to split one of the 12 partitions into two
partitions. The partition table would previously overwrite the
boot sector of partition #1. This now has been fixed.
Sometimes ICDFMT will have to adjust the starting sector of a
partition. An alert box will tell you of this.
This program can now format/partition IDE drives on the Falcon and
drives connected to the TT/Falcon SCSI port as well as the ACSI/DMA
port. As with the other software, the devices attached to the SCSI
port are numbered 8-15 and IDE drives are numbered as if they were
SCSI ID 16. IDE drives cannot be low-level formatted, only partitioned.
Other drives can be low-level formatted.
Calculation of DEFAULT and SPLIT partitions now make one 5.00
meg drive followed by equally-sized partitions. This is to
encourage you to use a small drive C. In case your first drive
gets destroyed (which seems to happen randomly on Atari computers,
although it is VERY rare), you do not lose a lot of data. This
feature may be disabled by holding down the Alternate key while
clicking on DEFAULT or SPLIT, or while clicking on OK in the
dialog headed "Split into several partitions...". However, you
are VERY STRONGLY encouraged to use a small drive C.
STacy users with Conner drives: because of a severe bug in Conner
drive firmware, it is necessary to avoid the standard methods of
determining drive size. You must use any ordinary ASCII text
editor to create a file called INTERNAL.HD in the same folder as
ICDFMT. The first line of this file must match EXACTLY what the
Conner drive returns when you run IDCHECK. Spaces are important.
The second line is the number of the LAST SECTOR on the Conner
drive. Here is an example of INTERNAL.HD:
CONNER CP3020
41117
If your drive is not a CP3020, you will have to determine the
last sector through trial and error. Start with a value large
enough for your drive (i.e. 45000 for a 20 meg, 90000 for a 40
meg). Run ICDFMT and select Partition, then Partition Entire Hard
Disk. The program will verify the sectors and will stop when the
Conner bug kicks in. If the sector the program is at is a multiple
of 32, add 31 to that value, use that value as the second line of
INTERNAL.HD, and repeat the test. Note that the drive will have to
be turned off and back on again to rerun ICDFMT. This time subtract
1 from the sector showing and that should be the correct value.
ICDFMT.DAT
This file is updated from time to time to include more hard drive
models. (See additional documentation below). This file is used
for and necessary for ST506/412 type drives only. It is not used
for SCSI drives; information about these drives is needed by
asking the drive for it. If ICDFMT.DAT is needed and not found,
you will be able to fill in the heads and cylinders and proceed.
To add a drive, enter the following information about your drive
in the EXACT same format (position sensitive) as the others
listed as follows: a. The letter 'd' to indicate a drive b. The
name of the drive c. The number of heads on the drive d. The
number of cylinders on the drive e. The cylinder number at which
to start using reduced write current (if not sure, then just put
same number as # of cylinders) f. The cylinder number at which to
start using write precomp (if not sure, then just put same number
as # of cylinders) g. The parking cylinder (usually 40-50
cylinders beyond the last cylinder). h. The step rate; normally
2 (unless very old). 0 = 3ms non-buffered step for older drives
(ST506) 1 = 28us buffered step rate (ST412 and maybe others) 2 =
15us buffered step rate (Almost all new drives)
Presently we support 98% of all hard drives and SCSI controllers
that can be used on the Atari ST. Some may not work on the ST at
all. If in doubt, try it, or you can call or write our technical
support department.
ICDTIME.PRG
Must be installed in memory before attempting to permanently set
the clock in the ICD host adapter.
ICDTRAPS.PRG
ICDBOOT 6.2.0 (and newer) has a new feature. It now installs trap
handlers which allow the loading of AUTO folder programs, desktop
ACCessories, and DESKTOP.INF/NEWDESK.INF only from the selected boot
partition. It allows the creation of DESKTOP.INF/NEWDESK.INF only on
the selected boot partition.
The boot partition is the partition selected in HDUTIL when setting
the hard disk auto-boot. It was always our INTENT to allow you to
run the AUTO folder and load ACCessories from this boot partition.
However, in practice, all this meant was that the AUTO folder was run
from that particular partition. ACCessories and desk INF files were
always loaded from drive C. This "feature/bug" of TOS meant that, if
an ACCessory bombed during its loading, that the computer would go into
an endless auto-booting loop. Also if the desk INF file was corrupted,
a blank desktop might result, or possibly an auto-boot loop, or one might
not be able to execute PRG files, or some other weirdness. Often some
tricks were necessary to sneak past some of these problems.
Now, since ICDBOOT's trap handlers are installed whenever auto-booting
from any hard drive partition (except C) or when running from an AUTO
folder (except on C), the loading of drive C files is no longer a
problem. Files will be loaded ONLY from the boot partition; and if
there are no AUTO folder programs, ACCessories, or desk INF files,
NONE will be loaded.
If auto-booting, ICDBOOT also allows you to select a boot partition "on
the fly" by pressing any key from A to P when you see the ICD logo
displayed on the screen. Thus, you could have a different set of AUTO
folder programs, ACCessories, and a desk INF file on each partition, and
these are loaded according to the boot partition you select.
As before, the "normal" or "default" boot partition is set in HDUTIL
under the "Boot" option. (This is the partition which is loaded from
if no key is pressed during ICDBOOT execution). It is now possible to
permanently change the default boot partition through COLDBOOT.PRG;
see notes below.
When you do a "Save Desktop" from the Options Menu, the desk INF file
is now saved to the current boot partition. (Formerly it was always
saved to drive C or drive A only).
The current Autoboot Partition or Auto Folder Partition is displayed
by ICDBOOT as part of its "Current driver settings" configuration data:
1. If you auto-boot from the hard disk without pressing any key the
"default" boot partition is shown.
2. If you auto-boot from the hard disk and press a key to indicate
a valid hard drive partition then your chosen boot partition is
shown.
3. If you auto-boot from the hard disk, and if you press a key to
choose a boot partition, and the key pressed is NOT a valid
partition (example: you have 4 hard disk partitions, C through F,
and you press M) then the Autoboot Partition will be shown as
"n/a" and boot will proceed as though drive C was your boot
partition.
4. If you auto-boot from the hard disk, and if you press a key to
choose a boot partition, and the key pressed is A (or B, if you
have two floppy disk drives, then the Autoboot Partition will be
shown as "n/a" but the trap handlers will install and force 3
loading from drive A (or B).
5. If you have used COLDBOOT.TTP and entered A as your command line
parameter then the Autoboot Partition will be shown as "Suppressed".
See notes on COLDBOOT below.
There is now a 3 second delay to allow you to read the ICDBOOT "Current
driver settings" configuration data. The delay may be cancelled by
pressing any key. If control-S is pressed execution halts until any
other key is pressed. This allows more time to read the configuration.
The ICDBOOT trap handlers may be permanently disabled or re-enabled
through the use of ICDTRAPS.PRG, now included on the distribution disk. disk.
Constraints and possible problems with the ICD trap handlers:
1. If you have chosen a partition other than C for your boot partition,
and you then attempt to copy a desk INF file from one partition to
another through the GEM desktop, the copy will fail. The file
create is automatically forced to the current boot partition. To
copy a desk INF file, do a "Show Info" from the File Menu, change
the INF to INX, then copy the file as before, and finally rename
it from INX to INF. Or you can load it into a text editor and do
a "Save As" to the new drive. Or you can use a program such as
MaxiFile from Codehead to do the copy. Or you can reboot choosing
drive C for the new boot partition, and as trap handlers are not
installed the copy will succeed. This problem should seldom be a
hindrance.
2. MinT does not get along with ICDBOOT's trap handlers; it appears
to detect a problem in TOS. Thus, you must install MinT only
on drive C. Since the ICDBOOT trap handlers are not installed
when using drive C for the boot partition, MinT does not detect
any problems and will install normally.
3. ICDBOOT's trap handlers force the loading of all files from the
boot partition. The ONLY exception is AUTO folder programs. The
programs themselves are forced to load from the boot partition.
However, if these programs load data, configuration, etc., files,
these are not forced to be from the boot partition. All ACCessories
and the desk INF file and any ACCessory's data, resource, configuration,
etc. files are forced to load from the boot partition. So if you
have an ACCessory that reads a configuration file, a resource file,
a data file etc., this file MUST be present on the current boot
partition or it will not be found.
This "forced" loading stops when the desktop is displayed, or
when an auto-booting application runs.
4. This feature may not work with TOS 1.0 and 1.2; it may also not
work correctly with some applications and accessories.
Advantages of the ICDBOOT trap handlers:
1. You can have a separate set of AUTO folder programs, ACCessories,
and DESKTOP.INF/NEWDESK.INF on each partition of your hard drive.
You can reboot selecting a different setup for different tasks.
2. If you have a booting problem (such as: endless reboot loop, blank
desktop, unable to run certain types of programs, etc., just use
the key option described above to choose a different partition
to boot from. This is far simpler than some of the procedures
needed in the past (boot with hard drive off, run IDCHECK, turn
hard drive on, rescan until drive found, run ICDBOOT, install icon,
remove offending file, etc.)
ICDTRAPS allows you to enable or disable the trap handlers in ICDBOOT.
Just double click on ICDTRAPS; the file selector will appear, allowing
you to select any ICDBOOT; if the version is 6.2.0 or greater, the status
of the trap handler installation flag is shown. You can change it, then
click on "Save" to permanently configure the selected ICDBOOT.
IDCHECK.PRG
This has been updated to check IDE devices on the Falcon, devices
connected to the TT/Falcon SCSI port as well as the ACSI/DMA port.
When running on a TT, the left-hand column shows the devices attached
to the SCSI port (including the TT itself) and the right-hand
column shows the devices attached to the ACSI port.
INSTALL.PRG
Automated setup of a hard disk. Formats (if necessary), verifies,
partitions, sets up auto-boot, and creates a desktop. Ideal for
the novice user who wants a quick setup, and for dealers setting
up hard disks for customers. When done, the disk should boot up
when connected to any ST or TT with any TOS version and display a
desktop containing all the icons necessary for the number of
partitions.
RATEHD.PRG
This has been updated to test IDE drives and drives connected to
the TT/Falcon SCSI port as well as the ACSI/DMA port.
RELOG.PRG
This program forces ICDBOOT to relog all hard drive partitions.
Usually put in your AUTO folder after STARTHD.PRG when needed.
Make sure ICDBOOT is configured for the largest possible logical
sector size. You can determine this with HDPARTS.TOS.
SCSI.PRG
This is a SCSI Command tester which can also be used as a sector
editor. This is included only on the PRO level of ICD software.
STARTHD.PRG
Looks for non-running hard disks, then issues a "Start Unit" command
to them. Some disks do not start when power is supplied. This
program will start them. This program should go in your AUTO folder
and should be followed by RELOG.PRG. Make sure ICDBOOT is configured
for the largest possible logical sector size. You can determine this
with HDPARTS.TOS.
TIMESET.PRG
Sets computer clock from the hard disk clock (clock models only) and
exits.
WHEREIS.TOS
Find files on your hard disk.
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
Miscellaneous Notes
-------------------
Connecting Supra/Atari Drives:
Supra drives are initially set to SCSI=0, LUN=0, so if you
want to boot off your ICD drive, you may wish to change the
ID of the Supra drive. Alternatively, you could set the
SCSI ID of the controller or drive in your ICD drive to a
different value and boot off the Supra drive. Contact ICD
Technical Support for assistance if necessary.
Atari SH204 drives are also set to SCSI=0, LUN=0, BUT they
have a bug in their hardware. They respond to ALL LUN
numbers causing havoc to the system. A provision in the
drive handler has been made to only see LUN=0 with a SCSI ID
of 7. Therefore you will need to set the 3 position dip
switch in your SH204 to ID 7 (flip all three switches to the
other position).
Atari Megafile (SH205) drives are set as SCSI=0, LUN=0. The
SCSI ID # is changeable inside the box. It uses a
combination host adapter/controller board but can be
formatted with our software as an Adaptec 4000 for their 20
Meg and Adaptec 4070 for the 30 and 60 Meg drives.
Clock Battery:
If the clock is way off or seems to return crazy times, the
battery may be low. For a replacement battery, send $5.00,
unless your host adapter is in warranty. If it is in
warranty, call us and we will send a batter at no charge. A
new battery socket is available for an additional $3.00.
Soldering is usually required with older original ICD ST
Host Adapters. The newer units already have the socket
installed and replacing the battery is a very simple
operation. We will install battery and/or socket for $20
when unit is out of warranty.
If your clock seems to run fast or slow it is probably
adjustable. Look for a variable capacitor labled VC1 near
the clock battery. Use a subminiature flat-bladed screwdriver.
Insert the blade into the opening and turn clockwise to speed
the clock up, counter-clockwise to slow it down. Start with
1/2 turn, let it go for a day and recheck and go from there.
It is possible with a little patience to calibrate these
clocks very accurately. If your host adapter does not have
VC1 about the only recourse is to try changing the clock chip.
Host Adapter Mounting:
There are four mounting holes on the board; mount it as you
see fit. ICD makes a mounting bracket kit for the host
adapter which you can probably use in your application. It
is called the ST/MK and is US $8.95 plus S & H (contact us to
order, or for more information).
Using Multiple SCSI ID's and Host Adapters:
When using multiple SCSI ID's and/or host adapters a few rules
apply:
- Power up the device closest to the computer first
(plugged in). Then power up the next out in the chain
and continue in this fashion until all devices are
powered. Now BOOT the computer. If the computer has
an internal drive, there will be an additional delay
while this device comes up to speed. In this case, all
devices might be powered from a single switch.
- On a Falcon, the order of scan is: IDE drive, then SCSI
drives from 8 to 15 (physically 0 to 7).
- On a TT, the order of scan is: SCSI drives from 8 to 15
(physically 0 to 7), then ACSI/DMA drives from 0 to 7.
- On an ST, the order of scan is ACSI/DMA drives from 0
to 7.
- The first drive found provides the booter and (usually)
the AUTO folder and accessories for the system. Partitions
will be assigned as C, D, E, etc. The next SCSI ID found
will provide the next partitions and so on. It does not
matter physically where these drives are in the daisy chain
except for power up procedures. The SCSI ID #s also do not
need to be consecutive (though that may be needed by the
software provided by other companies).
Setting Up Your AUTO Folder For Programs Which Use GDOS:
It is usually necessary to have GDOS be the last file in the
AUTO folder. Since the ST displays files in sorted order,
the only way to insure this is to create a JUNK folder, copy
all files except GDOS to it, delete the AUTO folder, and
recreate it. Then copy all files back to the AUTO folder
from JUNK, delete JUNK, and finally copy GDOS to the AUTO
folder.
To avoid these problems try G+PLUS from Codehead Software.
Setting Up Your Hard Drive To Boot pc-ditto From A Partition:
First, set up the partition to boot with the HDUTIL
program. Create a JUNK folder on another drive and copy
ICDBOOT.SYS to it. Now run the pc-ditto program's formatter
which sets MS-DOS to boot. Finally copy ICDBOOT.SYS back to
the root directory of your boot drive. Now when you boot,
the ICD Boot Program will run...then pc-ditto will boot.
CAUTION: If you disable autobooting with HDUTIL, you will
probably destroy your pc-ditto boot information as well.
NOTE: pc-ditto just simply will NOT load PC-DOS from some
makes of hard drive. The reason for this is not known.
Please do not call ICD for pc-ditto support.
What To Do When You Get "Locked Out" Of Your Hard Disk:
Installation of certain .ACC files may cause you to bomb
every time you boot and you can't access your hard drive to
remove or rename the offending file!
To cure this: turn off the hard drive, place a copy of the ICD
ST host adapter disk in Drive A, and boot. Double click on
IDCHECK.PRG and let it scan through drives. At the end it will
be blank. Now, turn on your hard drive. Let it come up to
speed. Click on Rescan and repeat until your drive is shown.
Then Exit. Now locate ICDBOOT.PRG and double click on it.
Install an icon for Drive C: (click on one icon to make it dark,
then go to the menu bar under options for Install Disk Drive;
use a capital C!) and double-click on it. Now you can rename
the offending .ACC file to some other extension, and then you
should be able once again to boot from your hard drive.
This procedure may not work with internal drives such as on the
TT, Falcon, Mega STE, or Mega 2/4 with ICD AdSCSI Micro adapters.
If this doesn't work, call ICD, and we will try to help you regain
access to the hard drive.
Suddenly your hard drive won't auto-boot:
Something has trashed partition information or corrupted the
ICDBOOT.SYS file. First try re-running HDUTIL and resetting the
boot drive. If this doesn't help, or if the Boot dialog shows no
hard drives, something has wiped out your partition sector. Try
running Cleanup ST ("Hard Disk" - "Fix" options) to try to save the
partition. Alternatively, you you can rewrite partition info using
the ICDFMT.PRG. To do this, run ICDFMT and select PARTITION.
Re-enter your partition information (of course you have kept a record
of this). Make sure all partitions are enabled (check mark under
"On"). Select REWRITE PARTITION INFO ONLY at the bottom left side
of the dialog box. Be careful here! This is one place you want to
be ABSOLUTELY SURE that your information is 100% correct.
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
Back to IDE & SCSI Drivers