ScuzzBlog: Diaries September 2021
Entry 23rd September 2021: Post 1: Amiga self booting missing files.
Amiga self booting missing files.
Before I start today's blog let me point out a few things:
01: Generally I haven't got the first clue what I am talking about.
Today however I can say with some confidence that in this instance
I seriously haven't got a clue what I am talking about.
02: I have spent the day backing up and it took a lot longer than
anticipated. Consequently the blog was rushed and I had to cut a
corner with the images and not use a tripod. BIG MISTAKE.
03: I have used an old washed out 1942 monitor that struggles with
red in images and so the camera plays all kinds of tricks with the
pictures shading them from grey to blue. Sorry about that.
04: I was going to note each image but I ran out of time.
05: Yesterday I said that Mine Runner was Jack Tramiel's sons most
favourite game when in fact it was Lode Runner. The earlier version
is the classic first of this game, though Mine Runner isn't bad.
06: The blog presumes you know what a text editor is and just why
you need a file manager like DOpusIV.
OK so what was I up to. Someone asked if there was an easy way to
add a picture menu to a disk so that function keys could activate
games. I knew that Amiga Power did this and I decided to go fish
around with the disk for Mine Runner and Putty Squad.
Here is the thing. The disk only uses 50K for visible files and
yet the disk is full and the game Putty Squad is nowhere to be
found other than a run program. I have not a clue !!!
OK the disk has an S and a C drawer and contains one AmigaDOS
command in the form of RUN. There is a startup-sequence in
S together with a program tool for the APMenu. The system-
configuration is in the main root and is generic. No clues.
Understanding AmigaDOS is always useful so I have featured the
entry explaining the RUN command. I also show what the System-
Configuration file does and to understand this its worth noting
what a self booting disk is, what the INSTALL command does, and
just how an Amiga boots into a disk. Just read the blurb.
Whilst I found all the files and tool to run Mine Runner I could
not find on the disk anywhere the Putty Squad game. I checked with
DMS and found the BootBlock to be standard. I also ran every tool
there was on DiskSalv and could not find any extraneous files.
So what do I think. I think , thinking is really important. I sense
that a little dual format wizardry is on hand to offer copy protection
and I think that part of the disk is AmigaDOS based and the rest is
not. And that is all I am prepared to say on the matter. Well other
than the APMenu is a program tool created to show the opening image
and the menu options. There are no image files on the disk.
I also show CUAmiga's Arcade Snooker which simply boots straight
into the game. And also Deluxe Galaga which is the format that I
would suggest be used for launching PD disks. This uses a simplified
Workbench that lets the user simply click which game he/she wants
to play from the respective drawers.
I have to go now cus my brain is about to explode. I very nearly
didn't bother with this blog, cus it is seriously 'Bolleauxxx'.. Even
more so than normal. I did get to play Mine Runner and Deluxe so
it wasn't all a wasted exercise... I can't back that up. This was
a truly pointless blog. Never mind.
Tomorrow I show you how to build your own CT scanner from an
old toilet roll tube and some sticky back plastic .... Or not.
PPS: NDOS! Just thought I would mention the obvious here and that is
that many games were disk bound without any Workbench environment. This
basically meant that the Amiga Workbench could not display or interrogate
the disk. The result was a NDOS label to the disk when inserted. I am
not aware of any way to access such disks outside of cracking them
open.
The portion of this disk that carries Putty Squad is outside of the
Workbench environment. It's quite clever how this is done in truth.
Amiga self booting missing files.
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