HDX Errors on Write

[CantStopClicking]

Has anyone else experienced errors while trying to copy files to their HDX server?

 

I can reproduce it every time doing these steps:

 

(Assume cable, HDX board, and Server are working - which AFAIK they are, as everything else works)

 

1) Launch DM2K (v2.5b) on TI with Editor/Assembler

2) Source: "DSK1."

3) Select ALL files (contains about 18 files <180k)

4) Hit Proc'd

5) Choose Copy

6) Destination: "HDX1."

 

It will start to copy files to the HDX server and I can see records being transferred. But in the middle of a randomly chosen point of a file; HDX will crash/hang/unresponsive. Within a few seconds DM2K will report "error 6: Opendst [Device error]"

 

At this point, I'm dead in the water. HDX server is hung, I have to force it to close and get the Windows message of application in not responding.

 

This ONLY happens when copying files TO the HDX server using DM2K. But then, I don't have any other method to "copy" files to and from the HDX server to compare against.

 

Can anyone with a fully functioning HDX server try this; and tell me if it fails or works for them?

 

The goal is to copy my utilities disk (DSK1) to HDX1 but I can't get it there!!!!

 

TIA!

 

-Dano

 

[Willsy]

The HDX server end of the link was quite buggy when I first got HDX installed in my system. I worked with Fred (sending him bug reports) to fix those problems - maybe there's still something lurking in there.

 

I would recommend sending Fred Kaal an email - he's very good at responding. IIRC, Fred has a disk manager written for HDX. See his website, and give that a try. Also, update the DSR on the card (and the server software) to the latest versions, if you haven't already.

 

M

[+Vorticon]

Yes, these types of errors tend to happen to me as well, particularly when using Fred's DSK2PC to transfer entire disk images from the TI to the HDX server. As a matter of fact, when I'm trying to transfer multiple disks in a row, I routinely get this error every other disk, or 50% of the time, which is quite high. The only remedy is to shut down the TI and PEB, wait a few seconds, then try again.

Somewhere during the process, the communication between the TI and the HDX server on the PC is getting either lost or out of sync. Now I am using a creaky old Win 2000 laptop for this because that's the only PC I have left with a serial port, and I wonder if this will also happen with a more modern machine and OS. I really need a USB to serial adapter!

With all that said however, the HDX system is still the best way I have found to transfer files between the TI and PC, so I am willing to put up with this.

Edited September 11, 2013 by Vorticon

[Willsy]

Do please mention it to Fred, though. He's a top fella and would want to fix it (assuming he doesn't already know about it). I've only used HDX for DF128 files for TurboForth - in the early days there were many many problems but Fred fixed them all one by one. Of course, there could be other problems lurking that Fred hasn't seen. I would point you to Fred's new site, but I can't find the link - don't have it bookmarked on my office PC!

 

Mark

[Willsy]

Turns out that Fred updated HDX just yesterday!

 

 

Hi all,

A new version of the Ti99Hdx program is available here:

http://home.vodafonethuis.nl/fgkaal/

Added a HDX1.TIME file for reading the PC's time and date like so:

100 OPEN #1:"HDX1.TIME",INTERNAL,FIXED
110 INPUT #1:SEC$,MIN$,HOUR$,DAY$,MONTH$,YEAR$,DAYOFWEEK$
120 CLOSE #1

(Writing to the file is ignored).

Somebody asked for this many moons ago.

Enjoy.

Fred

[CantStopClicking]

Do please mention it to Fred, though. He's a top fella and would want to fix it (assuming he doesn't already know about it). I've only used HDX for DF128 files for TurboForth - in the early days there were many many problems but Fred fixed them all one by one. Of course, there could be other problems lurking that Fred hasn't seen. I would point you to Fred's new site, but I can't find the link - don't have it bookmarked on my office PC!

 

Mark

 

Hi Mark!

 

Thanks for forwarding to the Y! groups. I've been so busy lately that I'm just about to give up my TI because the time I get to spend on it is almost to zero now. Something about being unemployed makes people assume; 1) you have nothing to do, and 2) you are willing to work for nothing (or next to nothing). So, my time is consumed by low paying or non paying people which means I have to work double or triple the time - just to break even. Arghh!

 

Anyhow, I digress...

 

I have not contacted Fred on this particular issue. 1) Because I don't know when the next time I'll be able to look at the issue again and 2), Because, I emailed him before with a major issue and he kinda blew me off saying it was likely my system but, then a new version came out and it fixed the problem. So, I feel like I'm just a nagging him and that's definitely not my intent. I just have a knack for finding bugs (in anything and quickly) and most people don't seem to like it when I find them and tell them about it.

 

Anyhow, I should have described my system a little fuller in this scenario:

 

Windows XP (32-bit); USB-to-Serial Adapter (keyspan), HDX Server v7.2b, DM2K v2.5, and HDX Firmware v.03, TI-99/4A, PEB, CCFDC, Myarc 512k RD, P-Code Card (off)

 

Everything is up to date, albiet, a new version of HDX server came out yesterday (7.3a) but, that was only a feature change AFAIK. Hopefully, in the next few days or week I can try it out and see if it solves the problem.

 

Thanks all for at least confirming I'm "not the only one". It seems my sanity is under check everyday...

 

Cheers!

 

-Dano