Unable to mount and access disks (via NanoPEB).

[pixelpedant]

I've recently gotten a NanoPEB (yay!) and am messing around with disk management for the first time on my TI 99/4A (never had a PEB, back in the day). Now, from what I understand, the procedure for mounting a disk is essentially going into BASIC and using CALL MOUNT(DSK,VOL), with execution of any program contained therein achieved via OLD "DSK#.PRGNAME". Unfortunately, I don't seem to be getting anywhere with that.

 

The NanoPEB came with a formatted CF card, and TI99Dir shows two formatted volumes (volumes 1 and 2). When mounted, Disk Manager 3 (executing that via FlashROM 99) appears to show a collection of programs in the volume CFHDX_V12 mounted as DSK2, with those programs named CFHDXP1 through CFHDXP4 and CFHDXS1 through CFHDXS4. Evidently, these are disk manager files, though I've had no success executing them via OLD "DSK2.CFHDXP1" for example, as this results in an ERROR 57 in BASIC. If the volume isn't mounted at all, it's an ERROR 50, instead. Disk Manager 3 simply tells me DSK1 is *not initialized*, when mounted, on the other hand.

 

Since I gather the collection of key utility programs (CATALOG and such) downloadable from the NanoPEB homepage are supposed to be in Volume 1 (or at least were at some point in history), I had first tried simply running

 

CALL MOUNT(1,1)

OLD "DSK1.CATALOG"

 

But that just produced ERROR 57 likewise. As a fallback plan, I downloaded and recopied the VOL1 files via TI99Dir, but to no effect. Same result (as far as OLD giving me the old ERROR 57).

 

I've also tried using TI99Dir to copy a Tunnels of Doom game disk to Volume 3 (the one with PENNIES and QUEST on it), mounting that, and loading it via ToD, with no luck (though like OLD, it demonstrates different responses/errors based on whether the volume is mounted, so at least I know that's doing something).

 

Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong? I'm certainly a neophyte when it comes to TI 99/4A disk management. But I'm determined to get this figured out. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

I've also tried writing volume 3 using a Tunnels of Doom game disk (the one with PENNIES and QUEST on it), mounting that, and loading it via ToD, with no luck (though like OLD, it demonstrates different responses/errors based on whether the volume is mounted).

[+InsaneMultitasker]

One tricky thing about the TI and its file/disk structure is that a program file type is used for multiple purposes. A program file could be BASIC, Extended BASIC, a data file, or as is the case of the CFHDX?? files, Editor Assembler program files. Often called EA option 5 files (named such because you load them with option #5 of the EA cartridge) the files may have one ore more consecutively named files.

 

Do you have an Extended BASIC cartridge, Editor Assembler cartridge, or something like the UberGrom or similar carts? There are quite a few forum users with good knowledge about the CF/nanopeb devices, so you've come to a good place

[+arcadeshopper]

OLD DSK1.CATALOG should work in TI basic or Extended Basic..

 

Error 57 is

5 - old

7 - file error file doesn't exist or is a program file being read as data

 

so likely there's no file on DSK1. when it looks called CATALOG

 

make sure you are typing DSK1. and not dsk1. but that would give you an error 50 which means invalid device..so you probably are doing DSK1.

 

Sounds like you are call mounting correctly do you have a disk manager cart or XB27 suite? mount image 1 in DSK1. is call mount(1,1)

 

Greg

[+arcadeshopper]

btw errors are on page 25 of http://ftp.whtech.com/datasheets%20and%20manuals/Hardware/Texas%20Instruments/PHP1800%20Disk%20Drive%20Controller/TI%20side%20car%20disk%20controller%20(PHP1800)%20%20manual.pdf

[pixelpedant]

Thanks for the helpful responses.

 

I do not (at this point) have an Editor/Assembler or Extended Basic cart, nor do I have a flash cart which supports GROM carts, nor the XB27 cart, so I'm restricted to what can be loaded via that. Well, not in the more general context - I've actually got a reasonable collection of TI 99/4A carts from my youth, but they're all games

 

I am able to run a couple different disk managers, though, consequently, the most useful of which I've found toward present purposes to be the one in the FlashROM 99 Image Repository thread entitled "Disk Manager 3".

 

 

[Sinphaltimus]

I've found that using TIDIR on your PC is very good for mounting CFCard images for the nanoPEB.

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/156995-cf7-for-ti994a/?p=1926609

[pixelpedant]

Yeah, it was TI99Dir I used to write the CF volumes with the Tunnels of Doom game data disk, and the PEB utilities disk. From the point of view of the application itself, all seemed to be working smoothly. But no luck viewing the volumes from the TI (using Disk Manager). Perhaps I should seek out more detailed directions on the use of TI99Dir, in case I'm erring in some way there. But since the volumes are being successfully mounted, and just not successfully *read* on the TI 99/4A (well, Disk Manager says they aren't "initialized", but does see the disk), I wonder whether there can be any error there. Perhaps I should try other disk files.

 

Otherwise, my next step might be pursuing procedures for formatting the CF all over again (which I have not done, as it came seemingly properly formatted).

[+mizapf]

I have a support for CF7 in TIImageTool, my Java-based image management tool. Maybe you want to give it a try? You have to install a recent Java SE first (version 8 ).

Edited July 19, 2017 by mizapf

[Sinphaltimus]

Does this help?

Watch for the note about case sensitivity also. Not sure why you're having issues. But perhaps seeing the video above will help.
One thing I've found a bit of a challenge is recalling what is mounted where. I've tried to make it a habit to use a notebook to keep track this way you know what DSK files are on what volume and their proper names (case and all)

And yes, I've also used TIImageTool as mentioned above by mizapf.

[Fritz442]

Be sure your dsk images are all V9T9 format...

 

"A PC99 disk image need to be converted to a V9T9 disk image before you can use it on a nanoPEB.

TI99DIR gives you both the info, that your file is a PC99 disk image and the command to convert it."

 

EDIT: I just loaded a PC99 dsk image on mine, and Diskmanager shows 'disk not initialized'

Edited July 19, 2017 by Fritz442

[pixelpedant]

A good thought, it would certainly seem. Strangely, though, TI99Dir doesn't seem to give me the option to convert any of the disk files I have (the utilities dsk from the NanoPEB homepage containing CATALOG and such, the Tunnels of Doom data disk containing PENNIES and QUEST, and the game 'Life' from TI Game Shelf) in any way whatsoever. The options are simply greyed out in the Commands menu, and absent in the right-click menu, as seen here, for all these .dsk files, though it copies them to the CF volumes happily enough: http://i.imgur.com/TDdhkE9.png

 

I should further mention that while I can view the volumes on the CF card in TI99Dir, it seems that the dsk2cf utility provided on the NanoPEB homepage cannot see my CF card at all, and simply says this, when asked to copy to a volume:

 

Microsoft Windows 95 /nList of All Possible Flash Drives

---------------------------------

** None **

It would seem that I'm running into a lot of strange dead ends.

[+chue]

 

CALL MOUNT(1,1)

OLD "DSK1.CATALOG"

 

 

You aren't doing anything wrong there... I've done that dozens of times by now and it works for me.

 

From my reading on this site, NanoPEBs are quite fickle... This could be caused by any number of things from the TI to the Nano to the Nano power supply and flash card.

 

To give my Nano the "best" environment possible, I did the following:

 

1. Cleaned the edge connector on my TI. I used some cotton swabs and 90% isopropyl alcohol. It might not hurt to use a pencil eraser as well.

2. I made sure I had a good power supply for the Nano. My power supply reads 5.2 volts, unloaded. You can't go too much higher or lower than 5 volts.

3. I made sure the flash card is seated properly in the Nano - Mine at one point was a little loose and I had problems reading it with the TI.

 

As for TI99Dir, I find it a little unintuitive to use. I can't seem to view/update the contents of a disk while they are on flash. I can however copy disks to/ from flash. Thus if I want to change the contents of a disk on the flash card, I have to copy the disk to my PC and make the changes there. As the final step, I copy the updated disk image back to the flash drive.

[pixelpedant]

It seemed a good thought, to clean the edge connector. That's not been cleaned...ever, I suppose. So that's handled (with some anhydrous alcohol, which is what I usually use, for cart connectors). But no change in behaviour. I'll see if I can dig up another 5V centre-positive power supply (in my mountain of leftover DC adapters). Though since the TI is reading *one* volume successfully (Disk Manager displays the contents of Volume 2, but only Volume 2), I'm inclined to believe the hardware is operating correctly to a sufficient extent that power issues wouldn't be the problem.

 

It seems very curious to me that TI99Dir identifies *every* disk I've thrown at it as type "DSK", which I'm inclined to assume implies V9T9 format, given this is differentiated from type "PC99/SD" and "PC99/DD" in the TI99Dir documentation), but does not give the option to convert from V9T9 format. At least one of these I know to be in V9T9 format, though (as it is explicitly identified as such by TI Games Shelf, and TIFILES format is offered as an alternative).

 

The worst things about all this is, knowing me, I'm not going to be able to let this schmozzle go until I've got it solved, even if it takes me all year

 

They'll find me buried in a pile of rubble, with a CF card deathgripped in my clawlike hand.

Edited July 20, 2017 by pixelpedant

[Sinphaltimus]

Have you tried mounting the volume currently in DSK2 to the other DSK 1 and 3 slots? Sorry to ask if you did already. There's a lot of history building up here. I mean, you can put it in all 3 just to check.

[pixelpedant]

Good thought. I had not tried that. I've now used TI99Dir to copy the working volume (CFHDX_V12) which came already present on the CF to a .dsk file on the computer, then back to the CF on Volume 1. Same result, however. Disk Manager says "disk not initialized" in the case of Volume 1 (though the two volumes are otherwise identical from the point of view of TI99Dir).

[Sinphaltimus]

I'm wondering if your cf card reader it usb cable (if applicable) might be the issue. Or an anti virus or something. Something pc related corrupting the files in transit to and from the cf.

[klrw111-78]

On more than one occasion, I had to reformat my CF card (fat32) and then format for the TI with TIDir. I could see the volumes on my card just like you, but could not access them with the TI. I found that I can better manage the CF card leaving it in the nanoPEB. When I use it with the PC, it eventually gets hosed and I have to reformat(fat32) and start over. I use a combination of TIDir and CFHXS1 to transfer form PC to TI. It does require transferring files rather than the whole dsk image to the CF7 and EA. I have attached a CF7 volume with CATALOG and TOD files that you were attempting to access. VOL001CF7.dsk

[pixelpedant]

Months after encountering these difficulties, I've finally made some progress on these issues, so I thought I'd give an update.

 

I was getting increasingly motivated to not just let this one lie, as I'd been messing around in XB (having gotten the XB 2.7 cart) and not being able to save programs wasn't really acceptable.

 

Ultimately, I got one step further by using Disk Manager 3 to initialize three disks on the CF, rather than bothering with TI99Dir, which had consistently failed me so far (with no volumes it created having been usable). The disks initialized by Disk Manager 3 could be mounted, used and written to normally by TI BASIC and XB. I could SAVE a program and OLD it after a fresh boot. And Disk Manager correctly shows the contents of the disk. So there was progress, there.

 

That gives me a drive to press forward. I can now save programs! Which is certainly nice. But TI99Dir still seems to be completely, utterly useless, in my case. It can see that a volume called DSK1 (created by Disk Manager 3, on which a test program was saved and successfully retrieved on the TI) exists on the CF, for example. But it cannot seem to view the contents of the disk ("copy files" is greyed out, and I cannot access/view the contents of the volume from my PC). And any volumes it creates and copies disk contents to cannot be viewed on the TI.

 

I'm inclined to theorise the NanoPEB is functioning correctly, and the problem lies on the PC end of things, naturally. But I'm not sure where that problem might be, and why TI99Dir seems to be precisely absent its central function, in my case (i.e., it can't see the contents of disks my TI 99/4A creates and populates, and disks it creates and populates can't be seen by my TI 99/4A).

Edited May 19, 2018 by pixelpedant

[+Ksarul]

Try and look at the images with TI Image Tool. It will also format images for the Nano, IIRC. That will give you an independent program to check against--and it may just be that your copy of TI99DIR is bad. . .and you may need to download a newer (or at least another) version of it.

Edited May 20, 2018 by Ksarul

[pixelpedant]

Try and look at the images with TI Image Tool. It will also format images for the Nano, IIRC. That will give you an independent program to check against--and it may just be that your copy of TI99DIR is bad. . .and you may need to download a newer (or at least another) version of it.

 

Thank you! You saved the day!

 

I was not aware of TI Image Tool. But between TI Image Tool and some fiddling with dd for Windows (which it uses), I was able to get myself a correctly formatted disk which both TI Image Tool and my NanoPEB could see, and was able to transfer and run the TI Megademo.

 

Next stop - Tunnels of Doom!

[+Schmitzi]

Hi, do you use the actual version of TI99DIR ?

[Asmusr]

AFAIK TI99Dir can only copy whole disk images to the nanoPEB CF card. I cannot see the content of volumes or copy individual files.

[+mizapf]

I was not aware of TI Image Tool. But between TI Image Tool and some fiddling with dd for Windows (which it uses), I was able to get myself a correctly formatted disk which both TI Image Tool and my NanoPEB could see, and was able to transfer and run the TI Megademo.

 

Sorry for the "fiddling", but I was not able to get access to the low-level device by means of pure Java. Adding dd.exe to Windows was, in my view, the simplest solution, and it proved to work, and I got a uniform procedure for all operating systems.

 

It should not require more than putting dd.exe in some directory and pointing TIMT to it, or did you encounter more issues?

[pixelpedant]

Hi, do you use the actual version of TI99DIR ?

 

Yeah, the 6.3a version from http://www.ti99-geek.nl. Would have tried earlier versions if I could find any for download, but couldn't locate any.

 

AFAIK TI99Dir can only copy whole disk images to the nanoPEB CF card. I cannot see the content of volumes or copy individual files.

 

Yeah, that would appear to be the case, in the end. Still doesn't explain why any disks it copied were unreadable on the TI 99/4A end of things though. Even simply copying a volume to the PC, then copying it back to the CF (via the "copy files" menu option), made it unreadable. Where copying CF volumes off the card, modifying the volumes or not, copying them back, succeeded in TI Image Tool.

 

 

Sorry for the "fiddling", but I was not able to get access to the low-level device by means of pure Java. Adding dd.exe to Windows was, in my view, the simplest solution, and it proved to work, and I got a uniform procedure for all operating systems.

 

It should not require more than putting dd.exe in some directory and pointing TIMT to it, or did you encounter more issues?

 

Well, you won't hear any complaints from me, given the tool saved the day. But yeah, I wasn't able to achieve a successful CF write (but was able to achieve a successful CF read) by way of the menu itself. So I just copied the command line arguments provided to an elevated command prompt so I could see what was going on, and executed them there, and all was well. Thank you so much for your tool. I believe I'll be using it from here on in.

Edited May 20, 2018 by pixelpedant

[Opry99er]

I struggled with the CF card reading and writing for quite a while. Took some fiddling with V9T9 settings vs PC99, FIAD, etc. I can't remember precisely what I did, but I'm able to use my stuff now.

 

We put some CF stuff up on the CTIUG Facebook page last week... might be of some help!