Amiga Workbench 3.1 Adf

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Workbench
Developer(s)Commodore International, Haage & Partner, Hyperion Entertainment
Initial release1985; 35 years ago
Stable release
Written inC
Operating systemAmigaOS
PlatformAmiga, AmigaOne, Pegasos, SAM
TypeFile manager
LicenseProprietary software

Workbench is the graphical file manager of AmigaOS developed by Commodore International for their Amiga line of computers. Workbench provides the user with a graphical interface to work with file systems and launch applications. It uses a workbench metaphor (in place of the more common desktop metaphor) for representing file system organisation.

Confusingly, 'Workbench' was also the name originally given to the entire Amigaoperating system up until version 3.1. From release 3.5 the operating system was renamed 'AmigaOS' and subsequently 'Workbench' refers to the native file manager only (similarly[clarification needed – discuss], 'System' was the name given to Mac OS up until version 7.6).

Overview[edit]

Workbench 1.3 UK on floppy disk

The Amiga Workbench uses the metaphor of a workbench (i.e. a workbench for manual labor), rather than the now-standard desktop metaphor, for representing file system organization. The desktop itself is called Workbench and uses the following representations: drawers (instead of folders) for directories, tools for executable programs, projects for data files, and a trash can as a folder intended to contain deleted files. These representations may be considered somewhat unusual by a modern user, but at the time there were no commonly accepted metaphors and Commodore chose to use different idioms from their competitors (Apple had already pursued legal action to prevent other software companies from offering graphical user interfaces similar to its own).

Workbench is a spatial file manager in the sense that it uses a spatial metaphor to represent files and folders as if they are real physical objects. Under this concept, each drawer (folder) opens in its own window, rather than within a single browser under the now more common navigational concept.

Workbench utilizes the Amiga's native windowing system called Intuition to provide the graphical user interface. Intuition manages the rendering of screens, windows, and gadgets (graphical elements, equivalent to widgets). Later versions of AmigaOS enhanced the interface with more complex object-oriented widget systems, such as gadtools.library and BOOPSI (AmigaOS 2.0 and later) and ReAction (AmigaOS 3.5 and later). Intuition also handles user input events, such as, input from the keyboard and mouse. Workbench requires a two button mouse, where right click operates pull-down menus and left click is used for all other purposes.

The underlying AmigaOS allows the Workbench to launch multiple applications that can execute concurrently. This is achieved through Exec, the Amiga's multi-tasking kernel, which handles memory management, message passing, and task scheduling. Applications launched from Workbench could report their success back to Workbench, but this was not a requirement and few actually did.

Workbench itself has always been a disk-based component, though much of the underlying functionality is stored in the Amiga's Kickstart firmware, usually stored in ROM. As a consequence, it is necessary to boot from a system disk to launch Workbench. This setup streamlines the process of launching games (which typically do not require Workbench) and ensures that memory is not used unnecessarily by the OS in memory-limited systems.

Workbench was shipped with all Amiga models from Commodore. Workbench was provided either on floppy disk or later (as part of AmigaOS) on CD-ROM. Initially, Workbench was designed to be launched and operate from floppy disk (or other removable media). Later versions could be installed on hard disk, for which an installer was developed for use with AmigaOS 2.0 and later. AmigaOS (including Workbench) often came pre-installed on systems shipped with hard disks.

  • 1985 Workbench 1.0
  • 1990 Workbench 2.0
  • 1992 Workbench 3.0
  • 1994 Amiga OS 3.1
  • 1999 Amiga OS 3.5
  • 2000 Amiga OS 3.9
  • 2006 Amiga OS 4.0

Versions[edit]

Up until release 3.1 of the Amiga's operating system, Commodore used Workbench to refer to the entire Amiga operating system. As a consequence Workbench was commonly used to refer to both the operating system and the file manager component. For end users Workbench was often synonymous with AmigaOS. From version 3.5 the OS was renamed 'AmigaOS' and pre-3.5 versions were also retroactively referred to as 'AmigaOS' (rather than Workbench). Subsequently, 'Workbench' refers to the native graphical file manager only.

From its inception, Workbench offered a highly customizable interface. The user could change the aspect of program icons replacing it with newer ones with different color combinations. Users could also take a 'snapshot' of icons and windows so the icons will remain on the desktop at coordinates chosen by user and windows will open at the desired size.

Workbench 1.x[edit]

Amiga Workbench 1.0

Workbench 1.0 was released with the first Amiga, the Amiga 1000, in 1985. The 1.x versions of Workbench used a garish blue-and-orange color scheme, designed to give high contrast on even the worst of television screens (the colors can be changed by the user). Versions 1.1 consists mostly of bug fixes and, like version 1.0, was distributed for the Amiga 1000 only.

The display was highly customizable for the era. The user was free to create and modify system and user icons, while Atari TOS featured only default system icons whose appearance could not be modified and customizing icons on the Macintosh required using ResEdit. Icons can be of arbitrary size and design and can have two image states to produce a pseudo-animated effect when selected. Users could customize four display colours and choose from two resolutions: 640×200 or 640×400 (interlaced) on NTSC, or 640×256 or 640×512 on PAL systems. In later revisions, the TV or monitor overscan could be adjusted.

Several features were deprecated in later versions. For example, the gauge meter showing the free space on a file system was replaced with a percentage in Workbench 2.0. Under Workbench 1.x, right clicking on icons opens a display of the files metadata, whereas from Workbench 2.0 right clicking activates pull-down menus only. The default 'busy' pointer (a comic balloon showing 'Zzz...') was replaced with a stopwatch in later versions.

Workbench 2.0, 2.1[edit]

Amiga Workbench 2.0

Workbench 2.0 was released with the launch of the Amiga 3000 in 1990. Until AmigaOS 2.0 there was no unified look and feel design standard and application developers had to write their own widgets (both buttons and menus) if they wished to enhance the already-meager selection of standard basic widgets provided by Intuition. With Workbench 2.0 gadtools.library was created, which provided standard widget sets. The Amiga User Interface Style Guide,[1] was published which explained how applications should be laid out for consistency. Intuition was improved with BOOPSI (Basic Object Oriented Programming system for Intuition) which enhanced the system with an object-oriented interface to define a system of classes in which every class individuate a single widget or describes an interface event. It can be used to program object oriented interfaces into Amiga at any level. As of Workbench 2.0 all files became visible as icons without the need of associated .info files, thus streamlining the process of starting executables in the GUI.

Workbench 2.0 also added support for public screens. Instead of the Workbench screen being the only shareable screen, applications could create their own named screens to share with other applications.

Workbench 2.0 included and integrated ARexx, allowing users to control the system and other programs from user scripts.

Workbench 2.0 introduced AmigaGuide, a simple text-only hypertext markup scheme and browser, for providing online help inside applications. It also introduced Installer, a standard software installation program, driven by a LISP-like scripting language.

Finally, Workbench 2.0 rectified the problem of applications hooking directly into the input-events stream to capture keyboard and mouse movements, sometimes locking up the whole system. Workbench 2.0 provided Commodities, a standard interface for modifying or scanning input events. This included a standard method for specifying global 'hotkey' key-sequences, and a Commodities Exchange registry for the user to see which commodities were running.

Workbench 3.0, 3.1[edit]

Amiga Workbench 3.1

Version 3.0 was originally shipped with the Amiga 1200 and Amiga 4000 computers. Version 3.0 added datatype support and Workbench could load any background image in any format, as long as the required datatype was installed. This feature was also used in Multiview. Its capabilities were directly related to the datatypes installed in Devs:Datatypes. Localisation was added to allow Workbench, and any installed programs that had localisation, to appear in any supported language.The established AmigaGuide hypertext system gained more usability by using document links pointing to mediafiles, for example pictures or sounds, all recognized by the datatypes.

Workbench 3.5, 3.9[edit]

Amiga Workbench 3.1 Adf
Amiga Workbench 3.9, (2000)

Following Commodore's demise and around six years after Workbench 3.1 was released, Haage & Partner were commissioned to update AmigaOS, which was released in 1999 as a software-only update for existing systems.

The Workbench look and feel, though still largely based on the earlier 3.1 release, was revised somewhat, with an improved user interface based on ReAction, improved icon rendering and official support for true colorbackdrops. These releases included support for existing third-party GUI enhancements, such as NewIcons, by integrating these patches into the system. The 3.5 and 3.9 releases included a new set of 256-color icons and a choice of desktop wallpaper. These replaced the default all-metal gray 4/8 color scheme used on AmigaOS from release 2.0 to 3.1.

The 3.9 release of Workbench was again developed by Haage&Partner and released in 2000. The main improvements were the introduction of a program start bar called AmiDock, revised user interfaces for system settings and improved utility programs.

Workbench 4.0, 4.1[edit]

Amiga Workbench 4.0

This new Workbench, called Workbench 4.0[1], has been rewritten to become fully PowerPC compatible. It was part of AmigaOS 4.0, and released in 2006.Since the fourth Developer Pre-Release Update screens are now draggable in any direction.[2]Drag and drop of Workbench icons between different screens is also possible.

Additionally, Workbench 4.0 includes a new version of Amidock, TrueType/OpenType fonts and movie player with DivX and MPEG-4 support.

In AmigaOS 4.1, a new Startup preferences feature was added which replaced the WBStartup drawer. Additional enhancements include: a new icon set to complement higher screen resolutions, new window themes including drop shadows, AmiDock with true transparency, scalable icons, and a Workbench auto-update feature.[3]

Workbench icons[edit]

The icons that Workbench uses to represent the files in a volume or a drawer are stored in special .info files, with the name of the .info file matching the name of the file it represents. For example, the icon for NotePad, a text editor, is found in the file NotePad.info. This .info extension is the only file extension required by AmigaOS.

The .info file contains the icon image and its spatial position within its parent window. The icon also specifies the type of the file, as used by Workbench. Workbench recognises five different file types:[4]

  • Tool: An executable program.
  • Project: A data file of an executable program. The program which created the file is named in the icon file; double-clicking on the icon loads the program that created it.
  • Drawer: A directory containing files, and other drawers.
  • Volume: A physical disk or a RAM disk.
  • Garbage: The Trashcan – a deleted file backup, which works in a similar way to the 'Recycle bin' in Microsoft Windows.

An additional three file types are available and are intended for future expansion:

  • Device: designed for displaying information about attached devices
  • Kick: The icon of a bootable disk
  • App Icon: An icon which will be used as (part of) the GUI for an application

Of these three file types, only 'App Icons' currently are used by any part of Workbench/AmigaOS.

While an icon may represent or suggest a file type, the type of the related file is specified by its very own properties, along with the restrictions(AmigaDOS: protection flags) given to thi file. For example, if you add a tool icon to a text document file, AmigaOS will tell you the file 'is not executable' or 'is not of required type' as it has no 'e'-protection-flag (AmigaDOS: Hold, Script, Pure, Archived, Read, Writeable, Executable, Deletable) nor does it have the startup header of an executable. Also, stripping an 'application' from its counterpart icon file ('application'.info) will not render this application useless; it still remains executable, it will run, only missing the (required) options and arguments delivered from workbench via icons 'tool types', e.g. stack size, public screen, etc..

Starting in Workbench 2.x, a file without a .info counterpart (such as a file on non-native media) is represented by the default system icon for one of the five types listed above. These default icons are also customizable. Icon-less files are only displayed in this manner if the drawer is configured to [Show All Files] – if this option is not set (which is the case in Workbench 1.x), such files will not appear at all and can only be seen from a CLI.

Tool (application) files can include 'tool types' in the .info file. These are used as configuration options for the program. Each tool type is a single line of text, which can optionally include parameters written after an = sign. Tool types can be commented out by writing them in parentheses. For example, the tooltype 'CX_POPKEY=ctrl alt f1' defines that the application (a Commodity) will activate the user interface in response to the key sequence Ctrl-Alt-F1.

The colours used in the icon are normally only stored as indices to the Amiga Workbench screen's current palette. Because of this, the icons' colour scheme is inherently tied to the chosen hues in the screen's palette, and choosing non-standard colours can give the icons an ugly appearance. This problem was partly solved by a third-party system called NewIcons, which adds additional features to the standard .info files. Unlike normal Workbench icons, NewIcons include actual RGB colour information, and the system tries its best to match the icons' colour hues to those in the screen palette.

Since AmigaOS 3.5, Workbench supports icons with up to 256 colors. This release of AmigaOS features the GlowIcons icon set by Matt Chaput. With AmigaOS 3.5, a screen-palette-independent system is used. The 4.0 icons, designed by Martin Merz, can use a 24-bit palette.

Both AROS and MorphOS support PNG icons natively. PNG allows using full 24-bit palette with alpha blending. On Amiga Workbench PNG icons are supported through plugins.

Comparison to other file managers[edit]

In comparison to the competing Mac OS and Atari, the early Amiga Workbench (pre-Workbench 2.04) featured, as the default, a 4 color blue desktop screen with color icons at 640 × 200NTSC American standard or 640 × 256 on European PAL television sets, in contrast to the 512 × 342 black and white interface presented by the Mac. The Amiga user was also free to create and modify system and program icons, while Atari TOS featured only default system icons whose appearance could not be modified.

Workbench contributed many other unique features/philosophies to intuitive GUI design (starting with version 2.04/2.1):

  • Menu item indenting, which immediately indicated the item was a 'toggle' function, eliminating guesswork for the user.
  • The concept of tri-level information using bevel shading to simulate a 3d appearance. Indented controls indicated information-only text, surface-level controls represented labels for GUI elements, and raised GUI elements indicated data editable by, or interactive with, the user.
  • Much like the 'File' and 'Edit' menus became standard on most GUIs, Workbench implemented the concept of a 'Settings' menu designed to standardize the location for all options within an application.
  • Standardized buttons for OS-level preferences or settings dialog boxes through 'Save', 'Use', and 'Cancel' provided a simple and consistent means for short- and long-term settings use.
  • Standardized preference settings for user-level import and export through a '.prefs' extension and file format.
  • Commodities Exchange: a consistent programming standard and GUI for easy launch, control, and removal of all TSRs or background-process utilities/mini-apps.
  • Datatypes: a modular and user-customizable data identification system that the OS used to recognize, launch, edit, and provide a means of importing and exporting data between OS and applications alike.
  • Locale: an OS and application-wide GUI that provided the means for implementing user-selectable language, time, and other locale-specific settings.

Criticisms[edit]

The freedom in customization and the multitude of color settings and aspects available to the user were sometimes seen as chaotic. Customization permitted icons of a vastly different size and appearance than those of the original system icons. Before Workbench 2.0, there were no user interface design guidelines, so the look and feel of menu options could be different from one application to the next (i.e. the layout of basic items like Load, Save, Open, Close, Quit, etc.). This was seen as a problem with the Amiga by its detractors. The historical GUI site GUIdebook[5] calls Amiga Workbench a 'unique (if slightly chaotic) GUI for Amiga machines'.

Use in fictional media[edit]

The Ren'py visual novel Digital: A Love Story uses an Amiga Workbench 1.0 design (known as Amie Workbench within the game).

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  • ^AmigaOS 4.0 Image included in this article it is intended for fair use. Neither Hyperion VOF (Belgium), nor Amiga Inc. (USA) have previously opposed publishing AmigaOS 4.0 screenshots donated by users. Owners of Copyrights are free to register and write in the talk page of this article to ask for the removing of this image from article, and to ask also for its deletion from Wikipedia images.

References[edit]

  1. ^Commodore-Amiga 1991
  2. ^AmigaOS 4.0 – the fourth pre-release update.
  3. ^Hans-Jörg Frieden. 'Update 1 of AmigaOS 4.1 available for immediate download'.
  4. ^Ryan 1990
  5. ^Amiga OS GUIs – GUIdebook: Graphical User Interface gallery
  • Commodore-Amiga Inc. (1991). Amiga User Interface Style Guide. Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc. Boston, MA, USA. ISBN0-201-57757-7.
  • Ryan, Bob (1990). Official AmigaDOS 2 Companion. IDG Books. ISBN1-878058-09-6.

External links[edit]

  • All versions of Workbench explained on AmigaHistory site
  • In the Beginning Was CAOS, by Andy Finkel (updated version of 1988 Amiga Transactor article)
  • Name of the Amiga Operating System explained on Amiga Forever site
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Workbench_(AmigaOS)&oldid=993498960'

About a year ago, I bought an Amiga 600. It did not have a hard drive, but all Amiga 600 have an IDE port, and you can use a Compact Flash card with a CF-IDE adapter as a hard drive. That worked fine, and I could install Workbench on the CF card, and use it. But eventually I though I should try to use WHDLoad, so that I could run more games directly from the hard drive. I found a video by Nostalgia Nerd on Youtube, where he goes through the process of installing Classic Workbench and WHDLoad on a Compact Flash card, unfortunately this video is (currently) four years old, and also very… quick? With the help of the comments[1] and some trial and error, I managed to get it working, though.

Now, recently I was generously given an Amiga 1200. This one actually had a hard drive, but who knows how long that will keep on working, so I though I’d replace it with a Compact Flash card as well. This time, however, for the benefits of my readers[2] I thought I’d write down the process in a blog post. I thought it might be useful because a) I prefer written instructions, and b) it would give me a chance to update and correct the instructions so that they actually work.

The original video can be found here, along with instructions and download links.

I won’t go into the hardware side of this, because there’s really nothing to it. But you will need a Compact Flash card with a capacity of at least 4GB, some kind of CF-IDE adapter (not neccessarily that one) and of course a Compact Flash reader for your computer. This tutorial also assumes that you are running Windows, although it should be possible to use pretty much the same procedure with FS-UAE on Linux or Mac.

Step 1 - Download stuff

First of all, you will need to download a bunch of software.

WinUAE - Amiga emulator

This tutorial uses the WinUAE amiga emulator, which can be found on winuae.net. I was using version 4.0.1, although I now see that version 4.3.0 is available. From what I can tell, the difference seems to be very minor, so it shouldn’t matter.

Kickstart / Workbench

You will need a copy of the Kickstart ROM and Workbench disk images, version 3.0 or 3.1. This is still under copyright, and at least the Workbench images can be bought from amigaforever.com. They can also be found on several places on the Internet, as usual DuckDuckGo is your friend.

PFS3 File System support

You probably want to use the PFS3 file system, and you will need to download the handler for that from http://aminet.net/package/disk/misc/pfs3aio. This is not strictly necessary, but it’s faster than the standard AFFS and supports larger partitions.

Classic WB

Hard disk images for Classic WB can be found at (classicwb.abime.net)[http://classicwb.abime.net/]. I used the LITE version for the Amiga 1200, but for an Amiga 600 you probably want the 68K version.

You will also need kickstart files for WHDLoad. These can be found for example at (paradise.untergrund.net)[https://paradise.untergrund.net/tmp/PREMIUM/amiga_tools/], it’s the kickstarts.lha file you’re looking for.

Game and Demo packs

The original tutorial suggested that game packs could be downloaded from http://kg.whdownload.com/kgwhd/, but that doesn’t seem to work anymore. I downloaded both games and demo packs from ftp://grandis.nu/Commodore_Amiga/Retroplay/, but they are available from many more places, just search for whdload games pack.

Put everything in a folder somewhere on your PC.

Step 2 - Clean the CF card

In order to use the Compact Flash card in an Amiga, you need to remove all previous file system information from it. In order to do this, run diskpart in an Administrative command prompt.

First, list your disk by entering list disk. This should give you a result something like this:

Next, select your compact flash card, in my case it’s disk 6: select disk 6. Be very, very sure that you select the correct disk. You will destroy everything on it.

If you want to be completely sure that you have selected the correct disk, you can run detail disk just to verify. When you are 100% sure, run clean. This completely wipes the file system information from the disk, making it ready to use in the Amiga. exit diskpart.

Step 3 - Configure virtual Amiga in WinUAE

Start WinUAE as Administrator. Now we need to configure the system, and make it a little faster than a real Amiga. Otherwise this process will take literally[3] forever.

CPU and FPU

  • CPU: 68040 (or maybe 68060) / JIT
  • FPU: CPU Internal / More Compatible
  • CPU Emulation speed: Fastest possible

Chipset

Uncheck cycle exact, otherwise leave the default values.

Amiga Workbench 3.1 Rom

RAM

Add some Z3 Fast RAM, I used 64 MB, just as in the original video.

ROM

Use the appropriate Kickstart ROM (probably the same as in your amiga). It needs to be version 3.0 or 3.1.

Floppy drives

Add the Workbench installer disk image to DF0:. It should not be write protected (use a copy if you don’t want to risk modifying your original image).

Hard drive (Compact Flash, really)

Now you need to add your compact flash card as a file system, as well as the pfs3 handler. Enter the CD & Hard drives section.

Add the pfs3aio archive as device f

If you want to use the PFS3 file system (which is recommended), you need to mount the archive with the handler as a file system as well:

  • Click “Add Directory or Archive”
  • Select “Archive or plain file”
  • Select pfs3aio.lha
  • Device name: f

Add the Compact Flash card

The next step is to add your Compact Flash card, and this is why you need to run WinUAE as administrator, otherwise it won’t work.

  • Click “Add Hard Drive”
  • Select the Compact Flash card as hard drive (it might be called something completely different on your machine)
  • Change from UEA to IDE (Auto)
  • Make sure Read/Write is checked
  • Click “Add hard drive”

Start the virtual machine!

Step 3 - Partition Compact Flash card

Amiga Workbench 3.1 Download

Now we need to partition and format the Compact Flash card for use in an amiga.

  • Open the Install disk and the HDTools drawer.
  • Start HDToolbox, you should see Interface SCSI, Address 0, LUN 0, Status Unknown
  • Click “Change drive type” -> “Define new” -> “Read configuration” -> “Continue” to configure the CF drive (ignore the values read, the Amiga does not really understand 4 GB Drive)
  • Click OK and go back to the list of hard drives in the system.
  • Click “Partition Drive”
  • Set up a small(ish) system partition, like 250 MB. Change the name to DH0.
  • Set up the rest of the CF Card as a partition, name it DH1.

Optional: Use the pfs3 file system

  • Check Advanced options and then click “Add/Update”
  • Click Add New File System
  • Enter filename f:pfs3aio (NOT pfs3_aio-handler as is claimed in the video, that is no longer correct) and click OK
  • Change DosType to 0x50465303 and remember to press Enter in the field
  • Click OK and OK to get back to your partitions
  • Select DH0, and click “Change” to change to the new file system
  • Select Custom File System or PFS/03 (depending on your Workbench version, I think)
  • Make sure Identifier says 0x50465303 (otherwise change it)
  • Change MaxTransfer to 0x1fe00 (and press enter)
  • Click OK
  • Repeat for DH1 (you don’t have to add the PFS3 file system again)

Now we’re done with the partitioning. Click OK, and then “Save changes to drive” (if you get an error here, you may want to try another Card Reader). Exit HDToolbox and reset the virtual Amiga.

Step 3 - Install Classic WB

Alright, if you’re still with me, it’s finally time to install Classic Workbench!

First, format the partitions by right clicking on them and select Icons -> Format disk from the menu. Name DH0 System and DH1 whatever you want (I just named mine Stuff). Make sure to use Quick Format. Confirm all warnings.

Then, press F12 to enter the WinUAE settings and go to CD & Hard Drives. Now you need to add the System.hdf file that you extracted from the Classic WB archive you downloaded in Step 1. Click Add Hardfile and select the System.hdf file. Make sure that the HD Controller is UAE, and name the device DH2. You should set boot prio to 1 (not 0).

You can remove the pfs3aio device, and then go to Floppy drives and eject all floppy drives. Restart the virtual machine.

It should now boot into the Classic WB installer. Follow the instructions (there are many, many options, and I have no good advice to give about them), and when prompted to insert a Workbench disk, press F12 to enter settings and do that. This is your change to choose between Workbench 3.0 and 3.1.

After the installation is done, and you have restarted, you probably will not see you compact flash partitions. This is because the Amiga gets confused by the two System partions. Rename the Classic WB partition to System2 (or something other than just System) and restart the virtual machine. You should now see all partitions.

Now you need to copy all the System/Workbench files from the System.hbf image to the System partition on the Compact Flash card. Start DOPUS by clicking RUN and selecting DOPUS. Select DH2: on the left (if DH2 does not appear in the list, you may have to type it in), and DH0: on the right. Select DH2 and click “All” to select all files, and then “Copy” to copy everything to the CF card. This will take a while.

After the copying is done, press F12 again to go into settings, and remove the System.hbf image from the hard disks. You should now only have your Compact Flash card left. Reset the virtual machine, and you should hopefully boot back into Classic Workbench.

Congratulations, you now have a working Compact Flash card for use in your Amiga. At this point, you could install it in the Amiga, start it, and everything should work. However, the point of Amiga is playing games, so we have one step left!

Step 4 - Copy Games and Demos for WHDLoad

First, we need to mount the folder where you put your games, demos and kickstarts as a file system in the virtual amiga.

  • Go into WinUAE settings -> CD & Hard Drives and click “Add Directory or Archive”.
  • Click “Select Directory” and point to where your Games and Demos are.
  • Put PC as both Device name and Volume label. Uncheck bootable. Click OK, and reset the machine.
  • You should now see a drive called PC on your workbench.

Second, we need to copy all the kickstart files. WHDLoad uses these to emulate[4] the correct environment for the games and applications.

  • If you haven’t done so already, unpack the kickstarts.lha archive into a folder.
  • Open DOPUS again, and select PC for the left side, and navigate into where you unpacked your kickstarts.
  • Copy all the kickstarts file to DH0:Devs/Kickstarts. Overwrite any files already there.

The Games and Demos need to be unpack into individual folders grouped by initial. For example Games/A/AnotherWorld_v2.4_0425. For games beginning with a number, the folder should be called 0_9. This can be done on the PC, or you can unpack them using DOPUS (as long as you have grouped them by initial).

Workbench 3.1 Adf Download

Depending on the size of your CF card, all games might not fit, or if you just don’t want that many, you can just select the ones you like. I think it’s fine to group them into fewer folders then, e.g. A_E, F_K et cetera. At least the demos I downloaded were grouped like that, and it seems to work fine.

Now, use DOPUS again to copy the files from PC to DH1. If you did not unpack the archives earlier you can use Arc Ext to extract all the archives, buy you will have to do it folder by folder. I copied them to DH1:Gamesand DH1:Demos, but you can organise your files however you want.

Go back into settings, and remove all file systems except for the Compact Flash card. Reset the system, and it should boot back into Classic WB on your Compact Flash card.

Time to configure the system so that WHDLoad can find your games and demos!

  • Right click the top bar and select Workbench -> Startup from the drop down menu. Click Assign.
  • Change the locations for Games (and Demos) to where you put them. In my case, change the line that reads Assign >NIL: A-Games: SYS:Games to Assign >NIL: A-Games: DH1:Games (and likewise for demos).
  • Click the close icon in the top left corner and then click Save. Reset the machine again.

Finally, we need to add the games (and demos) to WHDLoad. Double click on the Files drawer in the bottom, and select AddGames. This may take some time. Do the same for AddDemos.

Now you can verify that the games are available. Right click on the desktop (of the Amiga!) and select RUN -> Games. This should bring up the GamesMenu where you now should see a long list of games.

Step 5 - Hardware install

There is not really much to this, and the video explains it pretty good. Use a CF-IDE adapter of some kind, and connect it to the IDE port of the Amiga. That’s it.

UPDATE: When I tried to put the CF card in my Amiga 1200, it didn’t recognize it, even though it had worked in my Amiga 600. I thought I had the same CF-IDE adapter, but on closer inspection it turned out they were not exactly the same. They both say CF-IDE44/2.0 ADAPTER, but the one that works has version V.H2, while the other one has version V.B1. And it seems that other people have had the same issue with the V.B1. So if you use this kind of CF-IDE adapter, make sure it says V.H2 and NOT V.B1!

Adf

Amiga Workbench 3.1 Install

Start the Amiga (the real one), and it should boot to your Compact Flash card. Bring up the RUN -> Games menu, and double click a game to start it!

Amiga Workbench 3.1 Adf Download

  1. 1.Youtube comments are more useful than their reputation would have you believe! ↩
  2. 2.That is, me, a few months from now. ↩
  3. 3.figuratively ↩
  4. 4.It might not technically be emulation, but I have a very rudimentary idea of how WHDLoad works... ↩

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