Booting from the CFFA3000 card

[jcummings]

Another case of being smarter than the hardware...

I have the new CFFA3000 card in slot 2 of a ROM 03 IIgs and an older CFFA card in slot 7. The IIgs is Zipped to 8hrz and I have aprox 8mb of RAM. I have a LexMark CF card in slot 7 running 6.0.1. I have a Sandisk CF card in slot 2 in the CFFA3000 card w/4 partitions. All of the zipped slots are set to 'fast'. The IIgs will not initially boot from the CFFA3000 card in either slot 2 or 7 with CF card that holds the System software. After I perform a 'reset', the machine recognizes the location and contents of the 3000 card and/or the USB stick attached to the card. Booting from the older CFFA card results in Sys 6.0.1 starting up but not recognizing the 3000 card now moved from slot 7 to slot 2. A reset operation cures the problem; the IIgs uploads and starts Sys 6.0.1 and recognizes the 3000 card w/partitions in slot 2. Removing the older CFFA completely from the computer changes nothing; using a different brand of CR card with a new copy of GS/OS changes nothing.

So, going into the CFFA3000 control panel, I see that there are adjustments to the various timing functions of the card. I this the solution to the laggard '3000 card?

[david__schmidt]

I'm not sure I completely follow what your problem is. But it seems that there are circumstances under which "traditional" hard-coded partitions in your CFFA3000 in slot 2 are recognized, and circumstances under which they are not; and doing a warm reset vs. a cold start seems to cure whatever it is that ails it.

A couple of things come to mind first: do you have slot 2 set to "your card" in the IIgs control panel? And second, are you on version 3.0.1 of the firmware?
https://dreher.net/projects/CFforAppleII ... v3.0.1.zip

If the answer to both of those questions is "yes," then try this as a test:
1. Go into the CFFA3000 control panel after the machine has been reset
2. Get into the debug menu with Ctrl-D, then clear the log with menu item "3 - clear log"
3. Turn the IIgs off, wait a good 10 seconds, then turn it back on
4. Let it boot into GSOS, verify the CFFA3000 drives aren't there
5. Get into the CFFA3000 CDA with Ctrl-OpenApple-Escape, picking "CFFA3000 (Slot 2)"
6. Back into the debug log with Ctrl-D, then "1 - View log" or "2 - Save log"
Post the log results here - does anything catch your eye in there about what might be wrong?

[jcummings]

The problem is that the computer doesn't recognize a cold-start slot 2 or slot 7 CFFA 3000, regardless of which CF card that I'm using. A warm re-boot solves the problem.

Yes, slot 2 is set for "Your Card". I don't have version 3.0.1 update running on my CFFA 3000 card, not sure how to install that upgrade after I have downloaded it from the link below (switch #8?)

[david__schmidt]

To upgrade the firmware, just copy CFFA.bin to the root of your CF card and turn the machine on. Getting into the menu system of the CFFA3000, it will automatically pick up the upgrade. It would be interesting to know what version your card was running before, too.

[jcummings]

No luck upgrading the CFFA3000 card. I have since moved it into slot 7 but it still won't do a 'cold boot'. It also won't recognize the upgrade file that I think I've got loaded onto the CF card. I've ordered another CFFA 3000 card to replace the current one to see if it's the card or something that I should be doing when I first stuck in in the machine.

[david__schmidt]

No luck upgrading the CFFA3000 card.

What level of firmware is your card running now? It will say in the top of the menu system.

It also won't recognize the upgrade file that I think I've got loaded onto the CF card.

That might happen if the "new" level in the file is the same as is already loaded on the card.