QL-SD assistance needed

[lowrybt]

Just installed a new QL-SD into my Samsung manufactured QL and encountering a few bumps. The configurations is as follows:

Minerva version of the QL-SD
64MB QL_BDI.BIN copied right from the starter pack
QL-SD slotted into MDV2 space
512K Expanderam installed
Cumana V1.14 floppy interface w. one DD 3.5" drive
HxC floppy emulator with numerous QL DD HFE images
Hermes IC installed

Here are the issues:

WCopy does not work. System hangs, does not offer Y/N/A/Q prompts. No error message.

Save does not work when overwriting a same-name file. System does prompt user to confirm if okay to overwrite file but hangs at that point.

Copy procedure hangs if attempting to copy a file over a same-named file -- same symptoms as Save issue.

Save and Copy work fine when writing files with new names (not overwriting).

MDV1 can be addressed, motor spins, but "not found" is always the outcome.

HxC not recognized\"not found" when addressed as flp1_.

I have rolled back the install to see what happens. Removing the Cumana drive interface (in case TK2 conflicts were an issue) did not resolve the problem the file command issues. Removing the QL-SD and restoring old ROMS, then connecting the Cumana interface fixed the file command issues but that's not a good solution. (Also fixed the HxC functionality)

MDV1 is still not working. Possible there's a jumper I need to set now that MDV2 is gone?

The file command thing is really weird. I have issued the TK2_EXT command after QL-SD boot up (even though it's already in the boot file) with no joy regarding the file command issues.

Any help with any of these items will be most appreciated!!

[RWAP]

A few people seem to report an issue with Toolkit II - I wonder if it might be worth putting a freshly downloaded copy of Toolkit II on the SD card?

Microdrive 1 should still work despite microdrive 2 being missing - check the usual things, such as cleaning the tape head, ensure the roller on the left hand side has a gap of around .25mm underneath it (no more) and check the leads have not been disturbed when you removed mdv2

[tofro]

All in all that's a weird effect I haven't seen yet.

A few people seem to report an issue with Toolkit II - I wonder if it might be worth putting a freshly downloaded copy of Toolkit II on the SD card?

Right, definitively second that. The TK2 version that comes with QL-SD could possibly be clashing with some external hardware in specific combinations (or maybe remnants of some older drivers that are part of the TK2 ROM image? - Just a wild guess). I would definitively try some of the other available versions before doing anything else. I only have extensions here that also already supply TK2 from ROM (so I don't/cannot use the one from SD card) and don't have any problems regarding TKII.
Also, please start removing/commenting everything else that's not needed from your boot file down to a bare-bone "load TK2" setup - to exclude any further possible clashes or incompatibilities - and please report back.

Microdrive 1 should still work despite microdrive 2 being missing - check the usual things, such as cleaning the tape head, ensure the roller on the left hand side has a gap of around .25mm underneath it (no more) and check the leads have not been disturbed when you removed mdv2

Also right. The drives are chained together and should work up to the drive # where the chain is interrupted, so mdv1_ should work regardless of mdv2_ present or not (and it does here). No need for a jumper or anything to retain mdv1_ working. I'd guess you've disturbed the mdv1_ connection somehow and would recommend giving that a thorough check. If all else fails, plug in your mdv2_ instead of mdv1 to verify it's not the drive itself.

Cheers,
Tobias

[lowrybt]

So the conflict appears to be with Make_Dir_Bin, the make_dir facility that comes with the QL-SD. Once it is REM'd out in the boot file, WCOPY works and the problem with any overwriting operations disappears.

Oddly, I continue to see some anomalies with WCOPY. Sometimes when I create and write to a new directory using WCOPY (Ex\ WCOPY FLP1_ to SDC1_NewDirectory_ ) the operation creates the new directory and appropriately writes over the files. Sometimes, though, it copies the files from FLP1_ into the SDC1 root with NewDirectory_ concatenated to the file name. I want to see if I can fix this with DEST_USE.

[tofro]

Oddly, I continue to see some anomalies with WCOPY. Sometimes when I create and write to a new directory using WCOPY (Ex\ WCOPY FLP1_ to SDC1_NewDirectory_ ) the operation creates the new directory and appropriately writes over the files. Sometimes, though, it copies the files from FLP1_ into the SDC1 root with NewDirectory_ concatenated to the file name. I want to see if I can fix this with DEST_USE.

Funny: WCOPY is not made to create directories. Ever. It doesn't even know about them. So I don't really understand the first case you describe (except if the directory was there before....). In case the directory doesn't exist, your second case described would be correct behavior.

Maybe the MAKE_DIR that comes with QL-SD has a flaw?

Tobias

[XorA]

Directories are a huge hack so its not surprising different commands "handle" them in strange ways.

[vanpeebles]

Directories on the QL are scary!

[tofro]

Directories are a huge hack so its not surprising different commands "handle" them in strange ways.

I'd like to challenge that

Directories on the QL are not much differently implemented than on other file/operating systems. They create files that hold the contents of that directory. In QDOS, the "contents" happens to be a copy of the file's headers.

The reasons directory are actually a bit scary to operate are IMHO:

• There's no concept of a current drive/current directory in QDOS which is a shame. So each and every command regarding files needs to exactly specify "where" (This has somewhat been added to TK2, but is not known in the drivers.)
• There's no low-level API for directories in QDOS (except "open directory"). Other systems have "find first/next" APIs which are missing in QDOS.

But given the two 128k microdrives that were used as a design baseline for the OS we've actually come quite far supporting multi-Gigabyte storage with only extension of drivers and implementation of one single new command (I think ).

The only command really "handling" directories is actually MAKE_DIR. Everything else is just an interpretation of the file names in the device driver.

Regards,
Tobias

[lowrybt]

So any thoughts on sources for old or new versions of Make_Dir that I could try with my combination of hardware -- or alternatives? Could I use Qtrans to create directories in the pointer environment?

[dilwyn]

So any thoughts on sources for old or new versions of Make_Dir that I could try with my combination of hardware -- or alternatives? Could I use Qtrans to create directories in the pointer environment?

QTrans ses a compiled MAKE_DIR to create the directory, so no improvement and anyway would not work on a system that did not already have a MAKE_DIR command installed.