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--- x68000:installing_games_to_hard_drive [2012/02/18 05:08] – eidis
+++ x68000:installing_games_to_hard_drive [2014/05/30 18:26] – eidis
@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/win95/util/se151106.html
-==== Chapter 3: Floppy Drive vs Hard Drive ====
+==== Chapter 3: Writing !Start.bat files ====
+ Upon booting, the X68000 executes files from config.sys and usually they have X or SYS extensions.
+  * *.X files, which are required for the game to run, in almost all cases can be executed from *.BAT files or command line.
+  * *.SYS files and some rare *.X files need ADDDRV (Example #4). ADDDRV is very picky and most of the times incompatible.
+**Combining lines from Config.sys and Autoexec.bat**
+**Crystal Tower** is used to illustrate this example:
+Original Config.sys
+<code>
+FILES = 15
+BUFFERS = 20 1024
+LASTDRIVE = Z
+BREAK = KILL
+VERIFY = ON
+TITLE = \CONFIG\TITLE.SYS
+KEY = \KEY.SYS
+USKCG = \USKCG.SYS
+BELL = \CONFIG\BEEP.SYS
+DEVICE = \SYS\OPMDRV3.X
+DEVICE = \SYS\FLOAT2.X
+DEVICE = \SYS\IOCS.X
+</code>
+Here we can see drivers being loaded and environmental variables being set up.
+  *The mandatory variables and drivers like **USKCG.SYS** and **FLOAT2.X** are being set up each time when booting from HDD so most of these lines can be safely ignored.
+  *Drivers are usually loaded from **SYS** and **BIN** directories.
+In this example **OPMDRV3.X** and **IOCS.X** are the ones which interest us. First we must check if they can be executed after the system has fully booted. If yes, then there is a good chance that the game can be installed to HDD.
+Original Autoexec.bat
+<code>
+echo off
+PATH A:\;A:\SHELL;A:\SYS;A:\BIN;A:\ETC
+tone3.x
+chdir ct
+ctmain
+</code>
+Here we can see another environmental variable called **PATH** being set up. In this case we can go with the lazy method and **SUBST** to the directory (Example #2) where we have copied the game or we can change the paths so that we don't have to do **SUBST**. Please note that there are games which still need **SUBST** even after modifying the **PATH** variable.
+  *Remove references to **\** **A:\** **B:\** if they are present
+  *Write **OPMDRV3.X** and **IOCS.X** after the line which defines **PATH**
+  *Rename autoexec.bat to !Start.bat.
+The resulting !Start.bat should look like this:
+<code>
+echo off
+PATH SHELL;SYS;BIN;ETC
+OPMDRV3.X
+IOCS.X
+tone3.x
+chdir ct
+ctmain
+</code>
- We all know that Hard drive is the ultimate thing to have on X68000 so to cut a long story short, we want games on hard drive, and we want them now ;)
 ==== Example #1 - Installing Fantasy Zone and running it from Hard Drive ====
@@ Line 100: / Line 158: @@
 ==== Example #5 - Installing Pipe Dream and running it from Hard Drive ====
- This method uses 2HDSIM.X to mount XDF floppy image files and DRIVE.X to assign drive letters A and B for them. It was discovered by Caius and is very effective for many stubborn games.
+ This method uses 2HDSIM.X to mount XDF floppy image files and DRIVE.X to assign drive letters A and B for them. It was discovered by Caius and is the next preferred method after SUBST.
 Download 2HDSIM.X and DRIVE.X from here:
@@ Line 119: / Line 177: @@
 </code>
- The first four lines arrange the following image file and drive mappings:
+ The first four lines arrange the following drive mappings:
-  *Disk1 = A:
+  *A: = Disk1
-  *Disk2 = B:
+  *B: = Disk2
-  *Hard Disk = C:
+  *C: = Hard Disk
- All image files must be defragmented (one continuous block) or otherwise they will not mount. Sometimes during copying with DiskExplorer from one hard disk image file to another their size changes from 1261568 bytes to 1263616 bytes. In this case the image files will refuse to mount as well. The same principle applies to one disk games as well, just omit the fourth line. After the drives have been mapped and image files mounted, !Start.bat changes to drive A: and executes autoexec.bat. Please note that every game is individual and sometimes requires combining lines from config.sys and autoexec.bat files.
+The same principle applies to one disk games as well, just omit the fourth line. After the drives have been mapped and image files mounted, !Start.bat changes to drive A: and executes autoexec.bat. Please note that every game is individual and sometimes requires combining lines from config.sys and autoexec.bat files.
+**The following rules must be met for image files to mount:**
+|All image files must be defragmented (one continuous block).|
+|Use [[http://nfggames.com/X68000/Misc/liner.zip|Liner]] to defragment the images when required.|
+Syntax example:
+<code>
+liner disk1
+</code>
+|Image files must be 1261568 bytes long. Sometimes while copying them with DiskExplorer their original size changes to 1263616.|
+|Use [[http://nfggames.com/X68000/PC_Tools/jsplit.zip|JSplit]] to cut off the excess and restore their original size. If that does not help, reimport the original image files.|
+==== Example #6 - Installing Undeadline and running it from Hard Drive ====
+ This method is similar to Example #5, was also discovered by Caius and can be very efficient with three or more floppy games which are immune to SUBST. In this example the first floppy disk is mounted as floppy drive 0:, the second and third as floppy drive 1:. The game rotates disk two and three automatically when needed.
+  * Make a directory in Games2 and call it Undeadline
+  * Rename first XDF floppy image file to Disk1, second to Disk2 and third to Disk3
+  * Copy 2HDSIM.X DRIVE.X and three renamed XDF image files to the created directory
+  * Create new !Start.bat file and write the following lines:
+<code>
+drive a: c:
+drive a: b:
+hdsim 0: Disk1
+hdsim 1: Disk2
+hdsim 1: Disk3
+a:
+mxdrv.x
+loader.x
+</code>