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--- x68000:installing_games_to_hard_drive [2012/02/18 05:21] – eidis
+++ x68000:installing_games_to_hard_drive [2019/08/27 20:45] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 How to install games to hard drive and make them run.
-==== Chapter 1: The Fundamentals ====
+====== Chapter 1: The Fundamentals ======
  You will need X68000 with 2MB of ram and a keyboard. It is possible to run some small games with 1MB as well, but the majority of them require 2MB. Download the latest English version of DiskExplorer here:
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 This will save you the trouble of setting up a working environment. Open the downloaded image with DiskExplorer, have a look around.
-==== Chapter 2: HumanOS vs MS-DOS ====
+====== Chapter 2: HumanOS vs MS-DOS ======
  Lucky for us the HumanOS is very much like ye good old MS-DOS. Now let me explain what happens when X68000 tries to boot from hard drive:
@@ 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 ======
- 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 ;)
+ Upon booting, the X68000 executes files from config.sys and usually they have X or SYS extensions.
-==== Example #1 - Installing Fantasy Zone and running it from Hard Drive ====
+  * *.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>
+====== Example #1 - Installing Fantasy Zone and running it from Hard Drive ======
   * Make a directory in Games2 and call it FantasyZone
@@ Line 43: / Line 101: @@
-==== Example #2 - Installing Star Cruiser and running it from Hard Drive ====
+====== Example #2 - Installing Star Cruiser and running it from Hard Drive ======
   * Make a directory in Games2 and call it StarCruiser
@@ Line 65: / Line 123: @@
   * Run !Start.bat
-==== Example #3 - Installing Dragon Buster and running it from Hard Drive ====
+====== Example #3 - Installing Dragon Buster and running it from Hard Drive ======
   * Make a directory in Games2 and call it DragonBuster
@@ Line 77: / Line 135: @@
 </code>
-==== Example #4 - Installing Namachuukei 68 and running it from Hard Drive ====
+====== Example #4 - Installing Namachuukei 68 and running it from Hard Drive ======
 Download ADDDRV.X from here:
@@ Line 98: / Line 156: @@
 </code>
-==== Example #5 - Installing Pipe Dream and running it from Hard Drive ====
+====== 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:
+Download [[http://nfggames.com/x68000/Misc/HardDisk/Tools/2hdsim_drivex.zip|2HDSIM.X and DRIVE.X]]
-http://nfggames.com/X68000/Misc/2hdsim_drivex.zip
   * Make a directory in Games and call it PipeDream
@@ Line 129: / Line 186: @@
 **The following rules must be met for image files to mount:**
-  *All image files must be defragmented (one continuous block). Use Liner to defragment the images when required.
+|All image files must be defragmented (one continuous block).|
+|Use [[http://nfggames.com/x68000/Misc/HardDisk/Tools/LINER001.LZH|Liner]] to defragment the images when required.|
-Get it here:
-http://nfggames.com/X68000/Misc/liner.zip
 Syntax example:
@@ Line 139: / Line 194: @@
 </code>
-  *Sometimes during copying with DiskExplorer from one hard disk image file to another their original size changes from 1261568 bytes to 1263616 bytes. Use JSplit to cut off the excess and restore their original size.
+|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/Disk/jsplit.zip|JSplit]] to cut off the excess and restore their original size. If that does not help, reimport the original image files.|
-Get it here:
+====== Example #6 - Installing Undeadline and running it from Hard Drive ======
-http://nfggames.com/X68000/PC_Tools/jsplit.zip
+ 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>