You guys have done an excellent job on MyIDE-II. May I suggest the following:

1. Is it possible to remove the bootup menu and replace it with the FAT32 menu (or maybe I don't understand why 2 menus are needed).

2. Autorun a configured item after a number of seconds perhaps.

3. Removable top and bottom text lines (configurable perhaps), I know that the top line promotes the product, but so does the cartridge label.

You can open the default workbook options and set the FAT32 loader to automatically run without showing the menu.

The point of the menu is to allow you to choose MyBIOS, the FAT32 loader, or your own software you add.

You can also change the top and bottom menu lines or make them blank, but they will still be present.

Adding an idle-start delay is something I would like to add in the next version, but it doesn't exist there yet.

Steve

Steve:

I enabled autorun of MyBIOS using workbook options, the problem is now I can no longer re-flash as I have permanently lost my ability to access the FAT32 Loader. Is there a hidden key to bypass the autorun?

I really like the idea of autorun through workbook selection. But when you enable any file other than the FAT32 Loader there is no way back to do a re-flash using your CONTROL+F option on the flash file.

As an alternative can you issue a recovery of some sort (just an idea: maybe a bootable DOS disk with an autorun exe that deselects the workbook option) that can be loaded by the CF card using a PC?

You can return to the cartridge pressing SHIFT in the MyBIOS-bootscreen.

And

Booting with OPTION down will by-pass the cartridge always.
Making it possible to boot from SIO for recovery purpose.

Sijmen:

I have tried using SHIFT but it simply continues to reboot. I think that its because the first menu is not being loaded at all so there is nothing to drop back to (it just drops back to MyBIOS every time SHIFT is pressed).

To simulate what has happened here using MaxFlash Studio just set workbook options to autorun the MyBIOS entry, then select File | Export | Export Collection to BIN Cartridge Image save the file to FAT32 partition. Now Atari: Select the file from 'MyIDE-II FAT32 Loader v20130110' and select using CONTROL+F to re-flash.

Now you are locked into MyBIOS.

hi!

These are your failsafe steps:

1. Download the shipping workbook from this forum (it is on top)

2. Export workbook to .ATR version in MaxFlash Studio (make sure you disabled that autostart feature on the MyBIOS entry)

3. Load the ATR from step 2 in D1: on your SIO device (like Ape, Aspeqt, Sio2SD etc.)

4. Make sure atari is switched off

5. Insert MyIDE ][ cart

6. Hold down option while you switch on Atari.

7. The MyIDE ][ cart now will be bypassed, and D1: will be booted; so you can REFLASH your card!

That should do the trick.

This is one of those situations where having a backup means of restoring the flash is important. When I wrote the warning about that in the FAT32 loader document I didn't specifically expect misconfiguration to be the issue people would have though. I expected bad flashing to cause the first problem.

At this point you can either get a backup method of changing the flash, like a USB programmer or an SIO2PC setup, or you can try to use MyBIOS to get access to copy of the FAT32 loader and load it that way.

Here is a bootable floppy disk sized ATR image with the FAT32 loader on it. If you can get it into the MyIDE image space using one of the tools that manipulates the CF card directly, you should be able to use it from there.

You could also just copy it to a real floppy disk or boot it from the PC over SIO, but that requires some sort of SIO2xx type setup, which I'm guessing you don't have.

Steve

If you do not have any possibility to boot an ATR file from D1:

You could (with emulator) put the Fat32.XEX loader on a diskimage, and then with myidetool.exe you could load this image on your myide CF card.

I have checked that the FAT32 loader from Steven Tucker runs from MyBIOS so this is an option, if you can not boot an ATR.

I am not sure the FAT32 loader will work as good as when loaded from the Flash part of the cartridge, but I see it running here. I loaded it from the MyBIOS Flash Bios, so I guess it just works.

Ah Steve was answering what I was typing.

In the meantime I was testing this, before I wanted to reply. I have the FAT32 loader running now within Sijmens MyBIOS-F ... runs awesome.

Pretty neat thing this MyIDE ][ ... I'm very happy I purchased it. It's cooler than I thought.

Which leads to a nice feature request...

The Auto Start function needs a 'bypass' key perhaps?

So inserting the Cart, switching on Atari while holding shift or something like that, could skip the autostart, and show the menu anyway. Or is this a bad idea?

The attached test.atr worked perfectly I added it as a MyBIOS IMAGE using MyIDEDriveManager selected the item from the IMAGE menu and got the FAT32 Loader back, from there I just used the re-flash (after saving a flash with the "Start this menu" option off).

I love the ability to autorun a menu option and when selected to MyBIOS as I did it was superb, it just ran MyBIOS as if I had replaced the OS. Now there is a way out of the gotcha!

Thanks guys, I am impressed at your enthusiasm for this project.

BTW: Currently I don't have an SIO2PC device of any sort, so I couldn't try any other way.

viewtopic.php?p=7180#p7180




How to flash or update without SIO2xx or ATARIMAX programmer.

I'll put this in the manual

A good idea, just not implemented yet.

Steve

@Sijmen

The solution of Steve is easier. Just put the FAT32 loader on an image, and your (almost) done.