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INSTALLING
Lt. Kernal DOS software:
Performing a
SYSGEN (the process by which DOS software
is installed onto the hard drive) is similar
to the process of installing software on a
Windows or MacOS system. However, as you'll
learn below, there is one extra step to installing
LTK DOS. The underlying reason for this is because
of the Host Adapters' design. Therefore, if
this is the first time you've installed LTK
DOS software on a Lt. Kernal, I suggest you read all
of the sections in SYSGEN and Hard Drives before
installing the DOS software!
So, if you connect
a hard drive to the Host adapter and apply
power, one of two things will happen:
- The system
will bootup from the DOS software that
is currently installed on the hard
drive. But, if this happens, you can't
install New DOS software with the
system running under LK DOS.
- If you replaced the hard drive,
the Host simply tries to access DOS on the
drive until it 'times out'. The computer
then returns to the normal Commodore Startup
screen. However, this ready prompt too
is not the recommended place to install
all versions of DOS software.
Regardless of
which version of LK DOS software you want
to install or reinstall, the following procedure
is used to properly install DOS software onto
the Lt. Kernals' hard drive. First, the software
installation process requires either a Commodore
1541 or 1571 floppy drive connected as device
#8 to your computer. The procedure is different
and may seem inherently dangerous, but it
is the Manual's recommended
method:
(Note;
when installing LK DOS on a newly
formatted hard drive, you will receive an
Error! Installation will attempt to load
previously installed data from the hard
drive. Since it can't find data on a formatted
drive, the Error will report that "... the
serial numbers do not match .. do you want to
install anyway?". Enter 'Y' and continue)
- (IF your
Lt. Kernal system is working and you are
Re-Installing LK DOS, then:)
- With
system running, enter D 9 and
hit Return (change the LTK to device
#9)
- SKIP down
to 'Insert Side A' step
below
- Power down the Commodore and
external hard drive enclosure
- Ensure that the Host adapter
is properly connected to the Commodore (see
Host installation)
- Disconnect the SCSI data cable
(DB-25 cable connected between the Host
and hard drive; either end)
- Power-up the Commodore. With
no hard drive connected, the screen will
remain blank (don't freak) for about 1 minute
until the Commodore times-out and returns
to a normal Startup Screen:
- If you're
using a C128, enter GO64 (first time
SYSGENs are done in C64
mode)
- When the
C64 startup screen appears and you are using a 1571,
you must set your 1571 to 1541 mode (U0>M0) (OPEN15,8,15,"U0>M0";CLOSE15)
- Re-connect the SCSI data cable
- (An alternate approach is to
leave the DB-25 cable connected and the
hard drive turned off)
- Power-up the hard drive enclosure
- Insert Side A of the
SYSGEN floppy disk into the 1541 or 1571
drive
- for 1571,
first enter
'OPEN15,8,15,"U0>M0";CLOSE15 and
hit Return
- (1571 drive
must be in '1541' mode or single-sided
mode)
- LOAD"*",8,1 - or - LOAD"b",8,1
(it's safer to load "b")
- Installation begins by loading
three files from the disk; 'b', 'sb2' and
'setup' (v6.xx - v7.x)
- 'Setup'
checks the hard drive to determine
if it can properly connect and send
data to the hard drive
- Erases the
current (or non-existing) DOS
logical unit on the hard drive and
presents:
- "PLEASE
WAIT ... SYSGEN IN
PROCESS"
- Loads
"ltkernal.R " & "ltkrn128.r"
files from the floppy (including
drive parameters you entered)
- Creates the
following disk-structure and files
on the hard drive:
- Systemconfigfile
- Systemtrackfile
- discbitmap
- systemindex
- fastcopy
modules
- Now that the hard drive is configured
to accept data, installation continues by sending
the 'processor' and 'command' DOS
programs to the hard drive on a space
or Logical Unit ("LU") reserved only for DOS (LU 10).
During the loading, you'll be asked to
turn the disk over and press Return to
load the remaining files.
- On the Monitor, you'll see each
file name load from the floppy disk and then
write to the hard drive.
- When all DOS files have been
stored, SYSGEN performs a Checksum on all
files in LU 10 (the DOS logical unit). If
the Checksum agrees with what is stored in
the 'Checksum' program file, DOS
installation is done.
- If Checksum returns an error,
you'll be asked to perform a SYSGEN again.
- IF you
installed DOS on a previously
working hard drive, this error
Occasionally happens and may simply
be due to a power spike. Reinstalling
DOS should be successful.
- HOWEVER, if
you've Modified your SYSGEN DOS disk
with different hard drive parameters
and you've attempted to reinstall LK
DOS several times, the problem is
most likely that you have entered
illegal drive parameters on the
SYSGEN disk. (see Hard Drives, Editing
section)
- After successful DOS installation,
you are told to do a FULL RESET. This means
to power-down the Commodore for a few
seconds and then power-up
again or press Reset.
- What should happen next is the
Commodore will bootup from the DOS software
on the hard drive and present a new Lt.
Kernal Startup Screen. This screen Only means
that installation was successful! You
must now CONFIGure and (maybe) ACTIVATE
the system! The Status line should
display:
-
C64(or
C128) D#08
LU#10 USER#00
PORT#00 READY
- (As
stated above, every time you perform a SYSGEN
on a newly formatted hard drive, you'll
Always received the 'serial number' error
message! But, if your hard drive parameters
are correct and you continue with installation,
software is Always successfully
installed. In fact, the Error indicates
that SYSGEN has successfully
communicated with the formatted drive)
- Whether you just reinstalled
LK DOS on a working system or installed
LK DOS for the first time on a new drive,
you must CONFIGure the system and, if it's
a new drive, ACTIVATE the hard drive LUs
(Activating a hard drive logical unit
(LU) creates an indexfile and Bitmap
for that LU) Activating a Logical unit
is necessary before you store files in
that LU. (LUs are not HD Partitions;
only LK DOS-generated Storage areas similar to 'partitions'.)
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