I'm having problems installing a harddrive in my a4000, are there any jumpers that need to be set for scsi or ide. I'm trying to install a 2gb drive but after the installation process it boots to amigados.

@djm

Is disk set to bootable in HDToolBox?

@pavlor

Yes it was set but I can't boot to try the install again( even from floppy disk) it continues to boot to amigados.

@djm

The typical beginner's mistake is to run the installation in novice mode with the floppy disk write enabled. The installer will erroneously try to install to the floppy disk instead of the harddrive, effectively destroing the floppy disk contents.

Novice mode tries to install without asking any questions. But there is no script writer in the world who can predict all user's circumstances, so novice mode will fail in almost any case.

Hopefully you made a backup of the install floppy before you began, so you can restore it and start again. This time keep the floppy disk write protected and do not use novice mode. Never use novice mode.

Another reason why it boots into DOS might be that you set the boot priority of the harddisk so high that it takes precedence over the floppy drive. In this case reboot and immediately hold down both mouse buttons so that the early startup menu opens. Here you can select the floppy drive as boot device.

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@thomas
I'll give it a try. Thanks.

@djm
ok, I'm trying to use a 2gb ide hard drive but my only options on screen scsi.

@djm
still just booting to amigados and I get error codes, 0000-000b 08032f70 and with the hard drive power removed 0000-000b 08025898.

@djm

01: Use the install disk to boot. To force the DF0 to boot before the error on the hd keep both mouse buttons down and on early boot screen click DF0: to boot. Listen for floppy activity.

02: Once booted the screen should now be the mini Workbench of the Installl disk you will have tools that let you see the unformatted hard drive. The tool you want is HDToolBox. Click this and it will cycle through the devices/Unit numbers and then should show your hard drive. Not Changed or Unknown.
If the drive says uknown then select to define the drive and you will get another screen which you select new and let the Amiga read the specs for the drive and click OK.

If unchanged then just check and or alter the partitions making sure the HD0 or DH0 is bootable and named with those letters. Either will do. The volume only gets named to Workbench from the format and you format from the Workbench and not the HDToolbox.

03: Next:
Select partition and click the empty space and size you want and name say HD0 and make it bootable. Then click the other empty space and rename that say HD1. You can slide the bar along to make another empty space to create another volume. Remember to press return at the end of each naming. Check that you have a black bar for each partition that you want.

04: Having done all that save and the Amiga will want to reboot. Leave the floppy in the drive and boot off the install disk.

05: You should now have three unformatted drives on the desktop and your install disk icon. Touch/highlight each drive in sequence and 'quick format' each and name as you want. ie Workbench, Work, Data etc. The icons will say something like NDOS??? before you format them.

06: I generally reboot the computer to see that the drives have taken and they are on the screen. Always booting from the Install disk.

07: Now click the install icon and it will ask where you want the Workbench and that should be in Workbench on the bootable HD0: Be very careful booting off a Workbench floppy cus you may select the floppy to install to and not the hard drive. PS The Workbench floppy should be write protected but the Install disk not as it saves changes to the floppy.

Then just follow the onscreen promts to install the five disks Workbench, Extras, Fonts, Local and Storage.

08: At the end the computer will ask you to remove all disks and boot from the hard drive.

09: Have cuppa tea.

This assumes an IDE drive sitting off the cradle between the PSU and the vertical daughter board and not a drive mounted on a card fitted to the daughter board. And the Amiga has a crazy way of understanding SCSI. Don't worry.

Anyway that is what I would do. But don't quote me on it cus I hadn't had my cuppa and the brain don't work so good without my hot beverage.