This Commodore Amiga 600 project has a few tricks up its sleeve, this unit has a ROM switcher with 3 ROMS installed and are switched by simple holding down the CTRL – A – A for around 3 seconds, a beep is heard when the ROM is switched. So you can switch between 1.3, 2.04 and 3.1, in fact it has 8 slots so you can have further ones added!
Features of the ROM switcher:
Compatible with A500 (Rev 6+), A500 Plus, A600
Long reset (C-A-A) switches between 2-8 Amiga ROM images
NOTE: We are now official Hyperon resellers and now able to sell licenced copies of AmigaOS 3.1.4, full services available here
July 2019 Update: Hyperion Entertainment CVBA have released AmigaOS 3.1.4.1 as a free update to AmigaOS 3.1.4 released in September 2018. Its is mainly bug fixes but it does have a few features added:
Danish (dansk) and swedish (svenska) AmigaOS catalogs.
Setpatch now has the ability to load both an audio.device and a Shell-Seg update by itself.
Audio.device got improved compatibility with some non-standard programming practices.
HDToolBox now suggests more adequate block sizes for large drives.
CrossDOS is now more tolerant to wrongly configured mountlists and foreign character sets.
This is a follow up to another guide: Using ACA500Plus MapRom to map kickstart 3.1.4. But this guide can be used with any stock Amiga (Amiga 500,600,1200,2000, 3000,4000) not just if you have an ACA500Plus.
Installing AmigaOS 3.1.4 is pretty easy, especially if you have a large CF card ( > 4Gb), so in this guide I installed from scratch, Amiga OS 3.1.4 to a Sandisk 16Gb CF Card on an Amiga 500 Plus with 2Mb Chipram with an ACA500Plus. I have also installed an ACA1221EC, however this has no bearing on installing 3.1.4 and is not required or needed.
For this guide you will need:
An Amiga with a 3.1.4 kickstart.
Have purchased AmigaOS 3.1.4, you can do so from Hyperion here or from us here
Downloaded 3.1.4 Zip package and unpacked the files.
Mount the ADF files either to a Gotek or transfered ADF’s to Floppy disks (6 disks required but I used a Gotek)
A CF card (any size even above 4Gb!) I’m using a 16Gb Sandisk CF Card.
First Steps – ACA500Plus updates.
I do recommended that you upgrade your ACA500Plus Menu System (currently v0.127 Oct 2018). To do this:
Once downloaded, unzip it on to a CF card, one that can be used in the AUX slot of your ACA500Plus.
Once complete Insert the CF card into the AUX slot of your ACA500Plus, then launch the ACA500Plus menu.
Press F8 and then F to launch the flash updater.
The Amiga will boot into Shell and read the ADF file on the AUX CF card.
Follow the instructions on screen to install the update.
*The unpacked file is an ADF image that can also be written to a floppy disk. You will only need to do this if the flash ROM has been garbled – in that case, the bootable floppy will serve as a recovery-disk.
Preparing your AmigaOS 3.1.4 ADF files.
You have 2 options, you can go old skool and transfer the ADF files to real floppy disks (6 required) using an Amiga, there are a few programs out there that can do this, for example, TSGui and Xcopy or you could use a Gotek drive and slot in each ADF file, again 6 slots required. I personally used a Gotek drive.
First disk – AmigaOS Install 3.1.4.
Ok lets start, insert the disk or choose the slot that has the disk Install 3.1.4
Using HDTools to prepare the CF Card
First we need to prepare or CF Card and you can do that via HDTools which is in Install3.1.4 -HDTools – HDToolBox.
Select Change Drive Type then select Define New… now select Read Configuration (click Continue). You will see once complete it will correctly identify your CF Card. Mine as you can see is a 16Gb Sandisk :-).
Set Drive Type – AmigaOS 3.1.4
Define/Edit Drive Type – AmigaOS 3.1.4
Define/Edit Drive Type – AmigaOS 3.1.4
AmigaOS 3.1.4 Identifies 16Gb CF Card
Press OK and OK again at the next screen, you will then be asked “Are you sure you want to change the drive type for the current drive?” simply press Continue.
Partitioning your CF Card (SD or even an SSD HDD)
Unlike before you had to patch your scsi.device so it can see CF, SD card or even SSD HDD above 4Gb and then you had to use a different file system other than FFS (Fast File System) for something like PFS3 AIO (Professional File System 3 All in One) which is my personal choice or another choice is SFS (Smart File System). AmigaOS 3.1.4 however negates all of that and you can at your leisure partition your CF card without going that extra mile.
To partition your CF card simply click on Partition Drive, from here you can choose your partition sizes how you wish. For me I did a 643mb for workbench (just a random small size), a 4Gb partition and lastly a 10Gb partition, all were created without any issue.
Once you have created your partitions, and given them a Partition Device Name (for example DH0, DH1, DH2…) don’t forget to set your first partition as Bootable. Once complete press OK and then make sure you click Save Changes to Drive and then reboot.
Once rebooted you will see your newly created partitions which are ready to be formatted and named how you wish like below.
Hang on, what about the MaxTransfer?
Before AmigaOS 3.1.4 it was recommended that the MaxTransfer was set to 0xFE00 however the the official line from Hyperion is that there is no need to make any changes to the MaxTransfer within 3.1.4 however they mention there are no guarantees for third-party interface firmware. So I leave it to you to decide, for me personall and call it a habit I set mine to 0xFE00.
Installing AmigaOS 3.1.4
Boot up the Install 3.1.4 disk and then open the disk and then open the Install folder and choose your language. you will then be presented with the first screen as below.
You will have a choice to Install Release 3.1.4 or update Languages, because this is the first install you would choose Install Release 3.1.4. The Update Languages option allows you to modify the languages are avilable within AmigaOS 3.1.4 after it has been installed.
You can choose what installation mode you would like, If your unsure choose Novice User, if your a seasoned Amiga user crack on with Expert User (there will be nothing taxing if you choose Expert User) and then click on Proceed with Install.
Depending on which option you choose (Novice, Intermediate or Expert) and all being good you will see this the final screen. Eject the Install 3.1.4 disk/ADF and then click Proceed . This will reboot your Amiga.
All being good after a reboot you will have a clean install of AmigaOS 3.1.4 with large partitions to enjoy!!
This guide I hope will help others and may fill in some gaps if using other accelerators that have the MapRom function. This guide however for my setup which is an Amiga 500 Plus, with 2mb of chipram with an ACA500Plus. I have also married this up with an ACA1221EC to give me a bit more speed (this has a 68020 processor) however it is not required for AmigaOS 3.1.4 or needed for this guide.
The ACA500 Plus like the ACA1221EC, ACA1233 and many of the previous ACA cards, in fact many classic Amiga accelerators have this function. The MapRom feature allows you to load a Kickstart Rom that is beyond what is physically installed in your Amiga. For example of you have a 3.0 Rom, you can use the MapRom feature to load a 3.1 Rom instead without changing your roms!
The ACA500 Plus has 8 slots and supports 256kb, 512kb and 1MByte roms. Each slot is 256kb, so a 512kb image will occupy two slots (2 x 256kb = 512kb), and must start at an odd slot number. 1MByte images must start at slot numbers 1 or 5. The 3.1.4 kickstart rom is 512kb.
Of course you could purchase an EPROM burning service that will burn the 3.1.4 kickstart rom to an EPROM chip but where is the fun in that?? If you have an ACA Accelerator you can use the ACAMapROM software to map a rom also.
For this guide you will need:
An ACA500 Plus, of course ;-).
Have purchased AmigaOS 3.1.4, you can do so from Hyperion here.
Downloaded 3.1.4 Rom file ‘kick.a500.46.143’ (this is part of the AmigaOS purchase).
A CF card (any size) to be used in an AUX slot, mine is named ‘USB’.
A workbench boot disk (I’m using a 3.0 Workbench disk).
First Steps – ACA500 Plus updates
I do recommended that you upgrade your ACA500Plus Menu System (currently v0.127 Oct 2018). To do this:
Once downloaded, unzip it on to a CF card, one that can be used in the AUX slot of your ACA500Plus.
Once complete Insert the CF card into the AUX slot of your ACA500Plus, then launch the ACA500Plus menu.
Press F8 and then F to launch the flash updater.
The Amiga will boot into Shell and read the ADF file on the AUX CF card.
Follow the instructions on screen to install the update.
*The unpacked file is an ADF image that can also be written to a floppy disk. You will only need to do this if the flash ROM has been garbled – in that case, the bootable floppy will serve as a recovery-disk.
Using MapRom to map the 3.1.4 Rom on the ACA500Plus.
On your PC or Mac copy the kick.a500.46.143 rom to your AUX Cf Card and plug in to to your ACA500Plus.
Switch on your Amiga and initiate the ACA500 Plus boot menu.
ACA500Plus Main Menu v0.127 October 2018
Press F10 to bring up the Expert menu
ACA500Plus Expert Menu (F10)
Press 9 to switch on aca.resource (this provides a few shell commands as resident commands avilable via Shell aka Command Line or CLI).
Press Return to boot from your Workbench disk, once loaded, open up AmigaShell
Type in the drive name of your AUX CF Card, mine is called ‘USB‘then press return (this changes to that drive)
Type acaflashrom PROGRAM3 512 kick.a500.46.143 and press return (The meaning of this command: 3 means slot 3, 512 means its 512k in size).
Amiga Shell – acaflashrom command
Once complete remove the workbench disk, reboot the Amiga and again initiate the ACA500Plus boot menu.
Press F10 to bring up the Expert menu.
Press K and repeat until you see User Rom #3 (512k 46.143).
ACA500Plus Expert Menu (F10)
Press Return to activate the configuration and reboot and if all good you will see the new Kickstart screen in all its glory!
Amiga 3.1.4 Kickstart Screen on an ACA500Plus
Next post will be installing AmigaOS 3.1.4 on the ACA500Plus – Out soon!
End 1st January 2019 – You can get a fantastic bundle from Groupees for £4.10 which also includes:
Heroes of Gorluth
Tales of Gorluth II
Remute – Limited
This is what you get within Amiga Forever v7.
Have you ever wondered what Workbench 1.0 looked like, or how the most influential personal computing magazine of the 1980s introduced the Amiga to the world? Would you (or a colleague, or your children) be surprised if you saw your PC booting as an Amiga, instead of Windows?
The Plus Edition in brief:
Includes all features mentioned on this site, except for the videos (which are on the 3 DVDs included with the Premium Edition)
Includes Amiga Forever Game Pack I (more than 50 games)
Delivered as an easy-to-use downloadable installer for Windows
After installation on a Windows system, it is possible to create (via Build Image, in the Tools menu) a DVD ISO image which includes run-from-DVD, KX Light boot-from-DVD and other cross-platform content
The Plus Edition also includes the following items which are not part of the Value Edition:
More than 300 MB of preinstalled games and demoscene productions
OS ROM file versions v. 0.7, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 2.04, 2.05 (Workbench 2.1 uses the 2.0x ROMs), 3.1 and 3.X
OS disk images (ADF files) v. 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 2.1 and 3.1
Preinstalled Workbench 3.X environment, including dozens of award-winning software packages and other add-ons
Amiga 1000, A590 and A4091 boot ROMs
CDTV extended ROM (CDTV uses normal 1.3 boot ROM)
CD³² ROM and extended ROM
Amiga Forever Boot Floppy Disk image
Would you like to see the evolution of the Amiga Workbench from version 1.0 up to 3.X (in different styles, too), through all intermediate versions ever released? With Amiga Forever Plus Edition you can. The ROM and operating system files include all publicly released versions (except for those that were only meant to run only in combination with a specific piece of hardware which is not required in the hardware emulation, such as the A2024 monitor).
The CDTV and CD³² ROMs can be used to play CDTV and CD³² games, even booting directly from a game CD.
If you decide to burn the Plus Edition DVD, which you can do at any time, you can enjoy these additional features:
Portable environment to run the Amiga emulation and OS from DVD or USB devices (on Windows systems)
Ability to boot a PC from the Amiga Forever Plus Edition DVD (no operating system required, as per El Torito specification)
Cross-platform components can be used on the most popular computing platforms (Mac OS, GNU/Linux, etc.)
Unlock and register with the provided license key.
PLEASE NOTE: This special bundle-version is not eligible for free upgrades, but it will give a discount on the upcoming version 8 of Amiga Forever. http://www.amigaforever.com/shop/?ref=af-previous
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