Problems with DvPlayer and monitor drivers on SAM

Hello, this is my first post to amigans.net, my usual
hangout is amiga.dk which is a lot smaller
and more intimate, so please folks! Be gentle with me

Ok, I don't know for sure whether this is a hardware
or software issue. Actually it might be two separate
issues, or they might be related, I don't know.

My machine: SAM-flex with 512 RAM and Radeon 9250 128 MB.

1) LoadMonDrvs doesn't find the Radeon modes during
the startup-sequence. When I reach the Workbench
screen, only 8-bit PAL modes and one BootVGA mode
are available. I found a "solution" though:
When I open up a shell window and
type in "C:LoadMonDrvs", then go into ScreenMode
again, all the Radeon modes are now available!

I tried booting from the Install CD. Same problem.
I tried inspecting and changing the tooltypes of
the "Radeon" monitor in DEVS:. Nothing changes.
I tried different things with the startup-sequence;
increasing STACK, moving the command to the
beginning and end of the script, inserting 'WAIT 3'
statements all over the place and even inserting
two or more calls to the command in the script...
Nothing changes...

I'm especially puzzled by the fact, that booting
from the AmigaOS CD doesn't change it either.
And moreover: This problem didn't come after
an upgrade or a concious change in the system;
it started about three days after I got the system
directly from ACube. The first three days everything
was normal!

2) DvPlayer now seems to exhibit some problems.
I'm not sure when this changed, as I only tried
the program out one time the first day and then
again last week. It hangs the entire system
when I try fast-forwarding in a movie (I tried
only one DVD). It also hangs the system at
startup when my screenmode has the Autoscroll
tag on.

I talked to Stephen Fellner about it, and he
says that especially the Autoscroll problem in
DvPlayer shouldn't happen unless my screen
has a different size than the selected
resolution (like a larger-than-the-screen
Workbench), which wasn't the case when I
got the hang. I'm posting this here on Stephen's
suggestion.

Does anyone have a similar problem or an idea
of what could be the problem? I'm really affraid that
this might be an obscure hardware problem on my
system. How could I test this?

Before I found
the "solution" of calling LoadMonDrvs after startup
(and it took a LOT of time before I found out,
being kinda stupid and all :) ) I had the system shipped
all the way back to Italy, and ACube just
claimed, that in their hands my system ran
completely flawlessly! I also tried another
Radeon board (same kind), changing the monitor,
same problem...

Help!---

@alfkil
If it also happens with the OS4 boot CD, then it sounds like a hardware problem...

If you are comfortable poking around in your new toy (and take anti-static precautions), then turn it off, unplug it from the mains, open it up, and check that all connectors are seated properly by unplugging & replugging them. That includes the SATA cables, and the gfx-card.

This is all a bit of a wild guess though - anybody have any other suggestions?

@alfkil

Hello,

the most important things IMHO not mentionned (take care!!) is the resolution you use for the WB, the lcd monitor you use and if on SVGA or DVI.

Also you could read a verry usefull pdf at:

http://www.ngi-info.com/downloads/AmigaOS_4.1_Installation_Guide/

Choose the SAM version in english of course and read chapter about monitor/screenmode.

Hum, not seen that you have also changed the monitor and tested with another radeon. you are not a verry low level rookie

BTW, maybe what I have written on this post is maybe interesting for you ????

@ChrisH

Not other suggestion that if he knows a friend with a flex he could try hi's working hd on his own flex. Think that would rule out sw/hw situation.

@alfkil

The problem with LoadMonDrvs is very puzzling, especially if it also happens when booting from CD. A couple of ideas:

1. You could try to disconnect your Hard-Drive and boot from the CD that way, to ensure that nothing from the installed system on the Hard-drive is loaded when you boot from the CD.

2. Did you try to put LoadMonDrvs in the user-startup as well?

3. What if you put 'LoadMonDrvs FROM devs:Monitors/' in there, does that not help?

About the DvPlayer issue, do you get the freeze when seeking in a file which is on your hard-drive, or only actual DVDs?

@COBRA Quote:
This sounds like an excellent suggestion.

Ok, thanks everybody, I have some good
suggestions now that I will check out as soon
as possible. I will be away from my SAM
for the next week, but I will go ahead as soon
as I get back. Thanks a lot :)

At last I got home so I could test the various suggestions out:

I tried booting without the HD connected and got the following very
cryptical message:

"AOS4 FLB
No known boot method for device 148
FLB: no SLB found in any of the designated boot sources; returning to u-boot.
Press any key to continue
> |"

I don't know what this means, but apparently the boot sequence uses material
from my HD during boot from CD/DVD. Of course this could mean anything...
I checked the SATA cables, and they are plugged in to the correct sockets (as
described in the SAM manual). Is anyone else able to boot with only the CD/DVD
drive connected?

Next, I tried mounting an additional 512 MB RAM module, so now I have
2x512 MB RAM. First time I boot up (with HD) it starts up Workbench in the
correct screen mode! I try DvPlayer, and it doesn't hang the system anymore.
I tried with two different DVD's and an MPEG from my HD. One of the DVD's still
makes DvPlayer hang when I try fast forwarding (but now only the program, not
the entire system). With the other DVD and the MPEG everything works fine.

So adding memory solved some but not all of my problems. The next time I
boot (from HD) the screenmode issue is back...

P.S: Actually this thread was not my first post to this forum, forgot about the first
one... Sorry

@alfkil

You need to install the SLB on the hard disk.
Boot on your OS4 CD, run Media Toolbox, go to "Install drive" (or similar) and click on "Install A1 loader".
Select the file L:SLB (from the CD).
Save and reboot.


This is explained in the help text during installation of the OS, If I remember well.


Quote:
Why would you want to do this? You always need the HD to install OS4 to.

@Elwood

Booting with only CD connected was a suggestion I got
to test, if my screenmode problem was hardware or
software related (see previous posts in the thread).
Amiga OS is already fully installed on my HD.

@alfkil
I had forgotten that there is a bug in Sam's UBoot which (apparently) means it needs a HD connected to boot. So your error message tells us nothing interesting :(

It does not make any sense that adding an additional RAM module would fix your problem, unless the original RAM module is faulty. Try taking it out, and seeing if it will boot with just the new module. (If you can't remember which is which, then you will have to do it twice.) In fact, if it boots with the new RAM module, then try swapping it with the original one again, just to confirm it is not something else you inadvertently touched.


I would also like to confirm whether you have the QuickFix installed, and whether you are using the debug kernel or not. Your problems should not be caused by having or not having them, but perhaps there is some quirk of your system which reveals a bug...

@ChrisH

I tried swapping around the two RAM modules and guess what happened...
Now all of a sudden the older module refuses to work with the lower port (which was where it was usually situated before). It seems to work fine with the upper port. The other module works in both. Also, regardless of which module I use, I get a glitch on the boot screen, when only one module is mounted; when both are mounted, the glitch goes away. Hmm... I guess this is a "maybe" problem...

Also now I am unable to reproduce my previous problems with DvPlayer crashing. It seems to work regardless.

Strangely, nothing of this seems to have influenced my ScreenMode issue. Occasionally I'll get a random "correct" boot with the right screenmode, but normally it just boots up into PAL:640x400x256. I have tried all the suggestions posted in this thread (appart from mounting my hd on another sam, I simply don't know any real life people with a sam) and nothing seems to change anything or give any usefull information.

I have installed the latest quickfix from Hyperion. The problem started before I installed any updates, and it didn't change after installing them. I don't know what "debug kernel" means?

@alfkil

Have you tried booting without mouse being connected?

I remember reading from AmigaWorld someone having a problem with Sam booting into PAL-mode and it was caused by the OS thinking right mousebutton is pressed during the boot or something similar. The problem went away changing the mouse to a different model.

(edit) Found it:

http://amigaworld.net/modules/newbb/v ... p?topic_id=29935&forum=33

@flow

That's funny! I could have sworn that I'd already tried booting without mouse and keyboard at least a 100 times... Apparently not! Thanks for solving my problem!