MSX 8250 + Sunrise IDE (CF) + LPE-4MB-V4 + SymBOS

Rookie (20)

25-08-2009, 08:49

Hello,
I am new to the msx club :-)
Actually I am using MSX for many years and I like the platform a lot, although I am not Windows fanatic :-)

My hardware is a Philips MSX 8250 (128KB user RAM) and a Sunrise IDE CF with 2x32MB partitions (A & B).
I am running SymBOS latest version (typing: symbos) with success, with not much free memory of course to run a lot of software !!

So, I bought the great hardware LPE-4MB-V4 from Padial, which adds 4MB of RAM to the system. I can see the RAM from MSX-DOS2 typing memory, or from HD-MENU (menu memory) etc...

My problem is that when I type "symbos" from the DOS prompt, SymBOS is loading for some seconds and then the computer stucks.

My autoexec.bat includes the fat16 driver from OKEI some commands between echoes in order to display the processor and the memory during boot and the mouse driver. It also contains the mode xx in order to boot to 80 columns mode.

Do I need to make a batch file including more advanced commands of symbos inside -with parameters- in order to make it run properly ?

Thanks a lot

By Leo

Paragon (1236)

25-08-2009, 10:46

welcome!
dont know really what happens , why are you using fat16 for 32mb partitions ? anyway it works with 128kb internal ram ?
for info , I think i have run symbos with 512kb mapper from padial .
Maybe you can try to swap slot from CF and mapper , just to try.

By dir_marillion

Rookie (20)

25-08-2009, 12:31

Hi,
I am using fat16.com from OKEI in order to plug a second flash card if needed to transfer files, or backup, or check games etc.
I have already swapped both cards to different slots but it happens exactly the same. Symbos is working with 128KB ram.

Tomorrow morning I checked both cards to a 8250 with the 7MHz Z-80 upgrade, just in case... same problem :-(

I do not know if Symbos needs to be informed for the additional memory via a command... or so

By karloch

Prophet (2159)

25-08-2009, 12:50

I don't know if it will help, but SymbOS is an operating system itself, not a DOS app. So you don't need to load the FAT16 or mouse driver, after SymbOS boot up you will have them available. MSX-DOS is just acting as bootloader here (think about it as the good old LOADLIN for MS-DOS ).

Your problem is weird... I would try what Leo suggest, swapping slots may help.

By dir_marillion

Rookie (20)

25-08-2009, 18:04

I made a lot of tests.

- tried the cards to a MSX Sony F700D and the problem remains.

- renamed the autoexec.bat to autoexec.ba, MSXDOS boots very fast and then I execute symbos and the problem remains.

- reinstalled symbos again and again, and the problem remains.

After all tests there are only two possibilities remain:
a. Sunrise IDE (CF) and LPE-4MB-V4 are not compatible with Symbos (maybe symbos doesn't like LPE) or
b. there is an extra command such like symbos (command) that I do not know, that patches symbos to work properly.

I will inform Leonardo about this.

All other applications work great with 4MB through Sunrise IDE (CF), no problems at all.

By NYYRIKKI

Enlighted (6067)

25-08-2009, 18:31

What your computer says when you boot with LPE-4MB-V4 and type "?inp(&ha8);peek(&Hf341)" from BASIC?

By legacy

Hero (570)

25-08-2009, 18:51

You need to tell Symbos where it can find "symbos.ini"
It shouls like "Symbos Px" where x is the number of the partition, this can be 1 to 4 .
You need also tell that symbos use the sunrise ide driver.

Examle, symbos f131 d11 sunrise.drv p4
loads Philips (WD2793) driver for Slot 3/1 and Sunrise IDE driver for
Slot 1. Partition 4 will be setup as drive C, and SymbOS will
search on this partition for the configuration file (SYMBOS.INI)
Check the name of the sunrise driver.

By dir_marillion

Rookie (20)

25-08-2009, 19:52

Nyyrikki, it displays: 80 1

I have tried running symbos with fxx d11 etc with no success (without the 4MB card symbos runs without any additional comments)

By usuario_msx2

Paladin (761)

25-08-2009, 20:25

@dir_marillion LPE-4MB-V4 works fine with symbos

By Leo

Paragon (1236)

25-08-2009, 20:32

flah bios version of sunrise , maybe ?

80 is a fine value when putting mapper on slot1 it means bios see external mapper and use it for basic.

have you dowmload last version of symbos ?
on the prodatron website it is mentionned that external mapper will be used when msx is booted with msx dos 2.
anyway symbos uses only 1mb max,

By dir_marillion

Rookie (20)

25-08-2009, 21:08

Yes I have the latest version of Symbos installed.

The BIOS of Sunrise is 2.40 I've just checked it is the latest BIOS.