Hard Drive installlation issue's

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spk1966
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2012 5:02 pm

Hard Drive installlation issue's

Post by spk1966 »

After 9 years i post a new question/ problem concerning my Sam440ep. So i begin as i begun with: sorry for my english ;-)
The topic i had 9 years ago with sudden restarts are always there. But i have to live with this.
The Amiga Sam440ep hangs on an KVM-Switch, so i can use my Windows PC and the Sam with one mice, keyboard and monitor. I think this could be one possible source of error.
Another thought i had was my harddrive with possible failures. So i started to try to reinstall the AmigaOS4.1FE on a "new" harddrive, but here began the nightmare.
As i connected the new harddrive (3,5" Samsung) and powered the Sam on, it was impossible to get it started. The power led showed for half a second the light but than powered off. The screen showed nothing, no UBoot screen, the time was so short that i even could not open the DVD drive with the button.
So i tried another Notebook Drive and a 240 GB SSD drive, but there was the same.
The fact is when i start the Sam with the original harddrive and connect these other drive via a sata->usb cable, AmigaOS shows the drive, i can get access via the media toolbox, install the slb, create partitions, etc. After i boot the Sam with the original AmigaOS 4.1FE-CD i can install the OS via the installed sata->usb option. But after disconnecting the old harddrive and connecting the new drive there is the same scenario that after pressing the power button the led lights and powers off instantly.
I had a fourth one hard drive, but this had a bad S.M.A.R.T. so i did not wanted to invest time to get the OS installed on there. But i tried the following and this is really strange for me! After connecting the power cable from the board to this drive (only the power cable!) but without connecting the sata cable the Sam powers on, provided the install CD is in the DVD drive.
When i try this with the other "new" drives it does not function.
So is my question, if a "sata drive is not equal to a sata drive"? Are there tensions or reistance a harddrive must have to work with the Sam? Or is the Sil-controller defective? Is than there a chance for a workaround?
My fear is that one day the now installed harddrive will get killed and i cannot get the AmigaOS installed on a new harddrive.
I posted my question also to Acube but did not get a response.
So i would appreciate any hint. :roll:
spk1966
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2012 5:02 pm

Re: Hard Drive installlation issue's

Post by spk1966 »

As i forgot to mention i am not the "fulltime Amiganer" (anymore). The Sam will be used by me every now and then, but at christmas and new year i had time because of an infection with Covid, so i had time to deal with the Amiga a little bit. ;)
spk1966
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2012 5:02 pm

Re: Hard Drive installlation issue's

Post by spk1966 »

Yesterday i tried another option. I bought an CF Card->SATA Adapter and tried it to inject it to the Sata-port for harddisk, but it was the same result. Short power-led lightning, also the CF-card adapter powered shortly on. But than nothing.
Than i had the idea to plug in the old harddrive that worked with the Sam in a NON bootable sata-slot and the CF Adapter in the bootable sata port. This WORKED, the machine powered on, showed the uboot menu and i could insert the AmigaOS installCD and install AmigaOS 4.1FE on this CF card. The boot after the installation also worked fine.
Than i tried this with disconnecting the working harddrive and connecting one of the other drives i tried before (on the non bootable sata port) and the cf- drive still in the sata port for harddrive(bootable). But there was the same scenario as before, short power light, no uboot menu, nothing.
It seems that SAM only likes and works with this MAxtor harddisk.
I am speechless. :cry:
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