Subject: Re: Followup to: Failure to boot CDR on Dec. 2000 DC and some questions
To: Josh Tolbert <hemi@scoundrelz.net>
From: Rafal Boni <rafal@attbi.com>
List: port-dreamcast
Date: 12/18/2002 15:31:51
In message <20021218131302.Q4096-100000@view.scoundrelz.net>, you write: 

-> 	Congrats on building an image that works in the older Dreamcast.

Credit for the building is all you; I just burnt it to CDR 8-)

-> 	I remember reading somewhere about a hardware mod to allow the use
-> of CD-RWs in Dreamcasts, but I don't know if it would be worthwhile to
-> attempt on the newer Dreamcast cause I'm not familiar with how they are
-> disabling CD-R read support.

Yeah, I saw the mod, and it was a little scary-looking; I figured better
just spend the extra money on a console known to work and save myself the
hassle 8-)

-> 	I've never tried to boot a data-data CD; I just stick with the
-> mixed-mode audio/data CDs I've been making (and provide files/directions
-> for) cause they work.

Yah, the data-data CDs were an attempt at getting the newer DC console to
boot something home-cooked but were unsuccesful both on the old and new
consoles 8-)

-> 	The VGA adapters work great. Both of the bootable .isos that are
-> available on my page have the VGA adapter bit turned on, so they should
-> (and do; I run mine through a KVM switch to a VGA monitor) work with
-> either a VGA monitor through an adapter or straight to a TV. The DC video
-> looks very sharp on a nice VGA monitor, too.

Excellent, thanks!  I think I'll attempt to ditch the newer DC on eBay and
maybe turn it into a VGA adapter and some other swag 8-)

-> 	If you decide to whip up your own images, Marcus' pages have all
-> the documentation you'll need to find which bit to turn on in the config
-> file that's used to create the first blocks of the .iso.

Yep, saw those -- and I plan on testing the recipe to create myself an IP
loader CDR so I can get the kernel off the network as well (no point in
burning a new CDR everytime something neat gets added or some bug gets
fixed); it seems a much better way to go since all of userland is going
to come from the 'net as well.

-> 	As an aside, I'm going to get around to updating the CD images and
-> world tarballs I have available to the newer release NetBSD sources, but
-> I've been pretty busy with other projects and the like. I'm also going to
-> jerk out a lot of the extra stuff (pkg tree, a few extra thing I compiled)
-> to get the final tarball size down some.

I think this would be good, but I'll probably just build the world myself,
at least as soon as the planned disk expansion for my Ultra5 arrives.

Thanks,
--rafal

----
Rafal Boni                                                     rafal@attbi.com
  We are all worms.  But I do believe I am a glowworm.  -- Winston Churchill