Weird reboot issue on CD32 + TF330

[gtsamour]

Recently I bought a TF330 equiped with a gold top 68030RC50 cpu.

Its a magnificent piece of hardware and everything is working fine.

I came across an issue with two games, Cannon Fodder v2.0 and Alien Breed. I don't know if its a WHDload or a hardware issue since there is a way to make both of these load and work fine.

Most of the time I used to load the games from iGame so I didn't have this issue. Lately I made a "best" game collection and stored them on a different partition executing them the normal way (clicking on their icon).

So here's the deal....
If I boot the CD32 and go and execute cannon fodder (same for alien breed), it loads fine. It loads fine everytime I run it after the initial run. But, if before that I open a text file like a readme or a manual of the cannon fodder game, close it and then try to run the game, the whdload banner does not show up and finally the console reboots.
Now, if I successfully run the game initially and then try to open it's manual or some other document file that came with it, the console also reboots. Same goes for alien breed but no other game that I loaded this way (not with a launcher but opening the window and executing it).

I suspect this is some kind of memory conflict between tha WHDLoad and Multiview (the viewer of the document files).

Also to mention that I tried executing the game from the system partition, with or without the MMULibs installed, with and without MMU enabled in the WHDLoad.prefs. Always the same behaviour.

Has anyone else encountered something like this? Can someone try to reproduce it?

I have no other issue whatsoever with the (recapped) system, either with other games or these two if launched the first time around. Every memory test i tried (for hours) passes successfuly.

 

[fitzsteve]

Hi I will try on my CD32, same hardware and let you know. Out of interest what version of Workbench do you run? (Also is it a pre installed pack like Classic Workbench?)

- - - Updated - - -

Hi I checked, nope I don't have this issue. Tried both games and opened all the text docs. Note I use Classic WB ADV SP which used Scalos. (Build on WB3.1)

I use latest WHDload and have a genuine key file (not that it's needed anymore)

 

[gtsamour]

Hi, Its classic wb that i installed from scratch myself with all the latest scsi drivers. The latest whdload and whdload game releases. Thanks for trying to reproduce the issue. I originally had the tf 328 before i replaced it with the tf330.

Did you try the v2.0 of whdload cannon fodder.?

 

[fitzsteve]

Hi I'm not sure what version of cannon fodder, whatever was in the 2.3 Whdload pack, that's the last time I updated. I haven't updated scsi device as I'm using an 8GB CF so just PFS3 AIO is enough for me.

Same I have a 328 as well which is in a box now, previously I ran classic workbench full, also with Scalos.

 

[gtsamour]

I did more testing....

1. Tried the same cf card that I made myself (16gb) (latest version of whdload 18.5) but used the tf328, same results.... so the issue has nothing to do with my tf330 since it can be reproduced on my tf328 as well.
2. Tried another cf card (8gb) that came with my cd32 when i bought it, with the tf328, has older version of whdload and older game releases, also classic wb with scalos. No problems there.
3. Tried the older 8gb card with the tf330, lots of docs opened and games executed.... no problems.
4. Tried the older 8gb card with the latest version of cannon fodder (v2.0) copied into it and the pre-existing older version of whdload. The problem now appears even without launching the game. Just by trying to load the manual docs of the game the console reboots.
5. Tried the older card on the tf330, older versions (games and docs) all load fine.

So my conclusion is that the docs in the latest release of the cannon fodder (v2.0) and also alien breed and gianna sisters (and probably others), have some kind of problem causing the console to reboot.

The 8gb card is of unknown chinese brand. The 16GB card is a Sandisk Ultra that is known to be completely compatible with the TF.

@fitzsteve
It seems the problem is in the docs of the latest release of Cannon fodder (v2.0) (and some others) causing some kind of memory corruption when loaded, older version docs I tried were OK (i think it was v1.0).

----update---
The problem is confirmed. I reproduced it using UAE and the (older) 8gb CF card, tried to open the docs a couple of times and UAE gurued (red letters and rebooted). WTF

 

[xubidoo]

Ive had a similar problem, but a little different, seemingly random restarts when opening up readme files for whdload games and manuals, turned out i had disk errors on my CF card, which i eventually solved with the help of several ppl on this board.
using HDDFIX and PFSDoctor, after i ran both of those and let them do their thing, the random reboots on opening readme's etc stopped, and is now rock solid.
It maybe something totally different on your system, but thought id mention it in case.

 

[gtsamour]

Ive had a similar problem, but a little different, seemingly random restarts when opening up readme files for whdload games and manuals, turned out i had disk errors on my CF card, which i eventually solved with the help of several ppl on this board.
using HDDFIX and PFSDoctor, after i ran both of those and let them do their thing, the random reboots on opening readme's etc stopped, and is now rock solid.
It maybe something totally different on your system, but thought id mention it in case.

Thanks for the input. In your case from what I read in another thread, you used a 8gb image to build a 16gb card and in cases like that it is expected to run onto errors unless you fix them with the tools you mentioned. I built mine from scratch using all the latest bells and whistles (pfsio3, latest scsi drivers) so I should have problems with read errors.

On mine the issue is anything but random, it reboots instantly and with specific files only, no matter if i run them on one partition or arcextract them and run them from another. Also on different cf cards, one i made (16gb) and one that came with my console (8gb). I find it difficult to believe its read errors.

-update-

I even extracted the cannon fodder v2.0 lha on the "PC" drive (UAE with my CF connected through a CF adapter on the pc) which in fact is a directory on the pc acting as a virtual amiga partition and tried the doc files from there... REBOOT. I guess that means its definitely no CF read error issue since the file isn't located on the CF. I only have the reboots with doc files of the latest version and not the older ones.

It would be nice if someone could download the cannon fodder (v2.0) lha from the ftp (first post on this thread) and try to load the docs a couple of times to recreate the issue.

-update2-

I came to the conclusion that the issue appears only on Classic WB installations. Tried 3 different of them from 3 different sources, same issue in all three of them.
I then tried a regular WB installation I had made myself in the recent past, plain WB with some stuff installed by me like iGame, WHDLoad etc, DOPUS, no crazy stuff. Guess what.... no reboot opening the exact same document files.

I'm beginning to wonder which one I should keep on my CF.

 

[gtsamour]

Sorry double post

 

[fitzsteve]

I think I remember the issue now as I had similar with the ACA cards, I think the datatype is looking for non existent FPU so it crashes, replace by the standard datatypes and I bet it works fine.

 

[gtsamour]

Any idea where should I download these datatypes? Link?

 

[fitzsteve]

Any idea where should I download these datatypes? Link?

Just copy them from your other install

 

[gtsamour]

Tried it, doesn't work, same behaviour.... i suppose you mean the FTXT and FTXT.info files right?

"Software Failure Press left mouse button to continue
Error: 8100 0005 Task: 40339FE0"