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[wlfrancis]

Greetings,

Just got my Amiga 1200 HD in the mail a couple of days ago.

First "newbie" question:

How do I tell if I have 3.1 ROMS?

And then a bunch more questions:

I am interested in getting OS 3.9 installed. My goal is to deck this thing out as much as I can WITHOUT taking it out of it's original case. Much of what I like about the 1200 is it's small footprint.

I was originally thinking 68030 expansion but should I aim a little higher like 68060? Also is it a joke to run 3.9 with the 1200's built in video? I don't really have many options for upgrading video if I stick with the original case right?

Next does anyone have experience with Subway USB and an external USB CDROM drive? I am hoping this will work for installing 3.9 as I don't want to mess with SCSI if I can avoid it.

And lastly is the TCIP and web browsing functionality that comes with 3.9 about as good as I am going to get without an OS 4.0 Amiga or should I be getting 3rd party products for the best results?

Thanks everyone in advance for your advice and help!

[amigakit]

Welcome!

When Workbench loads, select the About option from the Workbench menu- if it reports 40.68 Kickstart then you have 3.1 ROM chips installed.

The Subway works well with an external USB CD as long as you put a self-powered hub between the two devices- this is to prevent the A1200 motherboard being over burdened in respect of power. We can provide A1200 desktop USB rear plate.

We also can also use our PCMCIA transfer kit to install 3.9: http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=440

We develop/supply EasyNet to provide broadband internet access for the A1200: http://easynet.amigakit.com

[wlfrancis]

Greetings,

Cool thanks for the info. I have 3.1! I am leaning towards the Subway USB since I would like to use other USB devices like an optical mouse, usb flash storage, etc.

Any opinion on OS 3.9 using the built in graphics of the 1200? Also what trap door expansion would you recommend for the 1200?

Thanks again for your advice!

[wlfrancis]

Greetings,

Oh also, what are your thoughts on scan doublers? I really want to use this system with a flat panel display if I can.

Thanks Again!

[Jiffy]

I use a flickerfixer with my A1200 and have OS3.9 installed. Standard resolution I use is high-res interlaced with maximum overscan (something like 724x566 pixels or so) and it works great. The monitor I use is a 15" Compaq CRT and the image is very crisp, although you have to keep in mind the refreshrate is 'only' 50 Hz and therefor you will keep a slight flicker.

Anyway, if you want to keep your A1200 in its standard casing (like I do), you can either use the standard 1084 with a maximum usable resolution of 640x256 or you can go for a scandoubler (preferably with builtin flickerfixer) and use a 'normal' more recent monitor.

If you want to go for an LCD-screen, check if the screen you want is usable with your Amiga. Many LCD-screens cannot handle the Amiga's 50Hz signal very well and will give a distorted result on your screen.

Oh, btw, if you want to look for a turbocard for the trapdoorexpansionslot of your A1200: the Blizzard 1260 (with an optional SCSI-hostadapter) is, and will most likely remain, the best card you can fit in a non-towerized A1200. No, I will not sell mine... ;-)

The choice between a card with a 68030 or a 68060 not only depends on the speeddifference, but also on what you want to do with your A1200. The 68060 is less compatible, but much faster compared to an 68030.

[wlfrancis]

Greetings Again,

Cool. I think for now a 68030 with some extra ram, a scan doubler/flicker fixer and a crt that supports 50hz sounds like the ticket.

Thanks!

[wlfrancis]

Greetings Again (Amigakit),

I have been poking around your site and have even more questions! I am somewhat interested in the DELFINA SOUND CARD but notice it goes on the clock port. Can I use this and Subway USB at the same time? If so, can all of this fit internally in the 1200's standard case?

Also I noticed the Amiga 1200 hard drive you offer with OS 3.5 pre-installed. What am I missing out on if I stick with OS 3.5 and don't upgrade to 3.9?

Thanks!