I have sysinfo software: It says

 :kickstart V39.106
 :Workbench V 39.48; but worbench itself says its ver. 40.42
I have 1,791,520 graphics mem free and 32,376 other mem.

I have an aca1233 40 mhz accellerator installed.
Under category "Internal hardware modes" it says mmu 68030 (not in use)

The aca1233 has a maprom feature. When this is activated do I then have to manually map memory for specific tasks e.g whdload etc?

So when I try to load aga games that require 4 meg of fast ram, its says can't allocate shadowmem.
Oddly just the one time super stardust aga 4 meg ram worked for me but never again.

I checked some old threads here but the best info i found said that the amiga is looking for disks or adfs when it mentions shadowmem?
Also with some games a500 ones too, it says not enough memory or expmem?

This card has 128 meg of memory so what's the problem?

edit: In some games the title screens/intro screens are flashing/flickering in and out of view, before then stabilising. This isn't a timing fix issue with my a1200 is it? I heard that graphical corruptions occur if such a thing is required for the aca1233 to work properly.

Thanks

Two possibilities; either the accelerator isn't working correctly or you need to rtfm.

I'm guessing you need to add a commandline to your startup-sequence to get more than the few bytes of fast ram you have now.

Looks like you running Kickstart 3.0. You must use the acatune command to enable the 128 meg of memory. Or upgrade to 3.1.

Hi. Yes I have used the acatune disk and it said that the ram was allocated. I will try it again. I have read the wiki on the aca, not very helpful. Mostly this aca version seems automated, just use the supplied disk.

Its a standard commodore a1200 which I got on e-bay. Kickstart 3.0. Why would I need to upgrade to 3.1? Would flickering in and out of intro screens, in whdload games, be indicative of timing fix problems?

System info recognises the card and before inserting the aca card agony and other games would not run at all. Now they do, so I reckon the card is working mostly.

I only used amigas for games back in the day and d-paint, so I am new to the technical side; still it seems easy enough to negotiate workbench, funnily enough its not entirely dissimilar to windows. I want to learn how to get the most out of my a1200.

Because it costs less than $20 and is as easy as popping in a couple chips. If there's even a chance that it could help with your issues, why not do it?

Not directed at you personally, but it drives me absolutely nuts how cheap many Amiga users are. Sure, there's software work-arounds like maprom-ing in a later version, but why in the world would you not want "the latest and greatest" Kickstart for your system? Unless you're building a purely retro, 1.3 machine or something, it just makes me facepalm so hard how many people fight tooth-and-nail to not do this simple upgrade.

Sorry, off-topic rant over! Good luck with your current issues, I'd do some searching on the forums for the proper config for your ACATune software. Config is different depending on the model of card you have and for optimal config of it. It should be the very first line in your startup-sequence and can actually make a pretty big difference if it's not configured correctly!

I'll check the forums about the aca card, sure. I would not have the expertise to install the 3.1 kickstarts myself. I gather it needs soldering or something. But I'm not against it at all.

If all else fails I may pay amigakit a visit as they have a customer counter I'm told. I have an old a500 in need of some loving too and Cardiff is not far away.

No soldering required, just pop in a couple chips.  You do need to make sure of the correct orientation and put them in the right sockets, of course.  I wish I was close enough to visit AmigaKit, post pics (if they let you) if you go.  Bet it'll be a fun trip, I'm jealous!  

I see. Yes it would cost as little to go by ferry as it would for postage and it would be a nice trip. My a500 will have to go there sooner or later.

I see. Yes it would cost as little to go by ferry as it would for postage and it would be a nice trip. My a500 will have to go there sooner or later.

Now I'm picturing you on a ferry with an A500 tucked underneath your arm.  It'll be an adventure, like the 1980's all over again!  I wonder if anyone will stop to ask you what it is you're carrying there?  Might even make some new friends!  

Hello Wrath Of Khan. Please see my post at the bottom of the thread I've linked to here for the correct ACATune line for the ACA1233 or ACA1232 cards:

http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=68501

And whatever you do, DO NOT buy 3.1 roms. They are a waste of money in your case as you have an ACA card with a maprom feature. You can 'soft kick' 3.1 from your hard drive with the ACATune command.

Thanks, I will try this. Oddly what seems to be happening is, I activated the maprom feature and I get loads of other mem. But after resetting the amiga, ctrl, A+A, I lose the other mem. Is there a way to save the maprom command rather than having to activate this every time i boot up?

Well I will try your suggestion. Really, that's great. I guess some games require 3.1? Oh and should I enter the command in my acatune software. Its on a floppy. Or from a cli?

Thanks, I will try this. Oddly what seems to be happening is, I activated the maprom feature and I get loads of other mem. But after resetting the amiga, ctrl, A+A, I lose the other mem. Is there a way to save the maprom command rather than having to activate this every time i boot up?

Well I will try your suggestion. Really, that's great. I guess some games require 3.1? Oh and should I enter the command in my acatune software. Its on a floppy. Or from a cli?

You need to add the ACATune command at the beginning of your startup-sequence, so that you don't have to keep typing it every time . The startup-sequence is what boots your Amiga into Workbench. It's literally just a sequence of commands stored in a text file.

Boot up your computer, go to a shell and type in "ed s:startup-sequence".
Or, just select the "Execute Command" from the Workbench menu and type "ed s:startup-sequence".

Your startup-sequence will be listed and you can add the ACATune line in here. Put it at the top, before SetPatch or any other command is run (in most cases). Then go to the menu and select 'Save'.