Vamiga: Support for .exe format?

[dirkwhoffmann]

Toni asked me if I could provide my test cases in form of an .exe file when I open up a bug report in the UAE repo.

I'll test later but I have a request: could you make your test cases plain executables (that also work with fast ram)? It is far easier to transfer, select and run when using ACA500plus. Transferring adfs is painful.

Does anybody know how the .exe format works? I've noticed that a couple of demos come in .exe format only. I always had to skip them and to search for an .adf version instead.

@naTmeg, is SAE capable of reading in .exe files?

[naTmeg]

.exe support is there. Look at disk.js at/after line 3880. I've just ported that stuff, dunno how they're created.

I'm also not sure what Toni exactly means. Maybe he's referring to real Amiga-executable files (in hunk-format)?

[mithrendal]

I understand that he likes to have the linked file. When you compile source code then typically the assembler creates an object file. The linker transformes this object file into a CLI executable file.
You have to spot this file which is possibly created somewhere during @alpine9000 build process on your computer.

[dirkwhoffmann]

Look at disk.js at/after line 388

Got it. The code takes an arbitrary file (EXE) and creates a bootable disk with a single file on it. I didn't check the whole code though, because it looks somewhat complicated.

Hence, EXE files are just binaries that are treated as a single Amiga file (I think). I did a small experiment and converted an EXE to an ADF via xdftool (which is really handy):

xdftool demo.adf format "demo"
xdftool demo.adf write 2DTeam-Intro.exe 
xdftool demo.adf boot install

The ADF boots into a CLI (the standard boot sector code does not launch the executable).
When I type "2DTeam-Intro.exe" manually, the demo starts.

Toni just needs it the other way round, I think. ADF -> EXE

[dirkwhoffmann]

You have to spot this file which is possibly created somewhere during @alpine9000 build process on your computer.

Excerpt from my console output:

vasmm68k_mot -Fhunk -quiet -esc  lc1.s -o out/main.o -I/usr/local/amiga/vgcc/ndk/include/
vlink -Ttext 0x70000  -brawbin1 out/main.o  -o out/main.bin

First I thought, main.bin would be the equivalent to an EXE, but when I use this file in @naTmeg's SAE, it is not recognised. The hand & disk logo continues to show up. Maybe there is some other magic in EXE files 🤔?

[alpine9000]

-brawbin1 tells the linker to create a raw binary file which is not executable by AmigaOS.

If you want an AmigaOS executable file, don't pass this option

[dirkwhoffmann]

don't pass this option

That's it 😃. Many thanks!!

I can now load the test case in SAE (without doing the ADF conversion) 😎

[dirkwhoffmann]

In UAE, is it possible to export the currently inserted disk to an ADF? No?

[dirkwhoffmann]

Problem description:

• I have: Some .exe file
• I want: A bootable ADF that automatically starts the exe file

With xdftools, I can create an ADF, write the exe on it and create a boot block. When booting the created ADF, a CLI window opens. Hence, I need to write some additional boot code / batch script that runs the program (like AUTOEXEC.BAT in MSDOS). Right? Does anybody know how this works?

[mithrendal]

make a folder s
open a texteditor and type the name of the file
filenametoexecute
save as "startup-sequence" in s

now AmigaDOS should load it when booting...

you also could write some echos in the startup-sequence

echo "--- vAmigaTS Testcollection"
echo "type "
echo "1 for multiplex1"
echo "2 for ddfskip1"
...

and name the testfiles 1 2 3 etc

Amiga OS looks after the file sys:s/startup-sequence when booting a disk...
Where sys: is the bootdrive. Typically df0:

PS: when you like to do echos I am not sure but the echo command must also be on the disk. I think it looks after the commands in the folder c ...

[dirkwhoffmann]

save as "startup-sequence" in s

Oh yes, now I remember. Hence something like this should do the trick:

xdftool kyrios.adf format „kyrios“
Xdftool kyrios.adf write kyrios.exe
Xdftool kyrios.adf makedir s
Xdftool kyrios.adf write s/startup-sequence (file startup-sequence must contain kyrios.exe as a single command)
Xdftool kyrios.adf boot install

I'll try later, my current machine has no xdftools installed.

[mithrendal]

Yes correct. 😀

[mithrendal]

I just tried it out, it works as I remembered. I just used another toolset. Here we go

adfcreate sample.adf
adfinst sample.adf
adfcopy sample.adf someplainexe /
adfmakedir sample.adf s
adfcopy sample.adf startup-sequence s

startup-sequence file contained "someplainexe"
It booted and started automatically the someplainexe.

the adf toolset is from the /bin folder in https://github.com/prb28/vscode-amiga-wks-example/releases/download/0.18/vscode-amiga-wks-example-osx.zip

[dirkwhoffmann]

the adf toolset is from the /bin folder in ...

Wow. Very cool. 🥳

[mithrendal]

Usage: adfcreate [OPTIONS]... FILE...
Create and format new adf-files.

-f, --file-system=INT   file-system for the disk
                          0 - OFS (default)
                          1 - FFS
                          2 - I-OFS
                          3 - I-FFS
                          4 - DC-OFS
                          5 - DC-FFS
-H  --hd                format with high density
-l, --label=NAME        use NAME as disk label
-h, --help              display this help and exit
-V, --version           display version information and exit

interesting this guy can create various disk formats 🤔

the sources are here https://github.com/prb28/adftools

[dirkwhoffmann]

I've moved the instructions to create an ADF from an EXE file to a Wiki page:

https://github.com/dirkwhoffmann/vAmiga/wiki/EXE2ADF