WinUAE A1200 With Hard Drive Setup part 1
This guide assumes WinUAE is already installed. If it isn't, it can be downloaded from winuae.net and is a simple installation.
Preparation
Required ROMs
Kickstart ROMs are required for emulation. They can be obtained from Amiga Forever or another source.
| Filename | Description | MD5 Checksum |
|---|---|---|
| ✔ kick39106.A1200 | Kickstart v3.0 rev 39.106 (Amiga 1200) | b7cc148386aa631136f510cd29e42fc3 |
| ✔ kick40068.A1200 | Kickstart v3.1 rev 40.068 (Amiga 1200) | 646773759326fbac3b2311fd8c8793ee |
Both Kickstart 3.0 and 3.1 are compatible. Kickstart 3.0 was the default for real Amiga 1200 hardware and is recommended for authenticity. However, Kickstart 3.1 is required for Workbench 3.1 and later.
WinUAE identifies Kickstart ROMs by their checksum, meaning the filename does not need to follow a specific naming convention. Verify the MD5 checksum to ensure the correct ROMs are used.
Required Disks
Workbench disks are required to install and run the Amiga desktop environment. Workbench provides the graphical interface for managing files, launching applications, and configuring the system.
These disks can be obtained from Amiga Forever or another source.
✔ Workbench v3.0 rev 39.29
✔ Workbench v3.1 rev 40.42
Both sets consist of six disks:
- Disk 1: Install
- Disk 2: Workbench
- Disk 3: Extras
- Disk 4: Storage
- Disk 5: Locale
- Disk 6: Fonts
WinUAE Folder Structure
1. Create a dedicated WinUAE folder on your host system for better file organisation.
- Base Folder
Documents\WinUAE(or another preferred location)
- Subfolders
Kickstarts– Store all Kickstart ROMs required for emulation.Floppy Disks– ADF files for games, demos, music mods, and Workbench boot disks.Hard Drives– Stores hard drive images and directory-based hard drives.Configurations– Store and manage different WinUAE configurations.Save States– If using save states, store them here for organisation.Screenshots– Screenshots taken via WinUAE’s function are stored here.Shared– A shared folder for file transfers between the Amiga and PC, including WHDLoad files when needed.Videos– For recording gameplay or Workbench footage directly from WinUAE.
2. Copy the Kickstart ROMs into the Kickstarts folder.
- For Amiga 1200 emulation, you can use either Kickstart 3.0 or 3.1.
- If you have ROMs for other Amiga models, store them here for future use.
3. Copy Workbench disks (3.0, 3.1, or both) into the Floppy Disks folder.
- Store them in separate subfolders to maintain organisation.
Configuring Folder Structure in WinUAE (Optional)
1. Open WinUAE and go to Paths.
2. Set the following paths by clicking the triple dots (…) and selecting the corresponding folder:
- System ROMs →
WinUAE\Kickstarts - Configuration files →
WinUAE\Configurations - Screenshots →
WinUAE\Screenshots - State files →
WinUAE\Save States - Videos →
WinUAE\Videos
- When the Kickstarts folder is assigned, WinUAE will automatically scan it and display Kickstart ROMs found.
Configuring an Amiga 1200 with a Hard Drive
Quickstart
1. Go to Quickstart.
2. Select A1200 from the dropdown list.
3. Click Set Configuration to load the default A1200 setup.
Configurations
1. Go to Configurations.
2. Select Save As to create a new configuration, name it A1200HD (or another filename of your choice), and click Save.
- Changes are not saved automatically. After making any changes, return to this menu, select A1200HD, and click Save.
CPU and FPU
1. Go to CPU and FPU.
2. Set the CPU to 68020 for the best WHDLoad compatibility. Some games may crash when using higher CPUs.
- If a specific game or software requires a more powerful CPU, switch to 68030, but note that this may reduce compatibility with certain WHDLoad titles.
Chipset
No change from default.
Adv Chipset
No change from default.
ROM
- KS ROM v3.0 (A1200) rev 39.106 (512k) is selected automatically by Quickstart based on the chosen Amiga model. This is the default ROM for the Amiga 1200 and is the most compatible option for WHDLoad.
- If needed, it can be changed to KS ROM v3.1 (A1200) rev 40.68 (512k), which is required for certain software, including Workbench 3.9, or for custom configurations.
RAM
1. Go to RAM.
2. Set Fast RAM to 8 MB to match an expanded A1200.
- Chip RAM will already be set to 2 MB by default. Increasing it may cause compatibility issues with games and WHDLoad.
Floppy Drives
1. Go to Floppy drives.
2. Tick the checkboxes to enable all floppy drives (DF0 to DF3).
3. Set Floppy Drive Emulation Speed to 800%.
- This reduces load times, making Workbench installation faster.
4. Enter blank in Disk label.
4. Click Create Standard Disk.
5. Navigate to the Floppy Disks folder.
6. Enter blank as the filename, then click Save.
- A blank disk prevents the empty drive sound effect.
CD & Hard Drives
1. Go to CD & Hard Drives.
The hard drive setup in this guide is flexible, with the number of drives and sizes provided as a recommendation. Users can adjust these settings based on their needs.
| Device | Volume | Path | Type | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DH0 | n/a | WinUAE\Hard Drives\DH0WB.hdf | Hardfile | 100 MB |
| DH1 | n/a | WinUAE\Hard Drives\DH1Apps.hdf | Hardfile | 512 MB |
| DH2 | n/a | WinUAE\Hard Drives\DH2Games.hdf | Hardfile | 512 MB |
| DH3 | Shared | WinUAE\Shared | Folder | n/a |
- Kickstart 3.0 and 3.1 have a built-in 4GB limit per partition due to their 32-bit addressing in the original Fast File System (FFS).
Creating a Hardfile
1. Click Add Hardfile....
2. Under New hard disk image file, enter the desired Hardfile size, e.g., 100 MB for the Workbench drive.
3. Click Create. This opens a file browser window.
4. Navigate to the WinUAE\Hard Drives folder, enter a filename, then click Save.
- The filename is only used in Windows and does not affect how the drive is recognised in AmigaOS.
5. In the Device field, enter the drive number (e.g., DH0).
6. Enable Full drive/RDB mode only if this drive will be copied to an SD card. This is not required if using the drive exclusively in WinUAE.
7. Click OK.
- Repeat steps 1 to 7 for each additional Hardfile.
AmigaOS requires system memory to manage mounted hard drives and partitions. Each partition consumes a small amount of RAM due to buffer allocation, filesystem overhead, and mounting resources.
Each partition uses buffers to store temporary filesystem data. The default setting is 30 buffers per partition, with each buffer being 512 bytes.
| Partition | Size | Default Buffers | RAM Usage (Chip/Fast RAM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DH0: WB | 100MB | 30 | 15KB |
| DH1: Apps | 512MB | 30 | 15KB |
| DH2: Games | 512MB | 30 | 15KB |
Total RAM used for three partitions: 45KB
✔ More partitions = More RAM usage (each partition adds at least 15KB).
✔ Larger partitions do not necessarily use more RAM, unless buffer count is increased.
✔ Fewer partitions help conserve memory, but too few can reduce organisation.
Adding a Shared Folder for File Exchange
1. Click Add Directory or Archive....
2. Click Select Directory.
3. In the file browser window, navigate to an existing folder (e.g., WinUAE\Shared) or create a new one.
4. Click Select Folder.
5. Enter a Device name (e.g., DH3).
6. Enter a Volume label (e.g., Shared).
7. Click OK.
Disk Swapper
1. Go to Disk Swapper.
2. Double-click on Line 1 under Disk Image.
3. Navigate to the folder containing the Workbench disks, select all the disks, and click Open.
4. Click Lines 1 to 4 under Drive to insert the disks into DF0 to DF3.
Floppy drives
- You can see that the disks have been inserted on the Floppy drive tab.
Display
Most settings can be left at their defaults, but set Native to Full-window for best results.
- The alternative, Full-screen, works for some setups but may cause issues on multi-monitor systems.
Sound
1. Set Floppy Device Sound Emulation for an Empty drive lower, about 20% should suffice. This is the sound produced when no disk is inserted.
- This sound can be disabled entirely or, like on real hardware, inserting an empty disk will stop it.
Game Ports
By default, mouse sensitivity is often too high.
1. Set Mouse speed to around 30-50, test and adjust as needed.
Miscellaneous
1. Ensure the option Untrap = middle button is enabled.
- This allows you to untrap the mouse using the middle mouse button.
Starting the Emulation
Click Start.