WinUAE WHDLoad Setup

This guide assumes WinUAE is set up according to WinUAE A1200 With Hard Drive Setup part 1 and WinUAE A1200 With Hard Drive Setup part 2. If you did not follow that guide, refer to it for steps such as setting up a Shared folder.

Preparation

Required Files

✔ lha.run – Required to extract LHA files.
✔ Installer-43_3.lha – Required for some WHDLoad installers to function properly.
✔ skick346.lha – Allows WHDLoad to use Kickstart ROMs when launching games.
✔ WHDLoad_usr.lha – WHDLoad installation package for setting up hard drive-based games.
✔ WHDownLoads.com – (Optional) Download a game to test.

Required ROMs

The following ROMs are required for WHDLoad. The filenames may vary depending on the source. If the filenames do not match WHDLoad's required naming convention, copy them to a separate folder and rename them accordingly.

WHDLoad Required Kickstart ROMs and MD5 Checksums
WHDLoad Filename	'Amiga Forever' Filename	Original ROM Description	MD5 Checksum
✔ kick33180.A500	amiga-os-120.rom	Kickstart v1.2 rev 33.180 (Amiga 500)	85ad74194e87c08904327de1a9443b7a
✔ kick34005.A500	amiga-os-130.rom	Kickstart v1.3 rev 34.005 (Amiga 500)	82a21c1890cae844b3df741f2762d48d
✔ kick40063.A600	amiga-os-310-a600.rom	Kickstart v3.1 rev 40.063 (Amiga 600)	e40a5dfb3d017ba8779faba30cbd1c8e
✔ kick40068.A1200	amiga-os-310-a1200.rom	Kickstart v3.1 rev 40.068 (Amiga 1200)	646773759326fbac3b2311fd8c8793ee
✔ kick40068.A4000	amiga-os-310-a4000.rom	Kickstart v3.1 rev 40.068 (Amiga 4000)	9bdedde6a4f33555b4a270c8ca53297d

Verify the MD5 checksum to ensure you are using the correct ROMs. HashTools is a good app to check multiple MD5s at once. Always scan unknown files for viruses. You can use VirusTotal to upload and check files for potential threats.

Preparing Shared Folder

Copy all required ROMs and files into the Shared folder so they can be accessed from Workbench. If you need to create one, follow the instructions in Adding a Shared Folder for File Exchange.

Installing LHA and Installer

1. Launch WinUAE, load the A1200 configuration, and click Start.
2. Double-click the Shared drive.
3. Hold down the right mouse button on the Workbench menu, go to Window → Show → All Files, then release the mouse button.

All the files copied to the Shared folder should now be visible.

4 Close the Shared folder (top left button of the window) as we will conduct most of the installation using Shell commands.

5. Hold down the right mouse button on the Workbench menu, go to Workbench → Execute Command, then release the mouse button.
6. In the Command: window, type newshell followed by Return.

A New Shell window should now open.

7. Run the following commands:

cd Shared: – Changes the directory to the Shared drive.
lha.run Ram: – Extracts the lha.run package into the Ram Disk. This will be erased on reset.
Copy Ram:lha_68020 C:lha – Copies the 68020 version of LHA to the C folder in Workbench and renames it to lha.
lha – If installed correctly, running lha should display the usage. Press any key to continue.
lha x Installer-43_3.lha Ram: – Uses the lha command to extract the Installer into the Ram Disk.
Copy Ram:Installer43_3/Installer C: – Copies the extracted Installer into the C folder in Workbench.
Installer – If installed correctly, running Installer should display the usage.

8. lha.run and Installer-43_3.lha can now be delete either using host system or AmigaOS.

To delete using AmigaOS:
- Double-click the Shared drive.
- Ensure that Workbench → Show → All Files is enabled.
- Click on the file to be deleted.
- Hold down the right mouse button on the Workbench menu, go to Icon → Delete, then release the mouse button and click OK.

Installing WHDLoad

1. Hold down the right mouse button on the Workbench menu, go to Workbench → Execute Command, then release the mouse button.
2. In the Command: window, type newshell followed by Return.

A New Shell window should now open.

3. Run the following commands:

cd Shared: – Changes the directory to the Shared drive.
lha x WHDLoad_usr.lha Ram: – Extracts the WHDLoad_usr.lha package into the Ram Disk.

4. Double-click on Ram Disk.
5. Double-click on WHDLoad.
6. Double-click on Install.
7. Click Proceed With Install.
8. Click Proceed four more times.

9. WHDLoad_usr.lha can now be deleted using either the host system or AmigaOS.

It is a good time to reset the machine to clear the RAM. Press F12 and click Reset.

Copying Kickstart ROMs

1. Hold down the right mouse button on the Workbench menu, go to Workbench → Execute Command, then release the mouse button.
2. In the Command: window, type newshell followed by Return.

A New Shell window should now open.

3. Run the following commands:

cd Shared: – Changes the directory to the Shared drive.
lha x skick346.lha Ram: – Extracts the skick346.lha package into the Ram Disk.

AmigaShell can now be closed.

4. Double-click on the Ram Disk folder.
5. Hold down the right mouse button on the Workbench menu, go to Window → Show → All Files, then release the mouse button.
6. Double-click the Kickstarts folder.
7. Double-click on the Shared drive.
8. Drag the following files from the Shared drive to the Kickstarts folder.

kick33180.A500
kick34005.A500
kick40063.A600
kick40068.A1200
kick40068.A4000

9. Close all windows.
10. Double-click WB drive then double-click the Devs folder.
11. Double-click Ram Disk drive.
12. Drag the Kickstarts folder from the Ram Disk to the Devs folder.
13. Check the Kickstart folder copied across by selecting the Devs folder and enabling show all files.

14. WHDLoad_usr.lha and Kickstart Roms can now be deleted either using the host system or AmigaOS.

To delete using AmigaOS:
- Double-click the Shared drive.
- Ensure that Workbench → Show → All Files is enabled.
- Click on the file to be deleted.
- Hold down the right mouse button on the Workbench menu, go to Icon → Delete, then release the mouse button and click OK.

WHDLoad and the required Kickstart ROMs have been installed.

Installing First Game

A quick way to install a game is:

1. Double-click the .lha file of the game to be installed.
2. In the Execute Command window, add a space followed by the destination to the end, e.g., Games:.
3. At the beginning of the command, insert lha x .
4. Press Return or click OK.

Installing Multiple Games

If you want to install multiple games:

1. Copy the .lha files to the Shared folder on the host system.
2. Hold down the right mouse button on the Workbench menu, go to Workbench → Execute Command, then release the mouse button.
3. In the Command: window, type newshell followed by Return.

A New Shell window should now open.

4. Run the following commands:

cd Shared: - Change directory to the Shared drive.
lha x #?.lha Games: – Extracts all .lha files from the Shared drive into the Games drive.