Upgrading ROM for Pi3

Hi

I am very new to this, so will apologise early!

I have a PI3 which I read cannot boot the RC14 Image of RISOS. I was hoping I could use this as the base to build a card that would work though.

I then downloaded the 5.23 nightly build ROM and tried replacing the RISCOS.IMG file using my PC to access the FAT partition of the card I then extracted the riscos file from the nightly build and put it onto the FAT partition of the SDcard and renamed to RISCOS.IMG.

No good the Pi3 still will not boot.

I do note that the RISCOS.IMG file that was part of the SD card image in RC14 is 5 MB but the new one is 2 MB so am wondering if this is not the right method.

I have searched the forum and see methods to upgrade after you can boot RISCOS on the Pi, but since I have a Pi3 I don’t see a full image that can be used for that so have to make my own. Since I have to prepare the SD card on a PC in order to boot the Pi3

Any guidance on the process gratefully received.

Regards
Clive

See http://www.svrsig.org/PiZero.htm

How do you update your existing RC14-based SD card running RISC OS 5.2x to allow dynamic speed switching and to work on all models Zero, 1, 2 and 3 as well?

This process is described here – a zip file which can simply be downloaded on your existing Raspberry Pi running RISC OS and the contents copied over your existing !Boot directory. It will update your firmware and ROM. Provided you are running RISC OS 5.2x this should work without affecting any of your data or programmes that you might have added since creating your SD card. You may need to update your configuration settings within RISC OS (such as screen size) as a new ROM will start with default settings.

An update zip file containing the latest firmware (BOOTCODE.BIN, FIXUP.DAT and START.ELF) a recent RISC OS ROM, the ZeroPain module (where required) and a utility to display clock speed can be downloaded. Two versions are available – one which has a high processor vector build and requires you to download a kludged version of the ZeroPain module separately if you want to permit zero page access without aborting. The other has a low processor vector build of RISC OS and thus does not need ZeroPain at all.
High vector build
Kludged ZeroPain
Special low vector build

What if you are starting afresh with just a Zero or a model 3?

You will need to wait until ROOL update the RC14 SD card image to cope with the Pi Zero – this requires testing and may take some time.

Is the dynamic speed switching part of the standard source codes? I have enough customisations that I tend to build my own ROMs. ;-)

…one which has a high processor vector build and requires you to download a kludged version of the ZeroPain module separately if you want to permit zero page access without aborting.

A minor query: I see from the installation instructions that the kludged ZP module should be placed in Boot.Choices.Boot.Predesk!!ZeroPain.ZeroPain, overwriting any (pre-existing) time-expired ZP module; but supposing one has never previously installed ZeroPain, i.e., there is no pre-existent module or !!ZeroPain.ZeroPain directory? Presumably the latter structure will be looked for by an aborting programme, so needs to be created if not already in place?

kludged ZP module

The current version of ZeroPain, 0.06, expires when OS5.24 arrives, and it gives enhanced diagnostics. Previously kludged 2016 versions are not required.

Is the dynamic speed switching part of the standard source codes?

Yes. Since 26 March 2016, through the efforts of Jeffrey Lee, RISC OS now supports speed switching on the model 0, model 2 and model 3 Pi – the model 1 Pi does not switch speed.

ZP module should be placed in Boot.Choices.Boot.Predesk!!ZeroPain.ZeroPain, overwriting any (pre-existing) time-expired ZP module; but supposing one has never previously installed ZeroPain

If you have no ZeroPain directory, you probably don’t need it. Later ROM builds that include zero page relocation come with ZeroPain and do need it.

The current version of ZeroPain, 0.06, expires when OS5.24 arrives, and it gives enhanced diagnostics. Previously kludged 2016 versions are not required.

Yes, the latest version of ZeroPain addresses the issue. However if 5.24 arrives before Aemulor is updated then you’ll need the kludged version to use Aemulor.

I do note that the RISCOS.IMG file that was part of the SD card image in RC14 is 5 MB but the new one is 2 MB so am wondering if this is not the right method.

RISCOS.IMG files are sometimes in a self extracting compressed format of about 2.5MB which when run expands to 5MB.

However if 5.24 arrives before Aemulor is updated then you’ll need the kludged version to use Aemulor.

As I understood it Aemulor is currently low vectors only so pain does not come into it.

When 5.24 arrives there may be a user need for a kludged Zero Pain module but that would be a kludge of 0.06.

However if 5.24 arrives before Aemulor is updated then you’ll need the kludged version to use Aemulor.

Mea culpa. Aemulor needs low vectors and so ZeroPain does not come into it!

When upgrading has anyone else experienced this? Adding the ZeroPain module to the upgraded 5.23 !Boot folder stops FAT32FS from running which then prevents the NutPi version of !CloneDisk from working properly.

Does it produce any ZeroPain reports? If you use the copy of ZeroPain that comes with the nightly ROM build, does it produce the same result?

I’ve just looked at my Pi3 (running a mid-Dec build) and the FAT32FS Module appears to be running okay with ZeroPain loaded.

It produces the same result. ZeroPain does work as intended and produces reports when installed (e.g. !PDF & !Zap), but it prevents the FAT32FS modules from starting via the !Boot process. That said I can delve into the !Boot structure to start it manually. Also, I can confirm I do use the ZeroPain module that comes with each build (post Xmas), including the associated HardDisc4 boot structure.

Also, the FAT32FS module seems to have a couple of issues that I’ve observed if using an SD card and USB pen drive, as I do. The first use-case appears whilst using !Writer with a pre-existing document on the SD card. After opening and then saving the document, via right adjust mouse button, the save icon on the toolbar does what you expect. However, on opening the file from the pen drive, it brings up an overwrite save button. The other issues are when moving files from the SD card to pen drive, it changes the case of a filename with UPPER CASE characters to Lower case.

To support RISC OS open, I recently purchased NutPi and RISC OS SD14. I was hoping that DDE27 (pain free version) might have been included in the NutPi distribution, but I have been told that I will have to fork out more money and become an official developer. The reason I bought NutPi was to try RISC OS again and NutPi seemed like a good way to do it. As this is the way things are, it looks like I will continue to use Chris Hall’s low vector build (thank you, Chris…).

Another observation on the builds I’ve tried is that RISC OS ignores any screen mode set in the Pi’s firmware (Pi3). I’m assuming that this is correct until EDID support has been completed. It’s not a big deal as I remember how to create an Obey file to get around this.