I have tried to make a bootable stick a few times now, folowing Elwoods directives
The procedure is quite similar to an installation of OS4.1FE on a hd partition. This hd partition install i have done now for more than ten times (not achieving a stable OS due to HD problems described in other threads but) succeeding in the partition being bootable.

I have tried now 3 times for the stick, twice insstalling from OS4.1FE DVD, once copying the OS from a backup.
The icons of the stick show up as a typical boingball sys volume, but don't boot.

U-boot indeed gets in a loop does a scan, detects the usb stick, spits out the content of some sectors, then restarts

there is a uboot env variable "scan_storage"like that i set to 0, but uboot still gets in the loop :((

@Elwood

Was able to recover the messages with
nvsetvar video_num 1

something solved at last

@salass00
Thanks for replying: Ithe Device showed up.
After a week of struggling to get a workable system back, I am getting tired and stressed. And don't see the obvious anymore' I guess the device does not show up if you don'have an USB stick connected

http://wiki.amigaos.net/wiki/UserDoc:How_AmigaOS_Works
Describes the procedure to make a stick bootable

MTB does not show the USBdisk.device when booting from,OS4.1 F
Is this device absent from the DVD? I do see a kickstart/usbsys.device in the kickstart drawer. Isthisthesame? I

Edit: the device showed up after all , am following the procedure now

@Elwood
It's what nvgetvar gives me

"video_activate=pci"
My monitor is a hp2211x connected to the graphic card with a DVI connector

After switching sata cables between dvd end HD booting is still possible for both, but i don't see the u-boot interface and messages any more

nvgetvar gives me

baudrate=115200
loads_echo=1
hostname=Sam460ex
stdin=usbkbd
ide_doreset=on
ide_reset_timeout=15
ide_cd_timeout=20
pcie_mode=RP:RP
pciconfighost=1
bootcmd=menu; run menuboot_cmd
menucmd=menu
boot_method=boota
usb_enable_4x0=1
usb_retry=1
usb_ohci_power_down_before_reset=1
scan_usb_storage=1
ethact=ppc_4xx_eth0
ethaddr=00:50:c2:80:d5:b4
serdes=sata2
video_activate=pci
hush=0
ipaddr=192.168.2.50
serverip=192.168.2.222
stdout=vga
menuboot_cmd=boota
ver=U-Boot 2010.06.05a (Jan 30 2012 - 16:06:56)
boot1=ssii
boot2=ssiicdrom
boota_timeout=2
menuboot_delay=2
os4_commandline=debuglevel=0
bootargs=root=/dev/sda3 console=tty0

@K-L
I did read the suggestion about block size 512 somewhere, so I started using that block size, later when problems occurred and as during installation,when you format the partition, 1024 is proposed by mediatoobox, I did try that block size. It was neither better or worse I think
It is strange that the install procedure does not insist on using 512 bytes.

I reasoned tat with bigger and faster hd's a larger block size would be logical. The size for the SWAP partition is mentioned in full in the procedure: it should be 4096

I am interested in the logic of using 512 for the OS partition

@chrish
i switched the dvd and the HD SATA cables. I am not sure if there is some progress.
I can boot from DVD or HD but my u-boot messages don't appear any more

@daveyw
Thanks for sharing your experience, will look after the jumper

@ChrisH
Quote:
Thanks for the suggestion, will try that

Quote:
Yes, that is why I refrained doing it.

@ChrisH
What means getting hold of one.
In a few days maybe, I will take a short,leave
Any idea if Itest 2 , switching DVD and HD is not potentially dangerous
Should the DVD work (boot) also from the motherboard connector jj15?

@broadblues
Quote:

I am trying to but except pulling out & putting back cables, there is not much i can do.
I tried this:

Test 1: Pulling out the DVD cable and put it into the SATA connector on the Mobo (J15?)
i had u-boot settings (menu)
SATA 3x12 HD
SATA 3114 HD (the onboard controller?)



Now i am writing this from my SAM460ex using OWB, and it is far more stable than before. Maybe i pushed the HD cable that it makes better contact.

On the RAID SATA controller here are two ports J1 & J2 the DVD is in J1, The HD in J2.
Test 2: Can i just switch them?
Going back to Test 1 later , as the system seems more stable i am going to make a second boot partition first

@Lemen
That might very well be the case,
Mine is also a WD HD and the controller is aRAID controller
Is your HD identified as Raid on its ticket?
Please if possible give me its reference
Even after corrective action in the shop (initialisation, formatting, memory control) I still have the same result: memory read errrors., crashes with the newly installed OS

@ChrisH

it is a new HD date februari 2017

as to the connection it worked ok till i got problems with my old hd which died.

Before i am turning it in:

- should format be followed by quick format (normally)
- could it indeed be that Amiga format does not identify bad sectors? That seems weird to me

Isn,'t format supposed to detect bad sectors,and to hide them later on?

I bought a new hd for my Sam460ex partitioned it and tried to install OS4.1FE, in factt because of troubles described below i created a number of different sys partitions in which i tried to install the system

I used quick format first, and got troubles either during install (hd errors) or if installed with even basic OS programs crashing or behaving strangely

I then used format hoping to get better results, but i still get those hd errors while installing OS4

@Elwood
It said
Parthenogenesis (ub21b) version 0.91
No menu.1st or Kicklayout found


As it was used in my Sam440 ,how come the SLB has gone?

Using mediatoolbox,i found guidance how to install SLB
Howeverit seems (.warning) thati I will lose the data on my other partitions.

I opened a thread on this on the Hyperion forum
http://forum.hyperion-entertainment.biz/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=3823
Please have your suggestions there

Replaced HD by one of my old Sam440
Reformatted a partition , made it bootable, te others to non bootable,
Was able to access all partitions using the OS4.1FE

installed OS4.1 FE on the boot partitition
Set uboot bott devices to
1 3x12 SATA HD
2 3114 SATA HD
3 460 SATA2 HD

Checked
pci
... 0x3512 Mass storage controller ..
....
sata info 0
...
SATA device 1: Model: ST9160821AS ...

Supports 48-bit addressing
..............'... 149.0 GB (312581808 x 512)


On booting the HD is not recognised ,
I get msg
Parthenogenesis (ub21b) version 0.91
No menu.1st or Kicklayout found

Then

AOS4 FLB

Loadsector error when reading from block 0
FLB no SLB found in any '..........'

===============
To disentangle the error messages
I tested
With only one active device:
The loadsector error is generated with the 460 Device
The parthenogenesis message ( No menu.1st or kicklayout with the 3x12 device

All state "hard disk not found"

Help really appreciated,

@Elwood
I will drop the solution of making my external HD sys partition bootable,
I am not sure about your answer: do you say a USB HD partition can not be made bootable, or the procedure is different from an USB stick?

Right now II moved the Sam440's HD to,the Sam460ex
The HD is recognised,and luckily I have a partition "backup " in which I can install the os4.1FE

Is there some URL showing the install procedure,
I am afraid the procedure would overwrite the Sam440 Sys partition
Should I disable its Automount feature?

@Elwood
Thanks.

I made some progress.
It seems the Seagate HD is dead (properly): the intermittent beep is due to HD trying to get speed. Other info found on the web: could be insufficient voltage, other info ,put it in the freezer to have a last working session.

Right now the HD is removed and I could boot the DVD
I have a recent backup of system & data partitions on my external HD
How can I make the sys partition boott?
http://wiki.amigaos.net/wiki/UserDoc:How_AmigaOS_Works

Is the description above for USB sticks also valiid for the external HD?

@sinisrus
How do you use verbose?


I am learning more on u-boot, from th helpcommand, but ican't see the upper half of the commands.
Any URL where I could find the complete list?