i found some schematics how to add a hdd to dreamcast. http://www.fuzzymuzzle.com/Bitmaster/DC_IDE-HD_Interface.htm my question: is it possible to boot games from the hdd, or is it just for linux?
thanx for the info T_chan. i intended to build this thing, but if there's no game suport i will not do it.
Actually, you could do a general solution by overriding the BIOS. Every GDROM access I've seen goes through the BIOS. Timing-sensitive games might need some care though, and there might be a problem to find a location to put the shadow code that works with most games. Obscura: Something that is really timing sensitive is the Sonic Adventure demo mode. If you hook anything there Sonic will fail to complete the levels because it's completely based on recorded actions that have to be done at the exact correct time.
Not just by building the interface you mention, you will have to program some access routines to the HDD. If you have the programming skills - to patch the games to call your HDD functions instead of the GD-ROM, or - to change the GD-ROM function pointers in the vector table to call your HDD functions instead (but his wouldn't make the games bootable, you'd need a boot disc that patches the vectors), it might be doable...
Yet again a new driver should be made, that one is for NETBSD, not KallistiOS. I like the G2 idea but replacing the GDROM UNIT ( G1 )for some SD or USB would be better, harder though.... A similar thing was done in gamecube not so long ago... Dreamcast lens are quite fragile, with this , that wouldnt be a problem anymore
