Insert MPC2000XL Disk!

I got the following screen showing up when I start my MPC2000XL up.

Insert MPC2000XL Disk!

I have been reading around on this forum about this problem, mostly through Google. Apparently I need to reinstall the OS. Now I got 2 questions about this.

1. Can I install an OS with my CF reader? I don't have a floppy drive. If not, then...
2. What type of floppy drive should I get?

Thanks in advance!

If I remember correctly the IDE card readers use OS 1.20 and won't be recognized by 1.14. So I think you're stuck trying to load the from the CF reader.

It doesn't have to be a floppy drive you could use a zip. SCSI external zip drives aren't too common anymore though and sometimes sold at a premium because weirdos like us want them.

It's a pain but it might be easiest to open the XL up take out the CF Reader, drop a zip drive in, install the OS, replace the CF reader.

Did the XL come with the CF reader, or do you have an internal zip that was in there previously?

I bought the MPC from someone who only had the card reader installed. I don't have anything else for it.

Untill yesterday the MPC worked just fine, then I got an error a couple of time (if it might be worth noticing which error it was, I'll look it up again). Today I got the error mentioned above.

The kind of zip drive you would need to do the install is available for cheap at most "mom and pop" local computer shops.

You could in the meantime open the unit up. Use a MPCStuff pad or LCD install video if this is your first time opening the machine. It's not difficult but it helps to be shown were all the screws are. Once the lid is off look for any loose cable jumpers, possible burnt components and make sure the ram is properly seated in the slot. None of this may help as the OS may have just simply corrupted itself with no relation to anything mechanical.

Short of what I described about swapping in a zip (or floppy but again that's a bit more trouble) I don't really what you can do. It seems definite that you need to re-install the OS.

Thank you. I Will look into it.

Okay, so it's been a while, it took me some time to get the right stuff for the job. I actually bought a floppy disk drive, floppies and a floppy-USB driver. I'm installing the disk drive at the moment (or at least trying to)... My next question now is what I should do when I installed the floppy drive? Where do I get the right firmware from to reinstall my MPC?

at the akai pro website.. or here at the top it says mpc os and manuals... get the 2000xl os 1.2 (1.20) ... it will come in a winRAR (winzip) archive... so extract the contents.. and put all the contents right onto a floppy drive. put that floppy in the mpc and start it up with that.

I installed the floppy disk in the MPC, but it doesn't seem to recognize it somehow. I still got the same error as before. Do I have to turn a switch or something to switch from the card reader to the floppy drive?

Hi,

First you gotta find a working floppy drive. Yours may have not well set jumpers ....

BTW, you need to boot from a floppy where 1.2 is. Then you unit will boot.
But you have to go in the "load" section and reload correctly the OS.

You'll see the MPC re-flashing the ROM.
Try to reboot without any floppy and it should boot corrrectly.

1.2 not flashed correctly is a well known issue.

Right now I have a floppy with 1.20 in the drive. The light on the floppy doesn't light up, though. Does this mean it's broken? Or do I need to rewire any cables? I hooked the drive onto the same power cable as the card reader was on.

Btw, I'm right by connecting the 34-pin female cable from the FDD right next to the 40-pin male where the CF was attached to?

FK90 wrote:Btw, I'm right by connecting the 34-pin female cable from the FDD right next to the 40-pin male where the CF was attached to?

yes that is right... just make sure the cable is not backwards (ie: pin 1 lines up with pin 1) and make sure you have that power connector plugged in. You should only need the red and black wires to be present on the power cable..

I am going to buy a new FDD, because I suspect my other two are broken or aren't compatible. Can anyone post a picture of how the pins of a compatible FDD are ordered? Thanks in advance.

Okay, so I decided to quit with the floppies and got an internal ZIP drive and an external one. I'm having trouble installing the internal because of a cable I don't have at the moment. Can I use the external ZIP drive to install the original OS?

FK90 wrote:Okay, so I decided to quit with the floppies and got an internal ZIP drive and an external one. I'm having trouble installing the internal because of a cable I don't have at the moment. Can I use the external ZIP drive to install the original OS?

yes you can...