WHDFetch

Build a WHDLoad Collection Directly on Your Amiga

Manually getting WHDLoad packs of games and demos onto a real Amiga involves a surprising number of steps. You may need to download archives on a PC, transfer them to the Amiga, extract them with the right tools, organise the folders, and repeat the process when new or updated packs appear.

I originally downloaded the archives to my PC and then transferred them to my Amiga. Extracting archives on another platform can sometimes cause filename or file attribute differences, which may stop certain WHDLoad games and demos from working properly. Downloading and extracting directly on the Amiga avoids these issues and keeps files in their original Amiga-friendly format.

I wanted the Amiga itself to handle the download, extraction and folder organisation, with packs grouped by type and then by letter. WHDFetch is an AmigaOS command-line utility that does this work for you. Once your Amiga is online and WHDLoad is installed, WHDFetch can download Retroplay WHDLoad packs from the Turran server, extract the archives on the Amiga, and skip items already up to date on later runs.

The aim of WHDFetch is to help you build and maintain a WHDLoad collection without having to download, transfer, extract, or update by hand.

Download WHDFetch from Aminet

Try This First

Before starting a large download run, check with WHDFetch how much space the packs are likely to need:

whdfetch ESTIMATESPACE

This downloads the latest pack listings and prints a storage estimate without downloading or extracting the actual WHDLoad archives.

You can also combine the estimate with filters. For example, for an OCS/ECS PAL Amiga where you want to skip AGA, CD32/CDTV, NTSC and non-English releases:

whdfetch ESTIMATESPACE SKIPAGA SKIPCD SKIPNTSC SKIPNONENGLISH

Quick Start

For a smaller first test, download the beta demos pack and extract it to another volume:

whdfetch DOWNLOADBETADEMOS EXTRACTTO=Work:WHDLoad/

Make sure the Work:WHDLoad/ drawer exists before running the command.

Once that works, you can move on to the main Games pack:

whdfetch DOWNLOADGAMES EXTRACTTO=Work:WHDLoad/

For an OCS/ECS PAL Amiga, you can avoid many packs that are unlikely to suit the machine:

whdfetch DOWNLOADGAMES SKIPAGA SKIPCD SKIPNTSC SKIPNONENGLISH EXTRACTTO=Work:WHDLoad/

Run the same command again later. WHDFetch will skip items already present and up to date, downloading only what still needs to be processed.

Download WHDFetch from Aminet |

What WHDFetch Does

WHDFetch helps you build and maintain a WHDLoad collection directly on an Amiga.

It can:

• Download Retroplay Games, Demos, Magazines and beta/unofficial packs.
• Read the pack DAT listings.
• Apply filters such as SKIPAGA, SKIPCD, SKIPNTSC and SKIPNONENGLISH.
• Download matching .lha and .lzx archives.
• Extract archives on the Amiga using native tools.
• Skip archives that have already been downloaded or extracted.
• Keep a simple report of what changed during a run.

The aim is to keep more of the workflow on the Amiga itself rather than relying on a PC for downloading, transferring, unpacking, and reorganising large archive sets.

If you prefer to download archives elsewhere and transfer them to the Amiga manually, you may be interested in WHD Archive Extractor. This companion tool extracts WHDLoad archives on the Amiga while preserving their original Amiga-friendly attributes. WHDFetch automates the download, extract, and update process, while WHD Archive Extractor is ideal if you prefer to manage archive downloads yourself.

You can find more information about WHD Archive Extractor here:

WHD Archive Extractor

Tidying the Workbench Folder Layout

After WHDFetch has downloaded and extracted a large number of packs, you may want to tidy the Workbench icon layout inside the generated folders.

For Workbench 3.1 and earlier, you can use the GUI tool iTidy Classic. For Workbench 3.2 and later, use iTidy 2.

These tools are optional, but they can make large WHDLoad folders easier to browse from Workbench after WHDFetch has done the download and extraction work.

Choosing Packs for Your Amiga

Different Amiga models suit different WHDLoad archives. WHDFetch can filter downloads, so you spend less time on packs that aren't compatible with your setup.

For an Amiga 500, Amiga 600, Amiga 2000 or other OCS/ECS system, you may want to skip AGA-only titles and CD-based releases:

whdfetch DOWNLOADGAMES SKIPAGA SKIPCD SKIPNTSC SKIPNONENGLISH

For an Amiga 1200, you would normally keep AGA enabled so both AGA and OCS/ECS titles are included:

whdfetch DOWNLOADGAMES SKIPCD SKIPNTSC SKIPNONENGLISH

These filters are optional and help you build a collection that better matches your machine and storage space.

Why Use WHDFetch?

WHDFetch is useful if you want to:

• Avoid manually downloading large numbers of WHDLoad archives.
• Download and extract packs directly on the Amiga.
• Avoid filename and file attribute issues caused by extracting archives on another platform.
• Estimate disk space before starting.
• Filter packs to better match your Amiga model.
• Update an existing collection without starting again.
• Keep downloaded archives separate from extracted folders.
• See a simple report of what was new or updated.

Requirements

WHDFetch is intended for an Amiga that is already set up for WHDLoad and internet access.

You will need:

• AmigaOS 3.0 or newer.
• WHDLoad already installed. See WHDLoad.
• A working TCP/IP stack with bsdsocket.library. For an example, see this Roadshow setup guide.
• c:lha for .lha archive extraction: lha.run on Aminet.
• c:unlzx if you want .lzx archives extracted: lzx121r1 on Aminet.
• c:unzip for DAT ZIP handling: UnZip on Aminet.
• Enough disk space for the packs you choose.
• Fast RAM is recommended for larger runs.

WHDFetch does not install WHDLoad, configure Roadshow or Miami, or set up your network connection. Once your Amiga is online, it handles the WHDLoad pack download, filtering, extraction, and update workflow.

Aminet: v0.9b · 521 downloads · checked 06 Jul 2026