[comp.sys.amiga] Assistance required... A2000 with hardframe

CRONEJP@UREGINA1.BITNET (Jonathan Crone) (11/04/89)

     Situation:
A2000 rev 4.2 motherboard (note NOT A REV 6 board)
Microbotics HardFrame Rev1.5C (eprom rev)
MAXTOR LXT100S 94 Megabyte hard drive.
Normal Agnes, 1 meg of memory system total.
Rev 1.3 kickstart rom installed.
XT Bridge Card.

System Error:

When attempting to Binddrivers the hardframe software into
the system, a system lock fails and gurus the System immediately
after initial access to hard drive.

Drive is set as Unit 0, a boot attempt at any other drive fails with
a drive not found system freeze. (no guru, but the binddrivers
never returns.)

Also, the binddrivers fails whether the Bridge Card is installed
or not.
(we got desperate.)


Drive is fully functional with a Comspec SA1000 controller.
full Mode Select, Unit Info, and Read Capacity capabilities function
normally.

Information assistance required as soon as possible.

thank you very much...
JpC
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan P. Crone    CRONEJP@UREGINA1.BITNET      cronejp@mcl.UUCP
Amiga-L@uregina1.bitnet List moderator.

Heisenberg might have been here...

nelsonm@urubu.CS.ORST.EDU (Michael Scott Nelson) (11/05/89)

-- This is unofficial --

Trouble rdpreping with HardFrame and SeaGate.
	I had the same problem and it was solved, by using a beta version
of rdprep.  Call microbotics for more info on where to get this file.
The program does work, but it will try to give you bad defaults.  i.e.
Don't press return until you are sure that is the correct value.

Good Luck with your new harddrives.

-Michael Nelson
-Disclaimer I don't work for SeaGate or Microbotics,  but wouldn't mind
	the money. $-)

greg@noel.CTS.COM (J. Gregory Noel) (11/06/89)

In a previous article, Jonathan P. Crone, cronejp@mcl.UUCP, talks about some
problems he had with a hard drive not working.  I have almost an identical
system (A2000, 4.2 motherboard, normal Agnes, 1.3 ROMs, Maxtor SCSI drive)
with an identical failure mode -- BindDrivers never returns.  The differences
in our systems are that he has a bridgeboard and I do not, his drive is 100Mb
while mine is 380Mb, and his controller is a MicroBiotics HardFrame and mine
is a CBM 2090.  I also have a ST506 drive attached to my controller.

My system work work unreliably when booted or rebooted with 1.2 ROMs installed
(it would get through BindDrivers about 80% of the time, otherwise hang); the
failure rate is 100% with the 1.3 ROMs.  Did anything significant change between
1.2 and 1.3 that would affect this?  I've just gotten a copy of the new 1.3.2
WorkBench and I'll try that as soon as I get the chance to see if that makes
any difference.

But in the meantime, if anybody has any good words for Jonathon, I'd appreciate
it if they let me know as well as I seem to have a similar problem.

Thanks!

--
J. Gregory Noel, UNIX Guru         greg@noel.cts.com  or  greg@noel.uucp

jeh@elmgate.UUCP (Ed Hanway) (11/09/89)

In article <8911040357.AA07220@jade.berkeley.edu> CRONEJP@UREGINA1.BITNET (Jonathan Crone) writes:
>When attempting to Binddrivers the hardframe software into
>the system, a system lock fails and gurus the System immediately
>after initial access to hard drive.
>
>Drive is set as Unit 0, a boot attempt at any other drive fails with
>a drive not found system freeze. (no guru, but the binddrivers
>never returns.)

Try removing the terminating resistors from the HardFrame board. They're
two socketed resistor SIPs located on the edge of the board next to the
ribbon cable.

The usual disclaimer applies: it worked for me, but try it at your own risk.

MARK_W_WENNING@cup.portal.com (11/14/89)

I have/had the same problem with my A2000, 1.3 ROM, GVP SCSI/RAM card w/
Bridgeboard - from this thread and my experience, it has something to do
with autoboot roms and the Janus library.  Try removing the Janus library
from the expansion directory - also, try booting from a floppy instead of 
letting the hard disk autoboot.  Either of these should let you get to 
your hard disk.                                  
Pull out your bridgeboard and wiggle all the chips in sockets to seat them,
and take an eraser and clean the pc board contacts - this stops my Guru 
for a few months - then it starts up again.  
I would be just fascinated if anyone knew a more permanent solution 
for this - CATS, are you out there?????