gmw1@CUNIXD.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU (Gabe M Wiener) (09/08/89)
Hey folks. I'm having a bit of a problem getting a Mac Plus with TWO MacBottom HD21's and a CD-ROM reader to boot properly. Here's the scenario: One macbottom is SCSI 5, and it has the system folder on it. The other is SCSI 3, and it has no system folder. The CD-ROM reader is SCSI 2, and it is usually empty anyway. Theoretically, I should be able to turn the whole thing on and the SCSI pecking order will take care to boot the appropriate drive, right? Wrong. Here's what happens. When I turn everything on at once, nothing boots. The screen flashes with a question mark, then blinks, and then just sits there with a question mark. If I turn on the SCSI 5 drive about two or three seconds early, then it has enough "lead time" to make itself known on the SCSI bus and thus it can boot up properly. But if I let the SCSI 5 drive come up to speed for too long, then the machine gets too far into the booting process to enable it to recognize the SCSI 2 drive. This wouldn't be a problem, except that the folks who are using this machine are not that technically inclined. They'd jump if I told them to let one drive spin for two seconds (but not eight) before powering up the machine and the other drive. What's going on?? -- Gabe Wiener - Columbia Univ. "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings gmw1@cunxid.cc.columbia.edu to be seriously considered as a means of gmw1@cunixc (bitnet) communication. The device is inherently of 72355.1226@compuserve.com no value to us." WUI:650-117-9118 - Western Union internal memo, 1877