[comp.unix.microport] 386 Boot problem

dpgerdes@osiris.cso.uiuc.edu (06/10/89)

    I am having a problem with the boot program on V/386 3.0e.1.  I am
not sure if it is a hardware or software problem tho.  I have a Compaq
386/25 model 300 with a combination hard/floppy ESDI controller.
Approximately 60% of the time I boot the machine, it gets as far as 
displaying the dots (............) and then hangs before displaying
the  boot:  prompt.  The machine at that point requires a cold boot.
The problem happens with equal frequency for both warm and cold boots.

My usual boot proceedure is to hit Ctrl-Alt-Del and wait for the dots.
Power down, power up, wait for the dots.
Repeat 1 to 10 times until the boot: prompt follows.

    The reason I think that it may be hardware is that I previously had
the exact same system running on a Dell 310 with no such problems (others
yes, but not that one.)  But why does it work sometimes and not others?

    I previously checked w/ uPort tech support and they verified that
I had a good copy of the boot file.
    I have jiggled the cables and boards. I do not think it is thermal
as it happens warm or cold (as opposed to the last Compaq I had which
would get disk failures until it had been turned on for at least 5 minutes.)

    BTW, I do make a good beta-tester.  If a program is going to break,
it will do it for me.  (Except my own of course ;-)

    Thanks,

    -dave gerdes

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wcurtiss@x102c.harris-atd.com (Curtiss WC 67625) (06/12/89)

In article <42700018@osiris.cso.uiuc.edu> dpgerdes@osiris.cso.uiuc.edu writes:
>
>    I am having a problem with the boot program on V/386 3.0e.1.  I am
>not sure if it is a hardware or software problem tho.  I have a Compaq
>386/25 model 300 with a combination hard/floppy ESDI controller.
>Approximately 60% of the time I boot the machine, it gets as far as 
>displaying the dots (............) and then hangs before displaying
>the  boot:  prompt.  The machine at that point requires a cold boot.
>The problem happens with equal frequency for both warm and cold boots.
>
	[ stuff deleted]

We had this same problem with a 16 MHz Delta Data (Televideo) machine.
The culprit turned out to be that the bus speed was set to 8 MHz.  When
I slowed it down to 5.3 (I think that's right) MHz (and left the CPU at
16 MHz) it booted fine.  

>    Thanks,
>
>    -dave gerdes

No problem.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William Curtiss         407/984-6383            |    "The only good martyr
Harris GISD, Melbourne, FL  32902               |         is a dead martyr."
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dpgerdes@osiris.cso.uiuc.edu (06/16/89)

/* Written  4:30 pm  Jun 11, 1989 by wcurtiss@x102c.harris-atd.com in osiris.cso.uiuc.edu:comp.unix.microport */

>We had this same problem with a 16 MHz Delta Data (Televideo) machine.
>The culprit turned out to be that the bus speed was set to 8 MHz.  When
>I slowed it down to 5.3 (I think that's right) MHz (and left the CPU at
>16 MHz) it booted fine.  

  Well, that helps I guess, but what is wrong with 8Mhz?   8Mhz is an
industry standard.  How does one go about slowing down a bus to check this?

  -dave

nvk@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Norman Kohn) (07/22/89)

In article <42700018@osiris.cso.uiuc.edu> dpgerdes@osiris.cso.uiuc.edu writes:
>
>
>Approximately 60% of the time I boot the machine, it gets as far as 
>displaying the dots (............) and then hangs before displaying
>the  boot:  prompt.  The machine at that point requires a cold boot.
I recall having had a similar experience at one point, except for the
intermittent nature.  I rewrote the boot sectors by something link
Mkpart ... -i (or was it -b? look it up...) and solved my problem.
I have no idea how it got clobbered.  Your intermittent problem might
not be as easy.
-- 
Norman Kohn   		| ...ddsw1!nvk!norman
Chicago, Il.		| days/ans svc: (312) 650-6840
			| eves: (312) 373-0564