vlruo02@dutrun.UUCP (Ge van Geldorp) (10/31/89)
Hello, I recently installed AIX PS/2 1.1 on a model 70. Installation went smooth, no problems. However, when I tried to reboot the machine after the installation was completed, it just hung. I was able to boot AIX using the boot diskette and choosing the `Boot from harddisk' option. Assuming I made an error somewhere I installed AIX again. Same result. `minidisks' shows the AIX partition to be bootable, as does the DOS `fdisk' command. (There is a 32MB DOS partition on the disk, we are running DOS Merge). I called my IBM SE who said he vaguely remembered something about this and he would call me back. This was several weeks ago... Does anybody have the same problem? Any suggestions? Thanks. Ge van Geldorp ge@dutlru2.tudelft.nl ....!uunet!hp4nl!dutlru2.tudelft.nl!ge
clmoxley@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (C Lance Moxley) (10/31/89)
I've had the same problem with the same setup. I don't
have a DOS partition though. Glad I'm not alone.
Lanceoleg@gryphon.COM (Oleg Kiselev) (11/09/89)
>>[AIX not booting off hard disk] >>>This seems in my experience to be associated with the use >>>of a machine which has had OS/2 on it. Not clear. >>Perhaps OS/2 modified NVRAM or left its bootstrap around where PS/2 picks it >>up instead of AIX bootstrap. An even better idea -- was OS/2 partition over 32 Meg in size? Those partitions have a code different from <32 Meg in the MBR and the bootstrap you have may not be able to understand it. -- "No regrets, no apologies" Ronald Reagan Oleg Kiselev ARPA: lcc.oleg@seas.ucla.edu, oleg@gryphon.COM (213)337-5230 UUCP: [world]!{ucla-se|gryphon}!lcc!oleg
merwin@agora.UUCP (Ralph Merwin) (11/09/89)
Rumor has it that OS/2 has its own style of boot record (i.e. screwed-up), and that another OS is not supposed to mess with it. This leaves you with the options of asking OS/2 to remove itself (another rumor says that this is possible), or having to (at least) start the format operation, which should clear the boot record. Note that I am only the messenger: I haven't had the misfortune of ever seeing OS/2 in operation.
ander@pawl.rpi.edu (Michael R. Primm) (11/11/89)
OS/2's boot record format is pretty much identical to DOS's (at least on a FAT partition....I haven't seen the layout on a HPFS partition). Since there are a number of dual-boot systems available (which allow you to select at boot time whether to boot OS-2 or DOS or whatever), its no more sensitive than any other system to having its boot sector modified (disk parameters need to be in the same place, etc). I have never seen, read, or observed personally any "option to remove" feature associated with the boot record. All in all, I'd say those rumors were all pretty much false. Re: I've never had the misfortune of seeing OS/2 in operation... Great to see such an open attitude to new ideas, products, etc...."I hate it, especially since I've never used it and know nothing about it!"
shair@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu (11/12/89)
I can now confirm, officially, that after the installation of OS/2 on a hard file, a low-level reformat of the first cylinder is required before installing AIX PS/2. Failure to do this results in a machine that hangs at boot from hard disk. I don't know enough about PC's to know why this is true. The format can be done with the PS/2 Reference Disk shipped with each machine. Boot the reference disk and, from the main menu, enter Control A (^A). This will give you the option of running diagnostics or formatting the hard disk. Tell it you want to format the hard disk, ignore the fact that the message on the screen says "Prepare for DOS" (got to talk to those guys) and keep insisting (3 or 4 times) that yes you really do want to format the disk and blow away all your data. I stopped it after a few cylinders. No need to run out to the end of the disk. After that any combination of operating systems can be installed, in my case a demo machine with OS/2 and AIX both on it, selectable at boot time. Bob Shair Scientific Computing Specialist IBM Champaign
root@blender.UUCP (Herb Peyerl) (11/13/89)
merwin@agora.UUCP (Ralph Merwin) writes: >Rumor has it that OS/2 has its own style of boot record (i.e. screwed-up), >and that another OS is not supposed to mess with it. This leaves you with >the options of asking OS/2 to remove itself (another rumor says that this is >possible), or having to (at least) start the format operation, which should >clear the boot record. Note that I am only the messenger: I haven't had >the misfortune of ever seeing OS/2 in operation. Reading this tweaked a memory in my mind about something I'd read about OS/2 and Dos4.0 altering the boot record such that other operating systems wouldn't recognize the boot track.. Anyways, I dug through my notes and found the article in question... This was written in "PC TECH JOURNAL" but I don't have the date of the article. It may or may not be applicable, however they say that DOS and OS/2 both place the characters "IBM" in the 8 bytes beginning at offset 3 of the boot record. Apparently this block used to be informative only, however, now DOS and OS/2 examine this field to make sure that it starts with the characters "IBM". Also they mention that besides DOS and OS/2 sold by IBM, Compaq also places "IBM" in the boot record for their versions of DOS and OS/2 whereas other versions of DOS and OS/2 from other vendors merely write "MSDOS" and "OS2" in the boot record. Anyways, the article provides a cure for this, I'll cite the relevant information: DEBUG L CS:100 2 0 1 E CS:103 'IBM ' W CS:100 2 0 1 Q These instructions assume that you are patching drive C:. If not change the drive number in the L and W commands (0=A, 1=B, and so on). Also note that in the "E" command, there must be a space after "IBM" and before the closing quote. Reboot the system; if this fails, the reboot from a diskette and transfer the system (using SYS) to the drive with the same version of the operating system that was on it originally. If this does not work, reformat it and restore it from your backup. I take no responsibility for the reliability of this information, but provide it merely as a guide in the hopes that it will help someone. -- --------------------------------------------------------------------- UUCP: herb@blender.UUCP || ...calgary!xenlink!blender!{herb||root} ICBM: 51 03 N / 114 05 W || Apollo Sys_admin, Novatel Communications "The other day, I...... No wait..... That wasn't me!" <Steven Wright>