[comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc] Help With Compaq Deskpro 386/20 Error Message...

sgilley@cbnewsl.att.com (The Idealistic Cynic) (06/03/91)

I recently bought a Compaq DeskPro 386/20.  It had
been loaded with SCO Xenix 2.3.1.  It also had a 
non-working monitor.  I went out and bought a new
SVGA card and monitor and installed both.

Now, when I power on the machine I have problems.

The AVGA Bios message comes up (from the SVGA card),
and then it tests RAM.

Then it beeps twice and prints the following message:

162 - System Options Not Set (Run Setup)
      Insert Diagnostic Disk in Drive A

(F1 to Resume)

If I press F1, then it boots the DOS I installed and seems
to work just fine -- with one exception. CNTL+ALT+DEL only
rarely reboots the machine -- most often everything simply
hangs.

So what diagnostic disk do I need?  Did it come with the machine
originally, and do I need to go buy one from a Compaq dealer?

And assuming that I do, will that fix the soft boot problem?

Thanks for any help,

Sean.

---
Sean L. Gilley
attmail!mycroft!slg  attmail!sgilley
201 805 9088 (h)     201 457 5403 (w)

schuster@panix.uucp (Michael Schuster) (06/04/91)

In article <1991Jun3.133136.19278@cbnewsl.att.com> sgilley@cbnewsl.att.com (The Idealistic Cynic) writes:
>
>
>
>Then it beeps twice and prints the following message:
>
>162 - System Options Not Set (Run Setup)
>      Insert Diagnostic Disk in Drive A
>

The battery which retains the configuration information in non-volatile
memory (the CMOS RAM chip) has probably died. The error message means that
the CMOS checksum is invalid; probably due to its having been erased.

You need to:
1. Replace the battery
2. Get a Compaq setup diskette or, barring that, a shareware AT setup
   program like GSETUP31. You must know the geometry of your hard
   drive to do this properly, since the disk type has been erased too.


-- 
 Mike Schuster                                      |    CIS: 70346,1745
 NY Public Access UNIX:  ...cmcl2!panix!schuster    |    MCI Mail, GENIE:
 The Portal (R) System:  schuster@cup.portal.com    |           MSCHUSTER

robk@cpqhou.uucp (Rob Kiesler) (06/04/91)

in article <1991Jun4.000729.24874@panix.uucp>, schuster@panix.uucp (Michael Schuster) says:
> 
> In article <1991Jun3.133136.19278@cbnewsl.att.com> sgilley@cbnewsl.att.com (The Idealistic Cynic) writes:
>>
>>
>>
>>Then it beeps twice and prints the following message:
>>
>>162 - System Options Not Set (Run Setup)
>>      Insert Diagnostic Disk in Drive A
>>
> 
> The battery which retains the configuration information in non-volatile
> memory (the CMOS RAM chip) has probably died. The error message means that
> the CMOS checksum is invalid; probably due to its having been erased.
> 
> You need to:
> 1. Replace the battery
This is not necessarily true. If the previous video adapter was one
without an onboard BIOS ROM (CGA, MDA), then installing a VGA would
cause the above message, since what is installed in the system no 
longer matches the equipment list in CMOS.

> 2. Get a Compaq setup diskette or, barring that, a shareware AT setup
>    program like GSETUP31. You must know the geometry of your hard
>    drive to do this properly, since the disk type has been erased too.
> 
> 
You do need to do this. You'll have to run setup to eliminate the message.
I don't know about your warm boot problem. I'm not sure how to go about
getting the Diags disk, but contacting your local dealer is one way to
start. We do have a toll free number here at Compaq, but I'm not sure what 
it is, since I'm not a support person.


Rob Kiesler
Compaq Computer

"Is that a real poncho, or is that a Sears(TM) poncho?"
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