[comp.os.os2.misc] Problems installing OS/2 1.3 SE on a Clone....

yee@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Crimson Avenger) (06/05/91)

Hi folks, I finally got my copy of OS/2 1.3 for about $125 from a list
price of $150.  Since I opened the disks I can't return the product, SO 
HELP!  I can't install OS/2 1.3 on my hard disk.

System:

ACMA x386/33 mhz  
150 meg ESDI hard disk 
AMI BIOS (dated 9/15/90)
  Hard DISK type 1

HELP!  1.3 can't recognized my hard disk.  I managed to boot up, and then I 
kept getting "device errors on drive C, logical drive D, E, F"  The partition
configuration is 150 meg, C - 32 meg, D- 50 meg, E-50 meg, F=18 meg.  

I can't find a phone number for the IBM tech support.. Called the dealer and
he said they don't know what is happening with OS/2 and I should call IBM.  
I told them that your advertisement said OS/2 compatible, but only for 
something like 1.0/1.1 without ESDI support.  IF anybody else got a 
clue, E-mail is fine or posting.. I'll keep an eye on this.

-- 
ON a personal note, kind of silly, finally waiting 3.5 weeks for the program
and doesn't install.. HELP!



-- 
-- Robert aka Crimson Avenger      (yee@rpi.edu or crimson_avenger@mts.rpi.edu)
   Once a hacker, always a hacker. (usere3jp@rpitsmts.bitnet)

Conrad.Bullock@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Conrad Bullock) (06/05/91)

In article <6jth45l@rpi.edu>, yee@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Crimson Avenger) writes:
|> HELP!  I can't install OS/2 1.3 on my hard disk.

[I tried e-mail, but your address bounced]

Are you using any DOS device drivers for your disk (such as Disk
Manager, or Speedstor?) Drive type 1 sounds very very odd for a
150MB ESDI disk. Drive type 1 is normally a 10 or 20MB drive. You
should be using the 'user type', type 47, with the correct parameters
entered into the AMI BIOS setup program.

What sort of controller is it?
-- 
Conrad Bullock                     | Domain:   conrad@comp.vuw.ac.nz
Victoria University of Wellington, |     or:   conrad@cavebbs.gen.nz
New Zealand.                       | Fidonet:  3:771/130
                                   | BBS:      The Cave BBS +64 4 643429

yee@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Crimson Avenger) (06/05/91)

Ooops.. I made a mistake.. No, I don't have OS/2 1.3 working.. and it's a 
pain.  

I have an AMI BIOS dated 9/15/89 and I tried SETUP my own user hard disk
information with 
Cylinder = 698
Head = 7
Sector = 63
W_comp = 0 (don't know what that is)
L_comp = 0 (don't know what this is either)..

OS/2 boots up fine and even installs a HPFS G RAM drive.. It just don't
recongize the hard disk.. I suspect it might be the BIOS.. Anybody managed
to get OS/2 1.3 with a AMI BIOS dated 9/15/89.. I did call the dealer, they
said that they didn't know what was happening with OS/2 and they don't have
the latest version installed.  I got angry.. 

If OS/2 1.3 boots up fine, it can't be the BIOS.. it must be something 
with the hard disk controller, but I have no other setup programs for the
hard disk.  I think (not sure) it's like a NEC disk drive and might be a stor 
controller.. I have to find the manual for it.  

The name of the company is ACMA.. Anybody out there?


-- 
-- Robert aka Crimson Avenger      (yee@rpi.edu or crimson_avenger@mts.rpi.edu)
   Once a hacker, always a hacker. (usere3jp@rpitsmts.bitnet)

Conrad.Bullock@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Conrad Bullock) (06/05/91)

In article <ppth6cn@rpi.edu>, yee@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Crimson Avenger) writes:
|> Ooops.. I made a mistake.. No, I don't have OS/2 1.3 working.. and it's a 
|> pain.  

Another hunch - is the DOS you are running MS-DOS? If so, try editting the
boot sector of your hard drive (with Norton Utilities, PC-Tools, whatever),
and where it says 'MSDOS3.3' or whatever, change the 'MSDOS' to 'IBM  '.
I have found that IBM DOS (and possibly IBM OS/2) doesn't like OEM
labels on hard drives, other than 'IBM  '. If this is your problem, then
I seem to recall that you get 'Invalid Media' or similar errors.

Note that MS-DOS doesn't care what the OEM label is, so changing it to say
IBM doesn't hurt.

Of course, you can always try letting OS/2 format/partition your drive
when you install.
-- 
Conrad Bullock                     | Domain:   conrad@comp.vuw.ac.nz
Victoria University of Wellington, |     or:   conrad@cavebbs.gen.nz
New Zealand.                       | Fidonet:  3:771/130
                                   | BBS:      The Cave BBS +64 4 643429

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

In article <1991Jun05.004604.13421@comp.vuw.ac.nz> Conrad.Bullock@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Conrad Bullock) writes:
>
>In article <6jth45l@rpi.edu>, yee@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Crimson Avenger) writes:
>|> HELP!  I can't install OS/2 1.3 on my hard disk.
>
>Are you using any DOS device drivers for your disk (such as Disk
>Manager, or Speedstor?) Drive type 1 sounds very very odd for a
>150MB ESDI disk. Drive type 1 is normally a 10 or 20MB drive. You
>should be using the 'user type', type 47, with the correct parameters
>entered into the AMI BIOS setup program.
>

Strictly speaking, that's not always the correct procedure. ESDI controllers
have BIOS ROM extensions on them which write drive parameters into low
memory when they initialize during the power-on sequence. Usually they
tell you to install the hard drive as "type 1" in the CMOS table, which
is then a signal to the disk controller that it must install the true
values during boot-up.


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

yee@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Crimson Avenger) (06/08/91)

I think the problem is with my AMI BIOS, it's dated 09/15/89, and AMI 
said only a version dated after 4/90 would run OS/2.  So, I need to 
order a BIOS upgrade, HAS anyone every changed their BIOS?  If so, 
drop me some E-mail and things to watch out for?  AMI or something else. 

On the other hand, even with the BIOS upgrade, it may still not work.. 
It's a chance I'm willing to spend, a couple of hundred for a chip.

I probably will have go get out my machine's schematic, or get it 
from AMI, since they told me when ordering to specify which machine.  Assuming
they will give me the manual.

Oh well, keep you posted!  Anybody got an OS/2 running with an AMI BIOS?
Got a version number?  


-- 
-- Robert aka Crimson Avenger      (yee@rpi.edu or crimson_avenger@mts.rpi.edu)
   Once a hacker, always a hacker. (usere3jp@rpitsmts.bitnet)

goodearl@world.std.com (Robert Goodearl) (06/08/91)

In article <skxhb2k@rpi.edu> yee@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Crimson Avenger) writes:
>I think the problem is with my AMI BIOS, it's dated 09/15/89, and AMI 
>said only a version dated after 4/90 would run OS/2.  So, I need to 
>
...  (stuff deleted)
>
>Oh well, keep you posted!  Anybody got an OS/2 running with an AMI BIOS?
>Got a version number?  

Here's the info from Norton 5.0 SI.  I'm booted to DOS at the moment, but I've
got OS/2 1.3 loaded and have run other versions successfully as well.

                              Norton Utilities 5.0
                             System Information 5.00
                                  System Report
                        Saturday, June  8, 1991 12:42 pm

                             **********************
                             *   System Summary   *
                             **********************

              --------------------- Computer ---------------------
                Computer Name: IBM AT
                Built-in BIOS: AMI, Monday, April  9, 1990
               Main Processor: Intel 80386, 25 MHz
            Math Co-Processor: None
                Video Adapter: Video Graphics Array (VGA)
                   Mouse Type: Serial mouse, Version 7.04

                --------------------- Disks ---------------------
              Hard disks: 320M
            Floppy disks: 1.44M, 1.2M

               --------------------- Memory ---------------------
                  DOS Memory:    636K
             Extended Memory:  7,168K
             Expanded Memory:  1,072K

             --------------------- Other Info ---------------------
                    Bus Type: ISA (PC/AT)
                Serial Ports: 2
              Parallel Ports: 1
               Keyboard Type: 101-key
            Operating System: DOS x.xx
-- 
Bob Goodearl -- goodearl@world.std.com
Principal Software Engineer, Easel Corporation

Conrad.Bullock@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Conrad Bullock) (06/09/91)

In article <skxhb2k@rpi.edu> yee@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Crimson Avenger) writes:
>I think the problem is with my AMI BIOS, it's dated 09/15/89, and AMI 
>said only a version dated after 4/90 would run OS/2.  So, I need to 
>order a BIOS upgrade, HAS anyone every changed their BIOS?  If so, 
>drop me some E-mail and things to watch out for?  AMI or something else. 

I'm running OS/2 1.3SE quite happily with an AMI BIOS dated 12/15/89.
However, I have had problems with AMI Keyboard controllers in the
past.
Some earlier revisions had some weird behaviour - the keyboard not
working at all, not working on PM screens, or the extended keys on an
extended keyboard not working on a PM screen.
-- 
Conrad Bullock                     | Domain:   conrad@comp.vuw.ac.nz
Victoria University of Wellington, |     or:   conrad@cavebbs.gen.nz
New Zealand.                       | Fidonet:  3:771/130
                                   | BBS:      The Cave BBS +64 4 643429

TURGUT@TREARN.BITNET (Turgut Kalfaoglu) (06/10/91)

I can't give you the version # now (the machine is at home), but OS/2
definitely works with AMI BIOS - very well!     Regards, -turgut

klimas@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com (06/13/91)

In article <skxhb2k@rpi.edu>, yee@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Crimson Avenger) writes:
> I think the problem is with my AMI BIOS, it's dated 09/15/89, and AMI 
> said only a version dated after 4/90 would run OS/2.  So, I need to 
> order a BIOS upgrade, HAS anyone every changed their BIOS?  If so, 
> drop me some E-mail and things to watch out for?  AMI or something else. 
	I'm not so sure this is correct.  I know of OS/2 1.3 running flawlessly
	on AMI 386 machines that were purchased in mid 1989!  If you need to
	get an AMI BIOS upgrade they're not that expensive (I think around
	$50 and available from a number of vendors such as JAMECO)