cliffb@cjbsys.bdb.com (cliff bedore) (11/19/90)
I am having a problem creating an emergency boot floppy. I've tried this with 360k, 1200k and 1440k floppies. I can format the disk and make a filesystem but if I try to create a bootable or rootable fs, I get a variety of errors. Sometimes I get a message "unknown file system version 4294967295" others I get 2nd and 6th char of the file name converted to a space ie /xenix.org becomes /x nix org. I can use diskcp to copy an old emergency boot disk but when I try to copy files to it (after mounting) I get the errors like above. Even when I create a fs and then manually try to create the emerg boot disk following the mkdev/fd script, I get the same problem. Tar works fine. I just put in a tape drive and wanted to make a new boot system that knew about this. I thought this might be the problem but I de-installed and same problems (CMS from JADE seems to work fine.) Am I missing an upgrade or doing something stupid? Mail for answers and I'll summarize if its not to stupid. thanks Cliff cliffb@cjbsys.bdb.com
bob@consult.UUCP (Bob Willey) (11/20/90)
In article <1990Nov18.223343.564@cjbsys.bdb.com> cliffb@cjbsys.bdb.com (cliff bedore) writes: >I am having a problem creating an emergency boot floppy. I've tried this with >360k, 1200k and 1440k floppies. I can format the disk and make a filesystem >but if I try to create a bootable or rootable fs, I get a variety of errors. >Sometimes I get a message "unknown file system version 4294967295" others I get >cliffb@cjbsys.bdb.com That is very interesting. We just had a client's system crash (Bad SCSI controller) and that was the message we got when attempting to run fsck on the drive (Imprimis 170mb). I had never seen the msg unknow file system version 4294967295 before, and had not seen anything to explain it, but then your message appeared and voila, the msg appeared again.... If anyone has any input I would greatly appreciate it. We have gotten around the problem by replacing the controller and drive and completely reformatting and reloading everything (using CTAR). I would be nice to know exactly what happened though. -- >.. CCS Enterprises, Inc. .. Bob Willey, CDP ..< >.. P.O. Drawer 1690 .. uunet!consult!bob ..< >.. Easton, Maryland 21601 .. (301) 820-4670 ..< >.......................BBS: (301) 476-5098.....................<
paulz@sco.COM (W. Paul Zola) (11/26/90)
In article <1990Nov18.223343.564@cjbsys.bdb.com> cliffb@cjbsys.bdb.com (cliff bedore) writes: [detailed problems with creating an emergency boot floppy deleted] I know that the original poster asked for e-mailed responses, but I think that this is of general interest. These symptoms are due to a hardware problem with certain brands of 16-bit VGA cards. Here is an entry from SCO's Information Tools database, describing the problem and its solution. . Mkdev fd does not work properly with some video adapters. . . KEYWORDS: mkdev fd video adapters 16 bit floppy disk filesystem root boot . xenix unix vga . . RELEASE: SCO XENIX System V Operating System Generic . SCO UNIX System V/386 Operating System Generic . . PROBLEM: Both 16 bit video adapters and the floppy drives use DMA channel . 2. Therefore, when writing to, or reading from, a floppy disk drive . the video adapter controller may add or intercept characters from . the floppy disk data stream, thereby corrupting the floppy. . . SOLUTION: Move the video adapter to an 8 bit slot. . Note that this is a *hardware* problem, and cannot be worked around by any software fix. -p - Paul Zola Software Support Engineer paulz@sco.COM We only know in theory what we are doing. - Kate Bush DISCLAIMER: I speak for myself, and not for SCO.
stickler@cc.helsinki.fi (11/28/90)
In article <12176@scorn.sco.COM>, paulz@sco.COM (W. Paul Zola) writes: > In article <1990Nov18.223343.564@cjbsys.bdb.com> > cliffb@cjbsys.bdb.com (cliff bedore) writes: > > [detailed problems with creating an emergency boot floppy deleted] > > .. > .. SOLUTION: Move the video adapter to an 8 bit slot. > .. > > Note that this is a *hardware* problem, and cannot be worked around by any > software fix. > > -p > > - > Paul Zola Software Support Engineer > paulz@sco.COM > We only know in theory what we are doing. - Kate Bush > DISCLAIMER: I speak for myself, and not for SCO. OUCH! What about if the video adapter is built into the motherboard! :-( I have had the same problem and was glad to see someone ask about it (as I was about to ask it myself) - but now the answer appears to be disasterous for newer machines which strive for the whole computer on the motherboard - video controller, and FD/HD controllers as well. I guess that this would make it sort of a software problem seeing as the hardware *cant* be "fixed". ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Patrick Stickler University of Helsinki stickler@cc.helsinki.fi //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
cliffb@cjbsys.bdb.com (cliff bedore) (12/03/90)
In article <12176@scorn.sco.COM> paulz (W. Paul Zola) writes: > >In article <1990Nov18.223343.564@cjbsys.bdb.com> > cliffb@cjbsys.bdb.com (cliff bedore) writes: > > [detailed problems with creating an emergency boot floppy deleted] > >I know that the original poster asked for e-mailed responses, but I think >that this is of general interest. These symptoms are due to a hardware >problem with certain brands of 16-bit VGA cards. >. >. SOLUTION: Move the video adapter to an 8 bit slot. >- >Paul Zola Software Support Engineer > paulz@sco.COM > DISCLAIMER: I speak for myself, and not for SCO. Ah but you speak wisely. That was the problem. I was about to reply and say I had an 8 bit board but when I looked in my machine imagine my suprise when it did turn out to be a 16 bit.(blush blush confused it with the machine at work). To further confuse the issue, I was able to go back to the original /xenix.org (saved after having to reinstall due to slow boot problem) and create boot floppies with no trouble. Obviously it is somewhat subtle and I would guess that this would also explain why sometimes tar would work on my floppies and sometimes not. The real solution is to move to an 8-bit port (I know, I know it really should work the other way but...) which I did and all is well. Thanks to SCO and their support engineers Cliff
paulz@sco.COM (W. Paul Zola) (12/24/90)
In article <4096.2753b671@cc.helsinki.fi> stickler@cc.helsinki.fi writes: }In article <12176@scorn.sco.COM>, paulz@sco.COM (W. Paul Zola) writes: }> In article <1990Nov18.223343.564@cjbsys.bdb.com> }> cliffb@cjbsys.bdb.com (cliff bedore) writes: }> }> [detailed problems with creating an emergency boot floppy deleted] }> }> .. }> .. SOLUTION: Move the video adapter to an 8 bit slot. }> .. }> }> Note that this is a *hardware* problem, and cannot be worked around by any }> software fix. }> }> -p }> } }OUCH! } }What about if the video adapter is built into the motherboard! :-( Then you're in trouble. :-{ One thing I did not make clear in my original posting: this problem is not inherent in 16-bit VGA, and this is not an problem with all 16-bit VGA cards. Instead, this is only a problem with a particular implementation of particular model of a particular manufacturer's VGA card. Unfortunately, this particular chipset has been licensed to a lot of OEM's, so you may see virtually any brand name on the card (which is why I am not going to mention the manufacturer's name). } [deleted] } }I guess that this would make it sort of a software problem seeing as the }hardware *cant* be "fixed". Unfortunately, your discomfiture doesn't make it any less of a hardware problem. :-{ According to our best kernel engineer, this problem can't be worked around in software. The actual problem (as I understand it) is that the card's address-decoding logic does not work properly under certain circumstances, so it "thinks" it's being accessed even when the kernel is actually addressing another device. The VGA manufacturer has been made aware of the problem, and is working on a hardware fix. } } }////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// } Patrick Stickler University of Helsinki stickler@cc.helsinki.fi }////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// - Paul Zola Software Support Engineer paulz@sco.COM We only know in theory what we are doing. - Kate Bush DISCLAIMER: I speak for myself, and not for SCO.