*BSD News Article 49810


Return to BSD News archive

Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!simtel!news.kei.com!newshost.marcam.com!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!in1.uu.net!news1.digital.com!pa.dec.com!depot.mro.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!usenet
From: Jon Jenkins <jenkinsj@ozy.dec.com>
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Couple of "gotchas" for NCR and Diamomd Stealth64 users
Date: 31 Aug 1995 13:12:12 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corp
Lines: 54
Message-ID: <424cfc$gvb@nntpd.lkg.dec.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: ozyd13-p3.ozy.dec.com
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Mailer: Mozilla 1.1N (X11; I; BSD/386 uname failed)
X-URL: news:comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc

I finally got around to upgrading the BIOS in 
my oentium today to the latest release. That
went fine. Then I made the mistake of trying
to do it for the NCR SCSI controller and the
Diamond Stealth64 VRAM card.

I upgraded the flash BIOS in the NCR from 3.04.00
to 3.06.00 and whoops FreeBSD wont boot anymore
neither will DOS. The MBR boot prompter comes
up but says:

default: F?

and pressing F1 (DOS) or F2 (FreeBSD) results
in nothing and the same prompt. So it looks
like there may be a problem with MBR and version
3.06.00 of the NCR PCI BIOS. Reloaded the 3.04.00
BIOS and no problem. Just to check I ftp'd the
3.06.00 a couple more times and reloaded with
same result.

Only read on if you use Windows......

The Diamond one is specific to Windows (which I 
only still use to send faxes). The 1.33 version
drivers the were downloaded from the makers site and
installed. I run a slightly unusual setup: I have
a diamond 64VRAM connected to a VGA-RGB converter
and thence to an old DEC workstation monitor.
This works for FreeBSD/X and Windows (never
see any booting only X and Windows). Anyway
when I setup the InControl tools for the monitor
(I have to use a standard VGA to setup and then
switch to the RGB as it is fixed frequency) 
I hit the Test button and adjust the screen
to suit the fixed frequecy monitor. No problem
looks good. However when I selct the tested
mode it looks garbage. Try Test mode and works
fine. To cut a long story when you select the
mode for display it appears to totally ignore
the test settings selected and use the default
for that mode. Ok reload 1.2 and works fine again.

Jon

-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Name:      Dr Jon Jenkins    Location: Digital Equipment Corporation NaC
Voice/Fax: 61-7-55-75-0151/100         Burnett Place, Research Park,  
Inet:      jenkinsj@ozy.dec.com        Bond University, Gold Coast
Close Proximity: "HEY YOU !!!"         QLD, AUSTRALIA 4229
"Daddy, what's outside the Universe?" (My 5 year old.....)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------