*BSD News Article 6274


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Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd
Path: sserve!manuel.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!spool.mu.edu!caen!nigel.msen.com!math.fu-berlin.de!Sirius.dfn.de!chx400!klarenbe
From: klarenbe@chx400.switch.ch (Paul Klarenberg)
Subject: [386BSD] Boot hangs after copyright message on Vectra 386/20N
Message-ID: <1992Oct9.102358.16737@chx400.switch.ch>
Keywords: HP, Vectra, boot, hang
Organization: Swiss Academic and Research Network SWITCH
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 10:23:58 GMT
Lines: 40

[I post this messasge for a friend of mine. You can respond to him
directly. I'll forward replies on the net on to him. PK.]

Problem:
When booting the installation floppy or the fixit floppy on an HP Vectra
386/20N only the copyright notice is seen, and the computer just hangs.

Solution: Well, none at this moment yet.

Workaround:
We discovered that if you deliberately misconfigure the machine with the
setup program it is possible to boot! We tried this in two ways:

1- If you disable the floppy entirely in setup (floppy type= none,
   floppy write disable and floppy disable) it is possible to boot from
   a preinstalled HD!

2- I have a second floppy drive connected to my machine.  (It doesn't
   fit in the cabinet, so I use a long cable!) I disconnect this second
   floppy, then configure setup correctly with one 3 1/2" floppy. Leave
   setup and power off the machine. Then reconnect the second floppy.
   Then if you reboot the machine you will get a misconfiguration
   message. Just ignore this and press F1 to continue. Unix will boot,
   and the probe will find one 3 1/2" floppy.

Does anybody have an idea as to what is causing this problem? 

NOTES:
We tried the "VECTRA Fixed install floppy" is is supposed to correct
the multicolored pdi #### screen on vectra QS and RS but all we just
got was a multi colored screen with pdi #### on our vectra 386/20N!!!
I think the problem is somewhere in the isa_configure, but now I am
running I first have to install all those other patches, but I will
have al look into this problem.



Reinier Kleipool
Kleipool@hp.hp.400net.nl