Re: Microlite RecoverEdge on IBM xSeries 345, floppy

rac_at_tenzing.org
Date: 02/03/05

  • Next message: Jean-Pierre Radley: "Re: Slow X11" 
    Date: 3 Feb 2005 09:15:02 -0800

    Bela Lubkin wrote:
    > Roger Cornelius wrote:
    >
    > > Microlite Edge 2.1 on IBM xSeries 345 server and Openserver 5.0.7
    with
    > > MP3 and UP3.
    > >
    > > Beginning, I believe, with the install of UP3 and/or MP3,
    RecoverEdge is
    > > no longer able to create boot images on 1.44mb floppies or CD
    because
    > > there isn't enough room. I am able to successfully build RE media
    using
    > > 1.68mb floppies but when I attempt to boot the machine from the
    first
    > > floppy, it prints the letter 'E' continuously across the screen.
    This
    > > occurs when booting from either of the two IBM xSeries 345 servers
    we
    > > have available. However, I am able to boot from the same floppies
    on
    > > either of two IBM clone boxes I've tried them on. I have tried
    remaking
    > > the RE media using different floppies but with the same result.
    The IBM
    > > servers are able to boot from other floppies, the OpenServer
    install
    > > floppy, e.g..
    > >
    > > Microlite has not seen this before.
    > >
    > > I'm wondering if this could be related to the issue recently
    discussed
    > > here:
    > >
    > >
    <http://groups-beta.google.com/group/comp.unix.sco.misc/msg/7269008a0c494d5e&as_umsgid=20041218135048.GG13175@sco.com>
    >
    > I doubt it. MP3 _fixed_ the problem mentioned in that discussion.
    The
    > nature of that problem was that the BIOS would refuse to even attempt
    to
    > boot the floppy (believing it to be a non-bootable diskette). The
    > infinite 'E' sequence indicates that the BIOS _has_ booted the
    floppy.
    > Those 'E's come from the OSR5 floppy boot code; each one means "I
    tried
    > to read a sector and got some sort of error". There's not enough
    room
    > in the code to print anything more useful.
    >
    > > Or, if not, is there some reason the floppy is able to write 1.68mb
    > > format but not read it.
    >
    > That might be it.
    >
    > > For the record, I have edge 2.1 running on a Dell server at home
    using
    > > the same OSR507 configuration and have no problem creating and
    booting
    > > from 1.68mb floppies.
    >
    > Use a whole-disk copy program on one of those machines to make an
    > "exact" duplicate of one of the problem disks. Not _too_ exact; you
    > don't want the kind of copy program used by crackers to copy
    > copy-protected games, but the kind that expects the media formats to
    be
    > normal. Like ancient DOS "diskcopy": a same-format, sector-to-sector
    > copier.

    Even though I'm now able to build the RE media on CD, I'll experiment
    with this and see what happens. Would SCO's diskcp suffice? I'll try
    a couple of copiers if I can locate them and report back.

    > It's also possible that the machine just can't boot 21-sector
    floppies.
    > The BIOS could be checking for a "valid" sector number and rejecting
    > anything above 18 sectors/track.
    >
    > >Bela<

  • Next message: Jean-Pierre Radley: "Re: Slow X11"

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