From: butler@quest.comm.mot.com (Jim Butler)
Subject: Boot problems w/ new Quantum drive: HELP!!
Reply-To: butler@quest.comm.mot.com (Jim Butler)
Organization: Land Mobile Products Sector, Motorola, Inc.
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 19:03:24 GMT

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	Hello everyone,

	I've got an intermittent failure to boot problem with the
following config:

	Std. SE w/ 4Meg.  No mods; never been in the shop.
	System 6.0.8 w/ various inits and CDEVs
	Quantum 105LPS (recently installed to replace a failed 20Megger)
	No external SCSI devices.
	HP deskjet on the printer port and a LabelWriter on the modem port.


	This SE worked fine until it's 20M drive got stiction.  I ordered
a new Quantum, and while waiting for it to arrive I was lucky enough to have
the failing 20M drive run long enough that I could copy its entire contents
onto another external HD.  Phew.

	After installing the Quantum (it came preformatted, with bunches of
shareware and Sys 7), I deleted the Sys 7 stuff and copied onto it all of the
old software (System 6.0.8, apps, etc.) from the external drive that I had
used as an intermediate.  As such, the new Quantum now had the same software
base as the old 20Meg drive did.

	Everything seemed fine at first, but I noticed that sometimes on
startup (from a machine *off* condition) the machine would not boot from
the new Quantum hard drive.  Rather, it would access the drive a few times
and then give me the floppy-question-mark icon in the center of the screen.
Hmm.

	I've noticed lately that when this happens the machine will BEEP
twice before putting up the floppy-question-mark icon.  I assume that this
means something, but I don't know what.  Netters...?


MORE INFO:

	I've reinstalled the system using the installer from virgin, protected
system disks (although I've deleted a bunch of unused system files, e.g.,
Color, Brightness, etc.).  I've zapped the PRAM.  I've reinstalled the SCSI
driver and I've tested the disk using the utilities that came with it
(Alliance Power Tools).  I HAVE NOT re-initialized the disk yet.

	I've deleted the extra desktop files that System 7 had left on the
disk.  I rebuilt the desktop.

	When it hangs like this, I can boot the machine by installing a
system floppy in response to the floppy-question-mark icon, but the internal
hard drive will  *not* get mounted on the desktop.  At this point, doing
a "restart" will eject the floppy and (magically) the machine will then
boot from the hard drive.

	I have noted that, on occasion, upon boot-up (from a machine off state)
the machine will BEEP   *once*   and boot (as opposed to the BEEP  *twice*
and NOT BOOT as I mentioned above).  And of course, most times it will
boot *without* any beeps at all, except that there seems to be a too-long
pause between the time when the HappyMac comes on the screen and when the
Welcome To Macintosh startup screen is displayed (there's no disk activity
during this pause... it's as tho the boot process has hung on something).

	Doing a "restart" or a "shutdown" followed by a "restart" always
works, that is, the machine never has the boot problem.


	I would *sincerely* appreciate any help that anyone could offer
to help me identify and rectify this intermittent boot problem.

	Thanks,

	Jim


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Jim Butler                            | Internet: butler@Quest.comm.mot.com
Motorola, Inc.                        | FAX:   708-576-3240
Land Mobile Products Sector Research  | Phone: 708-576-5962
Schaumburg, Illinois USA              | X.400 email: CJB006
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Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware