From: galway@chtm.eece.unm.edu (Denis McKeon)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: 2.0 GA install hangs in Disk 1 (long!)
Date: 21 Jul 92 19:33:01 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM
X-Mailer: Mail User's Shell (7.0.1 12/13/89)
Status: OR

And it isn't CPU cache or shadow ROM, or an OAK Video card.  Sigh.  
I've read and searched the FAQ, the OS2TNT (Tips and Techniques), and
multiple other files from /pub/os2/2.0/info.  (good stuff!, BTW)

The polite person at OS/2 Defect Support (great name, big blue) 
(800-237-5511) spent 2 hours on the phone with me checking out
possibilities, but didn't have any solutions.

The NSC BBS (404-835-6600) will accept only 50 lines in a message, and
won't take uploads (while the problem report template in OS2PROB.TXT is
158 lines), so I left a report on the BBS with the most salient info
crammed into 50 lines.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions on how to get OS/2 installed and
running on this system - I am now shifting tactics from de-tuning &
re-configuring this system to swapping hardware (BIOS, video, I/O
controller) to try to isolate any hardware incompatabilities.  (after
checking that this set of software installs on SOME other system).

(It might have been nice of IBM to ship OS/2 2.0 with a system testing
package, so people with IRQ conflicts, CPU caches, shadowed ROM, or
video card incompatibities would be informed of those potential problem
areas before the problems occurred under OS/2.  (but I don't know if it
is possible to accurately test for those things - just a thought.))

Anyhow, here's the long version of this particular tale of woe, with as
many (too many?) hardware specifics and details as I could indentify.
If you follow-up to os2.misc, please don't quote the whole huge message.
I'll send this version to the IBM support CIS number, also.

OS/2 Problem Report - July 21, 1992

CONTACT PERSON: Denis McKeon

Email:		galway@chtm.eece.unm.edu

ONE LINE DESCRIPTION OF THE OS/2 PROBLEM:

    OS/2 2.0 Installation hangs during Diskette 1

DETAILED PROBLEM DESCRIPTION - If possible, provide step-by-step
recreation scenario.

Summary:

    Installing OS/2 2.0 hangs during Diskette #1.

    After inserting Disk 1, and seeing OS/2 Logo screen,
    "Loading - Please Wait" message displays for a while, then
    disappears, screen clears, and Drive A: active light goes out.

    Everything stops about 2 minutes after inserting Disk 1.
    After 5 minutes of waiting, nothing else happens.
    Inserting Disk 2 and pressing return produces no response.
    Ctrl-Esc produces no response.  

    Ctrl-Alt-NumLock, Ctrl-Alt-NumLock will produce an
    "insert Dump Diskette" message, but without an installed
    system I don't have a way to format a Dump Diskette.
    (If it would help diagnose the problem, I'll get
    someone with a running OS/2 system to format such a diskette.)

Detailed description & timings (times are approximate to +/- 10%)

    With Install Disk in Drive A:, I reboot (cold, reset, or warm),
    the hard disk drive light flashes, and the drive A: light comes on.
    (by "flash" I mean "lights for much less than a second - maybe 250ms")

    45 seconds later, the IBM blue screen appears and prompts for Disk 1.
    Disk 1 goes in Drive A:, press Enter, and the drive A: light comes on.

    4 seconds later OS/2 Logo Screen appears,
    with Copyright message below logo.
	(except if warm-booted with video card in CGA mode,
	then no OS/2 Logo screen shows, but a message with:
	    Internal Revision 6.307
	    92/03/01
	appears, and the "Loading, Please Wait" messages do not appear.)

    8 seconds later, copyright message clears, and

    8 seconds later, "Loading, Please Wait" appears below OS/2 Logo.
	& printer resets

    12 seconds later, the hard disk drive light flashes

    20 seconds later, the hard disk drive light flashes, the screen clears,
	and "Loading, Please Wait" appears in high center of screen.

    64 seconds later, screen clears, cursor shows in upper left corner

    6 seconds later, drive A: light goes out.

Attempted work-arounds:

    I've tried de-tuning the system as much as possible, but
    essentially the same sequence has occurred regardless of
    hardware settings. (except different prompts with CGA mode, and
    error message with hard disk setting removed from setup CMOS)

    By "de-tuning", I mean putting the system in a plain vanilla simple
    state - motherboard CPU caching disabled, shadow ROM disabled, video
    card set to "pure" VGA, disconnected CMS tape drive, confirmed
    keyboard set to AT mode, swapped I/O cards, & explored various other
    possibilities.)

    I checked OS/2 disks for obvious errors -
	they pass chkdsk, diskcopy runs just fine, and xcopy produces file
	copies that compare identical byte-for-byte to the originals.

    I called OS/2 Defect Support at 800-237-5511 on and spoke to someone
    who spent almost 2 hours with me going over possibilities, and
    trying various work-arounds.

    Attempted work-arounds included:

	inserting Disk 2 anyway - no result.
	    (assuming that a prompt for Disk 2 was being issued,
	    but was not displayed on the screen.)

	copy con: a:\rup.rup
	RUP
	^Z<CR>

	    (assuming that the upgrade was dying for lack of DOS,
	    even though DOS 5.0 is on the system hard disk,
	    in a sub-directory.)

	(I had tried the install both with un-protected and
	write-protected OS/2 disks.)

	We then tried the Int 10 / Oak Video card OS2LDR patch
	    & rem'ed out basedev=ibm1s506.add in disk 1 config.sys -

	but while the blue (IBM) prompt screen displayed w/o text,
	disk 1 hung in the same place.

	He suggested that I contact the manufacturers of the
	motherboard, BIOS, and video card.

	    Headland (Video 7) says the 1024i card should work.

	    Phoenix says the BIOS should work.

	    Micronics tech support has not responded to a voice
	    mail message left July 20.

Enter any error messages that occur:

    The only error message I have seen is displayed only if the hard
    disk information is removed from CMOS configuration, then a message
    flashes briefly on the screen just before the install hangs, with
    text approximately:

    SYS0318 can't find OSO001.MSG

    (The items in CAPS are exact, but the "can't find" is an approximation.)

Can you recreate the problem?			   Yes, 80-100 times.

Has the problem occurred on more than one system?  I only have one system.
						   I'll try to test the
						   disks on another 386.

OS/2 OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION:
  OS/2 Version 2.0 .........:  X   CSD Level: unknown - assume 2000
	    system is GA Upgrade (from DOS/Windows) on 3.5" disks
	    Internal Revision 6.307, shipped from Dearborn July 1

HARDWARE CONFIGURATION (provide as much as possible):

  Brand and model of PC: Micronics Model 80386-I Cache System motherboard
			 bearing two revision stickers: Rev D & Rev G
			 (otherwise a no-name clone)
	32K cache @ 35ns - disabled cache at DIP switch for OS/2 install
	ISA AT bus @ 8.25 MHz  (33 MHz/4)

NOTE - there is NO general RAM memory on the motherboard itself.

[and does anyone know how to get the motherboard to confirm
its own Rev level - Micronics rev E (and presumably earlier)
are apparently no good with OS/2 (per the TNT file).]

  Microprocessor:   Intel
	   Type:    386DX
	  Speed:   33 MHz

  Total RAM ....:    8MB @ 80ns - on memory card shipped with motherboard,

	    Model M500, ("385 Memory BD." on card) in 32-bit memory slot
		part No. 09-00011 Rev C

		all 8 MB of DIP chips are the same model number,
		but each 4 MB bank of chips has different lot(?) numbers:

		model:	KM 41C1000AP-8		KM 41C1000AP-8
		lot?:	907 Korea		015 Korea

	    I've tested the memory with the QA Plus memory test program -
		- Base RAM - 20 times, extended RAM -  1 time 
			(testing 1 MB takes about 10 minutes)

	    Setting the memory card DIPs and CMOS for only
	    4MB (1 bank) of RAM produced no change.

  Disk drive ...:  191 MB    File System:   FAT
    Manufacturer: Maxtor	       Model # LXT200A
	   Type: IDE
	CMOS Info	Cyl  Hd	  Pre	LZ   Sec Size
			816  15	    0	816  32	 191

  Manufacturer and model # of disk controller: IDE, connected to
  multi-function I/O card - Smart A2	- no hardware disk cache
				        - no async memory refresh

  Manufacturer, revision #, and date of System BIOS:
    Phoenix 80386 ROM BIOS Plus Version 1.10
	original version date:	1/15/88
	revision build date:	6/20/90

The "OS/2 Tips and Techniques" file says:
	>You must have level 1.02.05D, or later,
	>BIOS from Phoenix to run OS/2 2.0.

    but it does not specify which BIOS product
    from Phoenix "level 1.02.05D" refers to -
	Phoenix 80386 ROM BIOS Plus
	PhoenixBIOS A386
    or some other.
    (Phoenix restarts Version/level numbers for each product.)

  Manufacturer and model # of video adapter:
	Headland Video 7 1024i 16-bit
	    model no.	    650-0216-15
	    512K - chips NEC D41464C-10
	    Video Bios	    Ver 2.19

  Manufacturer and model # of display:	NEC/Multisync 3D

  Memory installed on video adapter: 512K

      The 1024i card can provide SVGA services, but for the OS/2 install
      I have set all the DIP switches to VGA-only levels, disabling all
      options, and have tried the install with the video card in both
      a 16-bit & an 8-bit slot.

	SW 1-3 non-functional

	SW4.= FASTWRITE FEATURE 	disabled (memory caching)
	SW5.= EMULATION			disabled (CGA & HGC)
	SW6.= ROM ADDRESS		disabled (8-bit access)
	SW7.= RAM ADDRESS		disabled (auto-sense 8 or 16 bit)
	SW8.= VIDEO EXTENSION		disabled (VGA modes only)

      Headland Tech Support at 800-248-1850 says that the 1024i
      (and all other Headland cards) have been tested with OS/2 2.0
      and that they have seen no problems similar to this one.
      The 1024i chip set is a Headland proprietary 208
      (supports 1024x768 interlaced).

  Diskette Drive A:  3 1/2" 1.44MB TEAC FD235HF - 18 sectors/track

  Diskette Drive B:  5 1/4" 360KB  TEAC FD55 BV 06U

  List other adapters installed:

    serial mouse connected to -

      multi-function I/O card - Smart A2
	provides 2 serial & 1 parallel ports,
	connects to IDE hard disk & floppy drives.

    system also has Colorado Memory Systems Jumbo 120MB QIC-40
    tape drive installed on "triple-floppy" cable,
    BUT tape drive is disconnected (power & I/O) for OS/2 install,
    and cable is replaced with original 2-floppy drive cable.

    keyboard	Northgate Omnikey Ultra - set to AT mode
	       BIOS - omnikey rev 6.05 11/08/90
		    Part No 560,0020
		    Serial  0616693

    no interrupts are shared - IRQ info follows:

            QAPLUS Control Panel V3.10 (c) 1987,1988 DiagSoft, Inc.
                           MICRONICS COMPUTERS INC.

        SYSTEM SOFTWARE:        INTERRUPT ASSIGNMENTS

        ROM Bios: Phoenix       IRQ  0   System Timer
        DOS Version: 5.0        IRQ  1   Keyboard
                                IRQ  2   [Cascade]
                                IRQ  3   COM2
        DMA CHANNEL USAGE:      IRQ  4   MOUSE
                                IRQ  5   Available *
        DMA 0  Available *      IRQ  6   Floppy Disk
        DMA 1  Available *      IRQ  7   LPT1
        DMA 2  Floppy Disk      IRQ  8   Clock/Calendar
        DMA 3  Available *      IRQ  9   Available *
        DMA 4  [Cascade]        IRQ 10   Available *
        DMA 5  Available *      IRQ 11   Available *
        DMA 6  Available *      IRQ 12   Available *
        DMA 7  Available *      IRQ 13   Reserved
                                IRQ 14   Fixed Disk
        * Not used by any       IRQ 15   Available *
          standard device       no IRQ:  COM1

( I use the COM1 port for either mouse (x)or external modem,
  depending on what I'm doing.)


So - if you have any suggestions, or OS/2 working on a similar system - 
email or post - I DO read this newsgroup, and again, thanks in advance 

--
Denis  McKeon                            Good.   Fast.   Cheap.
galway@chtm.eece.unm.edu                       Pick two.
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc