From: terry@cs.weber.edu (A Wizard of Earth C)
Subject: Re: [386BSD] Boot hangs after copyright message on Vectra 386/20N
Keywords: HP, Vectra, boot, hang
Organization: Weber State University  (Ogden, UT)
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 92 17:27:27 GMT

In article <1992Oct9.102358.16737@chx400.switch.ch> klarenbe@chx400.switch.ch (Paul Klarenberg) writes:
>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.

You should try the "StarLan" kernel.  This prints more extensive
diagnostics on boot up if you have a memory problem (as will a fully
patched (Beta-1 patchkit) kernel).  It also makes some more reasonable
assumptions to "correct" unusable memory configurations.  Sorry, but I
haven't written "probe-on-error" code to check the memory size in the case
of a bogus CMOS size.  So far, the assumptions have worked for me; at the
very least, you will get a readable diagnostic prior to reboot.

Barring that, a fully patched kernel is supposed to be available some time
soon on "rachel.ibmpcug.co.uk" -- Adrian Hall's archive.  He also has a
crypt for those who are interested.

The Beta Patch kit contains two fixes, each of which are supposedly a
fix to the "hang after copyright" boot problem.  The first is a delay
in the keyboard reset code (grungy, but apparently workable -- I would
prefer to know *why* it works rather than *that* it works); the second
is the long time "checking the wrong register to see if the controller
is ready" problem.  This applies to controllers using the WD driver
only (ie: not SCSI), and could easily explain the behaviour you have
described.  It's possible that the "keyboard reset fix" simply introduces
enough delay at the time the floppies are resetting that it also fixes the
same problem, rather than a real problem on the keyboard.

Unfortunately, I don't have a machine here that has the problems that I could
test with, so I just posted both.

If you can get up without a floppy, but with an ethernet card, you should
be able to get the sources and rebuild for either soloution.


					Terry Lambert
					terry@icarus.weber.edu
					terry_lambert@novell.com
---
Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present
or previous employers.
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