[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference decwet::windows-nt

Title:Windows NT
Notice:See note 15.0 for HCL location
Moderator:TARKIN::LIN.com::FOLEY
Created:Thu Oct 31 1991
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:6086
Total number of notes:31449

5747.0. "URGENT! ARC and NVRAM error" by BEJVC::ARTHURWANG () Wed Feb 26 1997 06:37

    Hi! Experts:
    
    Now I want to install windows nt on alphaserver4100. but after I run 
    ARC on the console, there has a error message:
    
    "This firmware has determined that the NVRAM data is invalid, this
    may cause incorrect booting or installation of windows NT.
    The firmware will attempt to restore the NVRAM to factory default
    values"
    
    and after I continues, The system is halt.
    
    pls help me. this is very URGENT!
    
    by the way, because I set os_type to NT, so when I turn on the system
    ,the system go to ARC mode,and halt, so I can't switch to the SRM mode.
    How can I switch to the SRM mode?
    
    Thanks
    
    Arthur 
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
5747.1The horse is dead.....CSC32::K_MEADOWSWed Feb 26 1997 08:392
    Please see many other notes on the 4100 here and in 
    MVBLAB::ALPHASERVER_4100.NOTE
5747.2<< Yes... well covered in the 4100 notesfile >>POBOXB::COMMOI&#039;ll find no bug before its time!Thu Feb 27 1997 08:4736
>>    Now I want to install windows nt on alphaserver4100. but after I run 
>>    ARC on the console, there has a error message:
>>    
>>    "This firmware has determined that the NVRAM data is invalid, this
>>    may cause incorrect booting or installation of windows NT.
>>    The firmware will attempt to restore the NVRAM to factory default
>>    values"

	What this means is that AlphaBIOS has found that the portion of the
	NVRAM it cares about (AlphaBIOS ans ECU data) does not have a valid 
	"structure".  All the info stored in NVRAM has a specific structure 
	with checksums to insure integrity.
    
>>    and after I continues, The system is halt.

	After AlphaBIOS rewrite the parts of the NVRAM it cares about it
	warm boots back to itself.  I've never seen a real "HALT".  There
	was a short period where 120NS NVRAMS were used.  With older 
	versions of AlphaBIOS writing to the this particular NVRAM would
	hang the system.  The latest versions of firmware should fix
	that problem.

>>    pls help me. this is very URGENT!
>>
>>    by the way, because I set os_type to NT, so when I turn on the system
>>    ,the system go to ARC mode,and halt, so I can't switch to the SRM mode.
>>    How can I switch to the SRM mode?
    
	You can always get back to the SRM on a 4000 series machine by 
	putting in the HALT switch.  The next time the system power cycles
	or is RESET the boot process will stop at SRM.  Incidently, don't
	just put in the HALT switch and do a "Shutdown and Restart" from
	NT.  This will only warmboot back to AlphaBIOS.  You need to hit
	the RESET switch.

- norm