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Conference mvblab::alphaserver_4100

Title:AlphaServer 4100
Moderator:MOVMON::DAVISS
Created:Tue Apr 16 1996
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:648
Total number of notes:3158

58.0. "Mylex on Bus 1, NT doesn't boot" by METMV3::DRG () Wed May 15 1996 15:15

T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
58.1let me show you the way....KOKY::PEREZBailando con la mas fea, pero bailando...Thu May 16 1996 12:4116
58.2Info is correct but still not workingMETMV3::DRGThu May 16 1996 12:504
58.3type osloadpartition...KOKY::PEREZBailando con la mas fea, pero bailando...Thu May 16 1996 14:147
58.4Use AlphaBIOS' Os Selection SetupDECWET::JANETJanet SchneiderThu May 16 1996 15:525
58.5<< What worked in this case - may not be a universal workaround >>POBOXA::COMMOI&#039;ll find no bug before its time!Fri May 17 1996 12:4053
58.6Thank youMETMV3::DRGFri May 17 1996 22:4910
58.7no setenv commandHYDRA::LAVINFri Jun 06 1997 10:3471
	,,,We tried the steps mentioned below with 4.0 and got the response 
	that there is no setenv command....any other ideas
	
	leo









     <<< Note 58.5 by POBOXA::COMMO "I'll find no bug before its time!" >>>
     -< << What worked in this case - may not be a universal workaround  >-

The problem has to be investigated further, but here is what finally got this
system going.

Symptom:
	During the install, the TEXT mode seemed to go normally and the
	machine needed to be restarted.

	From the boot page, when the autotimed finished, or when <enter> was
	hit, the screen blanked, but instead of the OSLOADER message the 
	message was "Hit any key to continue".

Problem:
	ARCDOS was used to investigate what, if anything, got written to the
	disk.  The os\winnt351 and \winnt35 directories were extant and 
	seemed to contain what they normally would.

	From the Utilities/RunMaintenaceProgram menu "setenv" was entered
	for the program name to bring up the environment variable (EV) screen.

	The two EVs systempartition" and osloadpartition had been entered as
	per the suggestion of .1 and .3 of this note, but the system still 
	manifested the symptom.

		NOTE: these two variables are saved, but were not displayed 
		      in the list.

	Comparing the list of EVs from the 4100 to the list displayed by ARC 
	on a demiSable yielded the following variables that were missing on 
	the 4100:
		CONSOLEIN=multi()key()keyboard()console()
		CONSOLEOUT=eisa()video()monitor()console()
		FWSEARCHPATH=scsi(w)disk(x)rdisk(y)partition(z)
				wxyz depend on system
		LASTKNOWNGOOD=FALSE

Solution:
	LASTKNOWNGOOD and FWSEARCHPATH were added, but nothing changed.
	When CONSOLEIN and CONSOLEOUT wre added the machine finished the
	installation.

Comment:
	I had seen this symptom once before in the Rawhide Engineering Lab.
	The configuration of the machine and its prior history (it may have
	been running Unix or VMS) could have differed from Don's machine.

	Never-the-less, when I compared the list of EVs on the failing machine
	to the list from another Rawhide, the same four (maybe another 1 or 2
	of lesser signicance as well) were missing on the failing machine.
	Adding them manually fixed the problem.

My assumption is that these are written as part of the NT installation and not
by ALphaBIOS.  I hope to investigate this a little more and try to isolate 
what machine configuration can trigger this behavior.