Problems with AHA1542B (DAMN BIOS !) and ISC 2.2 (won't boot !)

[Grant DeLorean]

nbladt at aut.autelca.ascom.ch (Norbert Bladt) writes:

> I am trying to install ISC 2.2 on the following system:
> 
> 	386 Motherboard 33 Mhz, 8 MB RAM
> 	Adpatec 1542B SCSI Controller
> 	Micropolis 350 MB Harddisk
> 	STB Powergraph VGA Board
> 	EIZO (Nanao) 9070-SZ monitor (16")
> 
> As you may guess, I have a big problem, here.
> After inserting the boot floppy for ISC 2.2 the text
> Booting the UNIX System...
> is shown on the screen, but that's it. The system just hangs
> after accessing the floppy several times.

 This sounds somewhat familiar...   Make sure your 1542B is set to use
IRQ 11 and DMA 5. That is hard coded into the install kernel that way,
and some of the 1542B cards seem to have gone out configured for DMA 6.
Just make sure the jumpers are all in the same "default" locations as
shown in the little pamphlet that came with the controller (the
installation guide).

> I think, the main problem is, that there is NO HARDDISK info
> stored in the BIOS (CMOS) data area. The setup shows
> - no harddisk installed - for drives C: and D: (DOS naming).
> That may be the reason for hanging, because the ISC boot program
> can't find a disk.

 Nope, that is the way it should be for the 1542 to work. You don't have
any hard drives as far as the BIOS is concerned. :-} 

 Take the hard drive definitions back out of the CMOS setup tables...

> Isn't it funny how MS-DOS forces SOME hardware and software companies to
> think, that there are NO OTHER OS's ??

 Funny how it didn't happen to Adaptec, they will tell you that the 1542B
is wasted under DOS (that was why they released the 1522, which isn't
anywhere near as smart a controller).



 Grant DeLorean    (grant at bluemoon)
  {...osu-cis!n8emr!, ...towers!, ...nstar!}bluemoon!grant
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 So just remember, if a weirdo in a blue suit comes up and offers you
some DOS, just say NO!
    (a message from the President's War on DOS committee)
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