[Info-vax] MicroVAX 3100-30 - won't boot...

[Wilm Boerhout]

AdeV mentioned  on 31-12-2009 17:01:
> Wilm Boerhout may or may not have intoned:
>> Steven Schweda mentioned  on 31-12-2009 14:38:
>>
>>
>> [snipped]
>>
>>>    Otherwise, there is some boot-time debugging which can be
>>> turned on.  Should be in the FAQ.
>> B /R5:20000 [DKAxxx] should get you some, /R5:30000 some more
> 
> Thanks for the advice, Wilm. 
> 
> Both of those changed the output message, so instead of displaying the 
> VMS banner, I got:
>   [same sysboot messages as last time, about the paging file, then]
>   %SYSBOOT-E-Unable to locate file PDDRIVER.EXE
>     83 BOOT SYS
> 
> The uVax then tried to boot from the network, until I told it not to.
> 
> Seems to me the CDR is not being read properly?

Hmm, I did not expect the boot switches to alter the boot sequence, just 
to deliver progress reports about loading drivers etc. so you can see 
where it goes wrong.

Then again, if reading the CD-ROM is the problem, displaying output 
might alter the timing of reads, and so alter the actual failure point.

Seems to me that letting it boot over Ethernet is your best bet (after 
setting up your Simh VAX as a cluster boot server)

/Wilm