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

[AdeV]

H Vlems may or may not have intoned:
> On Dec 31, 5:01 pm, AdeV <s... at solutionengineers.com> wrote:
> > 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?
> >
> > --
> > Cheers!
> > Ade.
> 
> I can mail you a verified copy, no problem. I spent enough money
> already on stamps for Christmas cards....

Thanks - but I think I've got too many potential failure points at the 
moment... drive itself, media, or maybe even the machine...

> I'm more interested in the Plextor drive, did you manage to locate the
> caddy?

Unfortunately, the only caddy I have is for a DVD drive, and it won't 
fit in the plextor :( So another dead end. It seems that caddy CD drives 
simply don't exist these days (not surprising, really) - even eBay drew 
a blank. Shame, because I've got another 6 of these Plextors to try 
out... (they came in a special 7-drive tower unit - but with no caddies)

> Michael Kraemer is right though, VMS doesný play well with third party
> cd drives. A VAXstation 3100 M78 uses a Pioneer	DR-U12X and an
> Alphaserver 1200
> has a Toshiba XM-5701TA. All the others use DEC RRD4x drives.

I think the network boot is the favourite option now, as that will take 
the CD out of the equation entirely - but I won't have the hardware to 
do that until next week at the earliest.

-- 
Cheers!
Ade.