| Problem/Possible Cause | Action |
|---|---|
| Windows NT installation fails with "inaccessible boot dev" restart installation message. | If the ATAPI CD-ROM is not shown as a SCSI device, obtain the driver and setup file from http://www.compaq.com/support/files/workstations/us/index.html, and specify it as an additional controller. |
| Operating system (OS) software is not installed on the hard disk drive. | Install the operating system. |
| Target boot device is not listed in the show device or show config (SRM) because of a SCSI bus problem. | Check the cables. Are the cables oriented properly and not cocked?
Are there bent pins? Check all the SCSI devices for incorrect or conflicting IDs.
Refer to the device's documentation. SCSI termination: The on-board SCSI bus must be terminated at the end of the internal cable. For SCSI add-on cards, ensure that both ends of the bus are terminated with the appropriate device. |
| System cannot find the boot device. | Check the system configuration for correct device parameters. Use SRM
firmware to display the hardware configuration. unix / ovms: Use the SRM show config and show device commands. Use the displayed information to identify target devices for the boot command, and verify that the system sees all of the installed devices. If you are attempting to use bootp, first set the following variables as shown: >>>set ewa0_inet_init BOOTP >>>set ewa0_protocols BOOTP |
| Environment variables incorrectly set. (This could happen if the MLB has been replaced, which would cause a loss of the previous configuration information). Configuration information is stored in the flashROM and RTC memory on the MLB. If the MLB is replaced, the information in the flashROM and realtime clock is lost. If the battery is replaced, the information in RTC memory is lost. Keeping records of the configuration (IRQs, DMAs, I/O addresses, and so forth) will facilitate getting the system back into use. | Check and set the environment variables, if necessary. Tru64 UNIX/OpenVMS: Use the SRM console show and set commands to check and set the values assigned to boot-related variables such as auto_action, bootdef_dev, and boot_osflag. |
| Bad device name/number or partition number... | The system partition value is pointing to an invalid partition. From the AlphaBIOS Setup screen, select Utilities and OS Selection Setup. Press [F9] to validate the selection. To edit the selection, press F6. |
| File is not a directory..., or No such file or directory... | The osloader value is incorrect. The system partition value is okay. From the AlphaBIOS Setup screen, select Utility then OS Selection Setup. Press [F9] to validate the selection. To edit the selection, press [F6]. |
| Hard disk drive is not correctly formatted or the requested partition does not exist. | Format the hard disk drive or correctly partition the hard disk drive using appropriate tools (for example, Hard Disk Setup under AlphaBIOS). |
| There is no software on the requested partition. | If the command is pointing to the correct partition, install the software. Otherwise, change the variables to point to the correct partition. |
| Windows NT does not recognize the XP1000 system. | Place hardware support files from
http://www.compaq.com/support/files/workstations/us/index.html on a 1.44 MB diskette (typically HALxxx.DLL, A221264.PAL, txtsetup.oem files) to provide cpu processor and hardware abstraction layers for Windows NT.
May be trying to use and IDE or ATAPI hard drive - they are not supported on Windows NT. |
| Windows NT fails to boot properly. | Insure that no boot hardware (storage, input, display) changed since last good boot. Insure all onboard and installed PCI options and disks are visible in AlphaBIOS the display menus. Try reseating or recabling option or storage device. Try booting with last known good registry. As a last resort, enter BIOS setupo mode, utilities/os selection and edit the boot selection; in "OS options", type "sos" to force NT to display a verbose boot. Check to see if the boot hangs on a specific driver. |
| Windows NT gives a boot error suggesting invalid selection, missing boot device, or missing or bad files. | Can result from incorrect firmware update, NVRAM corruption, or juggling SCSI Ids. Insure HAL is compatible with AlphaBIOS and Windows NT version. View hard disk config, use utilities/os_selection to edit and restor boot selection based upon your best guess or previously recorded values, validate. |
| Suspected bad video driver. | In boot entry, add "BASEVIDEO" to "OS Options"; Windows NT will be forced to boot to VGA modeusing this selection. If the boot is successful, fix the video driver or hardware, remove the "BASEVIDEO" option and try to boot again. |