Date: Fri, 1 Jun 2001 10:12:51 +0800 (HKT)
From: Anthony Green <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Libretto 30 *now* "blind" to fitted Hard Disk(s)
>Date: Fri, 1 Jun 2001 02:31:25 +0100 (GMT/BST)
{Must be a "Night-Owl!}
>From: Digby Tarvin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: Re: Libretto 30 *now* "blind" to fitted Hard Disk(s)
>
>> >
>> >If Unix can see the disk, but the BIOS can't, even with a different
>> >disk installed, then you could either try re-installing the BIOS,
>> >or toss windows altogether and stick with Linux - though you
>> >would have to floppy boot. You could still run Windows under
>> >VmWare if you need it.
>>
>> Well, I'm open to suggestions, but I've never used UNIX, or any of it's
>> flavors, but I rather suspect that even that O/S could not force the
>> Libretto to take its blindfolds off and "see" that there really is a HD
>> fitted. I reckon that there is some circuitry that has failed - a
>> flip/flop device of some sort that isn't flipping or flopping when it ought
>> when a HD is/is not installed.
>>
>> It is a stupid situation, in many years of computing I've never before seen
>> a BIOS that I couldn't set the HD params to some crazy figures, or add
>> non-existing HD's if I was silly enough to want to try! Damn these Jap
>> designers!
>>
>Sounds like you have ruled out the hard disk as the source of the
>problem - either due to failure of the hardware, or the BSOD
>writing something unsociable to it.
>
>That leaves either somethine goofy written to NVRAM somewhere, or
>hardware failure on the motherboard.
>
>I doubt that there is any fancy ciruitry for 'searching' for a
>hard disk. Most likely the three minute delay before booting
>from the floppy is the BIOS trying unsucessfully to talk to the
>disk via its HD interface, and on failing, assuming that no
>disk is present. The BIOS is probably just trying to be smart
>in refusing to let you say a disk is present when it can see
>nothing is responding on the disk interface. It makes no
>sense to flag a disk as present when it isn't, although it
>might make sense to say no disk is present when there is...
>
>So my guess would be that if you did use a Unix boot and
>look at the diagnostics, it would show that no disk is present
>regardless of what the BIOS is doing..
>
>Also, as you were tinkering with hardware when things stopped
>working, that increases the chances that hardware damage occured.
Actually, the system was booting up okay, and that's with the PCMCIA card +
SmartMedia in it.
It was only after the 'puter refused to boot up after crashing that I
removed the card (with no power on the 'puter). It wasn't a case of
ejecting the PCMCIA card whilst there was any power on the computer. No
battery, and eliminator was unplugged- I didn't want to do any damage - it
was done to me!
>I would look closely at the areas involved. It is
>always possible that inserting and removing the PCMCIA cards
>left a bent bin, maybe shorting an interrupt line etc, which
>could have the effect of killing the HD transfers.
I'm going to see if I can get an e'mail address out of Toshiba for their
Chiba facility & see if i can get any info from their servicemen. Don't
hold out much hope of a response to e'mail or "snail-mail" either.
Rgds : Anthony Green
>
>Regards,
>DigbyT
>--
>Digby R. S. Tarvin
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>http://www.cthulhu.dircon.co.uk
+++++++++++++++++
Age doesn't always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone.
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