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Okay, finally got the computer working, just installed OS on a seperate comptuer, had too much trouble getting FreeBSD on it, so just tossed RedHat 7.2 onto it.
Anyway, now it has GRUB / RedHat 7.2 on hard drive; works fine on seperate computer.
On old computer; boots up, passes POST, gets into GRUB, select RedHat 7.2 it starts to load, gets to 'Uncompressing Linux . . . . . . . ' and then it restarts, not even freezes up, just restarts immediately.
Any ideas anyone ?
From what I gather here from the two threads, you found an old computer running a version of SCO
1) you could not get into the bios
2) you could not access the floppy
3) you did not want the “stripped” version of SCO Unix which loaded
so you
1) pulled the hard drive
2) installed it in another computer
3) formatted the drive
4) loaded RH 7.2
5) put it back into the old computer
Now it will not boot when placed back in the computer it came out of, but worked on the one which you used to install RH ?
Just a shot in the dark, but was the computer you built RH 7.2 on a x486, which would use the 386 kernel, or was it a Pentium or better, or atholon which would use a different kernel ? Is the chipset that RH loaded for the install compatible with the one on the x486 motherboard? How about the sound drivers, the network drivers, the, well, you get the idea. Newer versions of RH Linux are a little more forgiving in that they will now search for hardware changes, but I don’t know how forgiving RH 7.2, or any for that matter, would be when it comes to the kernel.
I think you are trying to avoid necessary steps because they are too much of a challenge.
First thing you need to do if you want help here is to provide more information, much more.
What type of mother board ( brand, model number, etc. If you can’t find it, search google for whatever numbers you can find, then post them here. If all else fails how about a picture of the MB might help, someone might recognize the board. Someone here may help you identify the MB. Then maybe you can find the manual, possible bios updates, etc. )
In your first post about the bios you said “It is a true 386 / 80486,” Well, what processor is in the board?? A 25 MHZ 386 SX or a 100 MHZ 486 DX ?? Intel, AMD, Cyrix ? It makes a difference.
Then, what else is in the box? Floppy ( 3.5 or 5 1/4 ), CD, video card, sound card, etc.
Last, your experience with *nix operating systems.
The more information you provide, the less guessing the members here will have to do, and thus may be able to give a better answer.
By the way, did the keyboard error suggestion work ?? It used to work on a lot of the older boards.
Shouldn't this be moved to Hardware discussions ??
1-5, exactly.
The comptuer that I installed RedHat onto the removed hard drive from was a Celeron 2.0 GHz, i686. It is the closest computer that I have to this old one, other three are p4 2.4, p4 3.06, and Athlon XP 2600+.
I didn't think that it would install the kernel any differently based upon hardware.
I am not trying to avoid anything, but I couldn't get into the BIOS at all, and the computer wouldn't boot from a floppy or cd-rom drive. Since the computer booted only from the hard drive, I just installed red hat onto the hard drive.
Okay, more information.
BIOS Chip=PLKK CopyRight 94 AMIBIOS; AMI BIOS 1993 MEGATRENDS Inc.
Proc=Cannot remove heat sink, uncliped clamp, pulled hard on heat sink, won't come off.
=All I know is that it is a 386 / 80486, from what it polled on screen during boot up, and there is an 'Intel Inside' logo sticker on the front of it, not sure if it has been changed, but the sticker is there.
Chipset=Cirrus Logic
Motherboard=No name, copyright any other markings of any kind, only bar code, 0 562181K 00 448$ 072870 *BA2161*
ISA Slots=Network ISA Card(T-base/Serial Base/Ethernet); Parallel port ISA Card
Memory=Two 72-pin modules, 16MB total
No sound card (motherboard speaker is all), integrated video, two serial, two ps/2 ports on back. The case was marked as bing built in 1993, as was the BIOS chip; power supply.
Motherboard is full size AT, with daughter board attached for ISA slots. In the box, it came with 550MB HDD, tape drive, floppy disk drive, two ISA card previously mentioned, memory, proc, motherboard, powersupply, et cetera.
I also saw that something was 66Mhz, not sure as if this applied to the FSB, proc, or what, screen was not displaying first 5 or so columns of pixels, I have swapped screens since then, but installed RH as well, and that doesn't display any more.
My experience with *nix operating systems is pretty in depth, I have been using slackware/freeBSD for the last few years, have modified, compiled; installed kernels, written software (C++), et cetera. Still use windows as primary desktop OS, but have linux as firewall, router; server.
Keyboard error did not work, I believe that there is a jumper setting to get into the BIOS, or that the board is configured through jumpers.
As for what forum this thread belongs in, I really don't care, if someone wants to move it or what not, go ahead.
Any chance this is an Olivetti computer ? Maybe something like a M4 484 ?
Seems they did some wacky things with bios, setup, etc. If it is maybe one of these links will help.
Olivetti Information Communications Systems
http://www.driverguide.com/boards/olivetti/188.html
http://www.driverguide.com/boards/olivetti/90.html
From above reading. the setup to enter the bios may have been on the hard drive if it is an Olivetti. If it is, maybe you could reformat to a system disk, copy the setup program from the top link ( if you can determine the correct model number )
THANK YOU.
I was doing soft reboots when I was trying to get into BIOS, it only checks the memory status on a hard boot.
God, space bar.
Thank you sooo much, very much.
Okay, so now I can fix the boot options and all else, but the BIOS does not support CD-Rom drives, or network booting, would installing via floppy be the quickest/easiest way? Even a small distrobution it seems like it going to take some time, and quite a few floppies. So how would you suggest for me to get RH, or any descent distro onto this?
as long as you can boot to the floppy, make a boot disk ( image should be on disk one )
The bios does not have to support a CD drive for it to work ( IDE ) it just won't be able to boot to it, that is what the floppy boot disk is for ... just like installing win 98 in the old days, only a better OS !