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Xref: sserve comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips:29597 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:4412 comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc:27342 comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc:55562 Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc Path: sserve!euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!simtel!news.sprintlink.net!noc.netcom.net!ix.netcom.com!netcom.com!NewsWatcher!user From: shamrock@netcom.com (Lucky Green) Subject: Bizzare floppy boot problems Message-ID: <shamrock-1008952156440001@192.0.2.1> Sender: shamrock@netcom10.netcom.com Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest) X-Newsreader: Yet Another NewsWatcher 2.0b29 Date: Fri, 11 Aug 1995 05:56:43 GMT Lines: 27 My 486-DX2, AMI BIOS, Adaptec 1542 SCSI card, SCSI HD only, started to show the following problem: Won't boot from a newly created DOS boot floppy using soft reboot. Will boot from new boot floppy using hard reboot. Will boot from floppy with soft reboot if I didn't just created it. I.e. in subsequent reboots after a hard reboot. The boot sequence gets until the "484-DX2" prompt and just sits there. No complaint about it not being a system disk, just hangs. If I use a FreeBSD boot disk, the behaviour is even more bizzare: It will access the FD *and then go straight to booting from the HD*. No "non-system disk" message, just boots as if there wasn't even a floppy in a:! The boot order is correct, I switched control of the FDs from the SCSI adaptor to the multi I/O card, even removing the I/O card, same problem. I tried different boot disks. I set the most conservative BIOS setting I can think of. I am at the end of my rope. Could it be a defective BIOS? What should I do next? TIA, -- -- Lucky Green <mailto:shamrock@netcom.com> PGP encrypted mail preferred.