Main Menu
Running SP from Floppy Drive Running from the refdisk is the easiest way to run System Programs. However, it takes quite a bit longer to load the programs into memory off a floppy. Starting SP from the Hard
Drive
Is Autoconfig Right For You?
CP Codes Sent to LPT1
Menu Maneuvers
Start operating system Exits from system programs and loads the operating system. You can use this if you are having minor problems with your setup. Example- You want to try a different complex type, but don’t want to go through the drag of restoring the system partition and wiping the drive in the process... Backup/Restore system partition Backup the System Diskettes Makes a backup copy of the reference and diagnostics diskettes off of the refdisk and diags disk. Obviously, you need the reference AND diagnostics diskette... Backup the System Partition Copies the information in the system partition onto two 1.44MB floppies. It will create a reference and a diags disk. Restore the system partition Installs the system programs and other critical startup files from diskette to the system partition. Note: This does NOT wipe out the system partition. Old files that are not on the refdisk and diags disk will remain. This sometimes leads to bizarre problems that defy logic. The most trouble free method when creating or restoring a system partition is to LLF the drive, then restoring the system partition. Some people claim they can restore a system partition without destroying the other data on the drive. I personally don’t share their optimism. Spooky sez
System partitions created for Type 1
through Type 3 systems
are invisible to the OS (some special cases prove the
rule). Type 4 systems
use a “convenience” partition which IS visible to
FDISK.
Update system programs Copies a new version of the system programs to the system partition Set Configuration View configuration Displays current configuration. Display only, no changes possible. Change configuration
Lets you change
configuration information. Only information enclosed in
brackets ([....])
can be changed.
Backup configuration Copies configuration information from NVRAM to the hard drive. Restore configuration Retrieves configuration information from hard drive or diskette (if you booted with them) to NVRAM. Run automatic configuration Restores the settings of the installed options to their default values. If you have manually set configuration settings, write them down before running Autoconfig. You can then change the settings back to your manual configuration if you experience problems with the autoconfig settings. Set and view SCSI device configuration Only information in brackets ([....]) can be changed. SCSI configuration
verification
If, during POST, the SCSI configuration has changed
(devices not present
or not operational), you can either have the system
respond to the changed
SCSI information, or ignore it Enable / Disable (NOTE:
Possibly flash BIOS systems only)
Presence error reporting (Enabled/Disabled) If device is not present or not powered on, Disabled keeps system from running autoconfigure. Use with external devices (scanners, etc). If you are having problems with a system which has been stripped or reassembled, check this! Not present (Keep/remove) Use Keep for external devices which may be powered off separate or removed. Example- a scanner. This can be a problem IF you had a device marked “Keep” that is now removed. Example- a CD Rom drive was marked as “Keep” and you change the ID. The setup program will still maintain that there is a CD Rom at the old address, PLUS a new CD Rom at the new ID. Cool, huh? If you are having problems with a system which has been stripped or reassembled, check this! Display Memory Map Displays memory addresses assigned to adapters. It does NOT show upper memory useage by drivers! Operational Error reporting
If devices
are not present or not operational, you can either have
the system respond
to the changed SCSI information, or ignore it Enable /
Disable (NOTE
Possibly flash BIOS systems only)
Set Features Set date and time Date (MM-DD-YYYY) Time (HH:MM:SS 24Hr!) Set password and unattended
start mode
Set keyboard speed Speed that a character repeats when a key is held down. Normal / Fast Set console Display and keyboard or Display only Set startup sequence Select the sequence of drives that the computer will read from when you turn it on. For more detail. go to Select Drive . Note: If you remove
the floppy drive
from this list, there is a "safety" feature. The system
will still boot
with a reference disk regardless if the floppy drive is
on the startup
list or not. A normal boot disk will not work.
Example: Default Startup
Sequence
Set power-on features
Type 4 or
flash systems only!
Set ignore error log System will not report errors upon startup Enable / Disable NOTE: Only systems that support error logs will have this option. Set fast startup mode
Does a quick
check during POST, instead of the full POST routine.
Enable / Disable NOTE:
Flash BIOS systems only.
Copy an options diskette The CORRECT way to copy a new ADF to the hard drive or to the refisk. Have the new(er) ADF plus any *.IDP, *.ADP or *.DGS (IBM adapters only) files on a floppy. Run Copy an options diskette, follow the prompts. From personal experience, just copying an adf to the refdisk will FAIL every time. If you will be adding a different adapter, I suggest you copy the options diskette FIRST, so the new ADF is already on the refdisk/sysem partition. Otherwise, you will screw around with “ADF not found” then still having to copy the option disk anyways... Test the computer Not my preferred way of running diagnostics. Use Ctrl-A to run Advanced Diagnostics. Advanced diags lets you test one component at a time, while Test the computer does ALL the damn tests. Non stop. Advanced Diagnostics Doing a Ctrl-A from the main menu will bring up the advanced diagnostics. Run System
checkout
Device Test
List This shows
after you choose Run Tests
Once
Format the
hard drive This will LLF the SCSI drive
you select.
When you choose the drive and select save or erase grown defect list, the LLF program asks you twice if you want to continue. Read the message box- the first time you answer "Y", the second time it asks you if you want to stop, answer "N". NOTE:
The system will
refuse to format a drive with an active partition IF you
booted from the
convenience (aka system) partition.. To remove existing
system partitions,
boot with a refdisk..
More utilities Display revision levels Shows BIOS levels, refdisk and diags levels, planar and complex ID. Stand alone utility information As useful as something on a boar. Set and view system
identification
Display system error log Shows you up to four stored errors. You can delete errors from this screen NOTE: Only on systems that support error logs! Set character font Choose from #1, which is a "linedraw" font, sans serif, or #2 which is a serif font. NOTE: Flash BIOS systems only??? |