Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!watmath!att!dptg!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!dogie.macc.wisc.edu!uwvax!shorty!thurm From: thurm@shorty.CS.WISC.EDU (Matthew Thurmaier) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: No hard disk recognition---HELP!! Keywords: Xenix, hard disk, HELP, Fixed Disk Master Boot Record Message-ID: <8127@spool.cs.wisc.edu> Date: 9 Aug 89 06:26:31 GMT References: <451@ntcsd1.UUCP> <9101@thorin.cs.unc.edu> Sender: news@spool.cs.wisc.edu Reply-To: thurm@shorty.cs.wisc.edu (Matthew Thurmaier) Organization: The Computer Classroom - An SCO Authorized Training Center. Lines: 78 One of the things that we teach in SCO Authorized classes is how to recover from crashes like this. There are several things that you may want to try: 1.) If the hardware isn't being seen by anything, then your configuration is fouled. If I remember correctly, this is NOT your case though. 2.) If the system tries to boot off of the hard disk but can't find the magical boot program spoken of earlier by 9101@thorin.cs.unc.edu, then you can place your N1 floppy in the floppy drive and type "hd(40)/xenix" at the boot : prompt. This will boot from the floppy, but load xenix from the hard disk. if it can't find /xenix, try "/xenix.old" and "/usr/sys/conf/xenix-". 3.) If it boots, but can't find a xenix, then you can boot off of N1, and press the DELETE key when it asks you if you want to continue. Something that most people don't understand is that there is nothing really magic about the installation disk N1. You still have XENIX running, but you have a limited set of commands. Things like 'ls' aren't there, but who needs them when you have "echo *". 'cat' can be replaced with an appropriate 'dd' command. So... You now have a prompt of "". try the following: fsck -n /dev/rhd0root You may need to proceed the 'fsck' w/ a '/bin/' or '/etc/', it is late and I can't remember if you path is set up by then, and if not, where fsck is kept. Anyway, the '-n' says "DON'T MAKE ANY CHANGES". This will prevent fsck from clobering your potentially corrupt but salvagable system. If you are really gutsy, leave of the -n. But, don't say yes to any questions asking you if it's ok to clear an I-NODE of 400 or less. 400 is actually just a rule I came up with a long time ago. It works for me. If the system fsck's, then mount it with: mount /dev/hd0root /mnt Then copy over your xenix with: cp /xenix /mnt/xenix Then you may have to brand the /mnt/xenix with your serial number. Look up brand in either (C), (M), or (ADM). Again, all commands may need a "/etc" or "/bin" in front of them. At this point, you should have a kernel. 4.) If you boot block is bad on your disk, then you will have to either use 'dd' to put one there by hand (again, the /boot program is on your N1) or use the 'mkfs' command with a prototype file, which precludes you from getting any valuable data off of the root filesystem, since you just re-made it. A word to everyone about this lesson, make yourselves a bootable-rootable floppy disk with your already-serialized/branded kernel and all of your drivers (like cartridge tape [hint hint]) and devices (like /dev/rct0) and all of your favorite utilities (like vi and a truncated /etc/termcap) while you have a working system. You can do this with "mkdev fd". Good Luck. I will be in my office most of tomorrow and will be pleased to answer questions then. Matthew. Snail Mail: E Mail: Matthew J. Thurmaier ...!{allegra,harvard,seismo}!shorty!matt The Computer Classroom matt@shorty.wisc.edu 6701 Seybold Road, Ste. 122 Madison, WI 53719 (608) 271-2171 "why am I ALWAYS going somewhere?" >>-matt-->