Microport Unix SVR3.2 boot problem

[Steve Cirian]

Dear Netters,

I recently purchased Microport's Unix System V Release 3.2.2., and tried to
install it last night, but ran into a major snag.  At one point, the
directions said to reboot the machine by pressing <ctl><alt><del>, which I did,
and then the machine rebooted.  And rebooted.  And rebooted.  You get the
picture.  I tried booting off of the install floppy again, but it just kept
rebooting also.  What happens when the machine is powered on is:

1)  The BIOS performs the memory check (640K base, 3072 extended), and passes.
2)  The floppy drive (which is empty) is accessed for a few seconds.
3)  The hard drive is briefly accessed, and then the system checks the floppy
    drive again.  I do not get the "Booting Microport SVR3.2" message.
4)  After this, the screen goes blank, and the memory check is performed again.
5)  This process just repeats again and again.
6)  The same thing happens if the install floppy (which is bootable) is in
    the floppy drive with the door closed.

After trying all sorts of things, such as reformatting the disk (lowlevel with
a DOS utility), booting from a DOS floppy, doing an fdisk and partitioning for
DOS and doing a highlevel format to making it bootable for DOS, and disabling
the hard drive in CMOS, I found a partial solution after I gave it up for the
night.  I rebooted from the UNIX install floppy the next morning, and it came 
right up.  The installation procedure hung at the reboot phase again, so I just 
shut it off for about 10 minutes.  It booted right up after I turned it back on,
and I was able to complete the install.  I tried rebooting, but the machine just
locks up.  If I power it off for about 10 minutes, it will boot every time.  

I am able to boot from a DOS floppy (or the hard drive, when I had it
reformatted for DOS) immediately, no problem.  The machine was running DOS
for over a year, with no problems whatsoever.

While the system is running, it runs beautifully (I have had it on for over 
5 hours straight, no problems).  It looks like it will be a great system when I 
get this problem figured out.   When I try to reboot, I must leave it off for
10 minutes.

I ran all of the hardware diagnostic programs that came with the PC, and Norton,
and checked the CMOS setup.  Everything checked out OK.  I opened up the case, 
and verified all of the dip switches, cable connections, and reseated all the
cards.  The processor is pretty hot to the touch (is this normal for a 386/20?).

The configuration:       Micronics 386/20 (baby size)
                         4MB 80ns RAM
                         Seagate ST138-1 30MB MFM hard drive
                         Western Digital DW1006-VMM2 HD controller
                         Teac 1.2MB floppy
                         NEC Multisync 2A SVGA monitor
                         Paradise VGA+16 video adaptor 
                         Microport Unix SVR3.2

My speculation is this:  Something is overheating (the processor, the hard drive
                         controller?).  After it cools off, the system is OK.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,


Steve Cirian
cirian at einstein.eds.com

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