Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!execu!sequoia!balkan!wrangler!bill
From: bill@wrangler.WLK.COM (Bill Kennedy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ncr
Subject: Installation wierdness
Keywords: no tty
Message-ID: <682@wrangler.WLK.COM>
Date: 28 Apr 91 18:29:27 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: W.L. Kennedy Jr. & Associates, Pipe Creek, TX
Lines: 31

This one is absolutely bizarre, hopefully there's something very simple
to get around it.

The default partitioning on wrangler (32/400, Vr3) didn't suit me so I
ran a complete backup so that I could re-install (repartition really).
Everything proceeded normally until I got to the prompt asking me for a
root device name.  The only device it found (and the only one it should
have) was sda1 for the first multibus SCSI.  What is crazy is that I
could not type in sda1.  There was nothing from the keyboard or to the
screen from that point on.  I have been using the Televideo 955 console
ever since forever, but back in the haze I remember Towers being fussy
about their console (for no good reason since Vr3) so I grabbed an old
ADDS Viewpoint, reset and navigated my way to the same place, same result.

The only thing that I have done with the install tape since the initial
installation is turn the write-protect to the protected (from me) position
and put it in a safe place.  I did retension it before I started the
re-install attempt and the console (9600bps 7, even, 1) worked just fine
up to the point of failure and works just fine now.  I tried a ^Q in case
something might have stopped up the terminal, so I must ASSume that
something has gone crazy with the install tape.  Has anyone else heard of
or seen anything like this?  Is there any way around it?  All I really want
to do is repartition, I guess it's obvious (since I'm posting from it) that
other than what I've described, the system is working OK.  I got the same
behavior twice each with two different terminals, each of which works OK
for anything else.  I was also able to enter the tape device name and the
other keyboard commands to get to the point of failure.  I'm absolutely
stumped...
-- 
Bill Kennedy  uucp      {att,cs.utexas.edu,pyramid!daver}!ssbn.wlk.com!bill
              internet    bill@ssbn.WLK.COM   or ssbn!bill@attmail.COM