Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!usc!csun!csuna!abcscnge
From: abcscnge@csuna.csun.edu (Scott "The Pseudo-Hacker" Neugroschl)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Packard Bell 286
Message-ID: <2032@csuna.csun.edu>
Date: 3 Jun 89 15:48:18 GMT
References: <1387@xn.LL.MIT.EDU> <18718@cup.portal.com> <43939203.190fc@gtephx.UUCP>
Reply-To: abcscnge@csuna.csun.edu (Scott Neugroschl)
Organization: CSU Northridge
Lines: 41

In article <43939203.190fc@gtephx.UUCP> ellisond@gtephx.UUCP (Dell Ellison) writes:
]In article <18718@cup.portal.com>, rwp@cup.portal.com (Roger William Preisendefer) writes:
]> My new Packard Bell '286 machine is showing an odd flaw.  After it has been
]> off for a while (t > 6 hours) it will refuse to boot from the hard drive.
]> It will boot perfectly from floppy, and has no trouble accessing the
]> hard disk.  If on for more than 1 minute, it can be rebooted from the
]> HD without difficulty.
]
]Actually, I have been having the same problem with my Packard Bell computer (not
]a 286).  It came with a 30 meg. hard disk drive.  I hadn't linked it to the
]greater-than-six-hours thing, but now that you mention it, that's what it 
]seems like, I think.  I was just going to call Packard Bell and insist that
]they replace it, but that might not fix the problem if other people are
]having that same problem.  Have you heard any more about it?
]


My parents have a similar problem with their XT clone (no name -- I can't find
ANY mfgr markings!).  Anyways, on cold boot (power up after several hours),
it won't boot from the HD.  Sometimes it'll hang, other times it'll give a
1701 error (The true-blue IBM manuals say "call your dealer").  If you
either ctrl-alt-del or power cycle, it then works normally.


Also, given a no-name, how would you look for a identifying mark in the BIOS?

At boot, this machine displays:

COMPUTER XT (C) 1985      (or something like that -- no names)

The only identifying mark I can find in the BIOS is the string "DNA" (talk
about "clones"!!!).  Norton finds the Western Digital HD BIOS at C800.

Suggestions of where to look will help!  


-- 
Scott "The Pseudo-Hacker" Neugroschl
UUCP:  ...!sm.unisys.com!csun!csuna.csun.edu!abcscnge
-- Beat me, Whip me, make me code in Ada
-- Disclaimers?  We don't need no stinking disclaimers!!!