Proliant 1600 CDROM issues

I'm converting a 1600 into a desktop machine for a mate. He's had the
1600 for ages as a server but now needs to use it as a desktop machine
for doing general purpose stuff. I've loaded it with the latest version
of Ubuntu 6.10, which looks very nice, but now I've come to an issue
with the addition of a DVD burner he's bought for it.


I SmartStarted the machine with its original CD-ROM drive, and installed
Ubuntu. Everything worked fine. I swapped the CDROM for the DVD, then
when I rebooted, the error message came up from the BIOS that the
configuration had changed, and the "F1 or F10" prompt came up. The
system runs fine if you F1 it, but of course you don't want anything to
come up so it makes sense to run System Config from SmartStart and
update the system.

Problem is, SmartStart won't run from the DVD when you boot the machine
- says it's an invalid system disk. No matter what I tried (tried
different disks in it), I couldn't get it to boot into SmartStart using
the DVD drive.

So I put the original CDROM back in, set that as master, changed the DVD
to slave, and rebooted with SmartStart in the CDROM. Ran System Config
utility and saved settings. When I rebooted the machine, nothing happens
- no BIOS messages, no POST, no activity of any kind, nada.

The only way to start the machine is to set SW6 to on to wipe the NVRAM,
and then pull out and reinsert the power lead, whereupon we're back in
the same boat: it wants me to run System Config from SmartStart.

Aaaaargggh.

I don't care if we just have the DVD in there or both the CDROM and the
DVD, all I want to do is be able to have the machine with a DVD drive in
it and not whinge about config changes.

Any ideas?





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Dean Malandris wrote:
Aaaaargggh.

I don't care if we just have the DVD in there or both the CDROM and the
DVD, all I want to do is be able to have the machine with a DVD drive in
it and not whinge about config changes.

Any ideas?

I can't think of anything that you haven't tried....but I can tell you
that I have a 1600 set up as a workstation. The machine has a standard
CD drive (master) and a DVD Burner (slave). The only difference is that
I am running XP Pro, but that has nothing to do with the issue you are
experiencing. Everything works perfectly on my system, and it worked
perfectly from the very start. I just thought I would speak up to let
you know that what you are attempting is ABSOLUTELY possible...I have
seen it work.

Warning: By turning your server into a workstation, you may incur the
wrath of LC.

Jeffrey Alsip

Hey, don't look at ME. I run a rack full of Proliant servers, all
running Gentoo builds made from a Stage 1 tarball. The blood and sweat
stains are still on the front panels. It's my *friend's* desire to use
it as an alternative to his Win98 desk machine, not mine. HE's the one
that wants to be able to burn DVDs, not me.

Mind you, this is now a challenge. No idea WHY the stupid thing refuses
to boot up with both drives in it unless I open up SW6, and he's not
computer-literate enough to deal with a setup where you have to hit F1
all the time to boot it.


Jeffrey Alsip wrote:


Warning: By turning your server into a workstation, you may incur the
wrath of LC.

Jeffrey Alsip



--
Plexus Technologies Pty. Limited.
Hardware & Software Design.
Phone: +61 (0)2 9758 2770
Mobile: +61 (0)411 470 880
UK Phone: +44 (0)701 4212 935
Skype: deanmalandris
web: http://plexustechnologies.net

"Dean Malandris" wrote in message
...
Hey, don't look at ME. I run a rack full of Proliant servers, all
running Gentoo builds made from a Stage 1 tarball. The blood and sweat
stains are still on the front panels. It's my *friend's* desire to use
it as an alternative to his Win98 desk machine, not mine. HE's the one
that wants to be able to burn DVDs, not me.

Mind you, this is now a challenge. No idea WHY the stupid thing refuses
to boot up with both drives in it unless I open up SW6, and he's not
computer-literate enough to deal with a setup where you have to hit F1
all the time to boot it.


Jeffrey Alsip wrote:


Warning: By turning your server into a workstation, you may incur the
wrath of LC.

Jeffrey Alsip

Groan ....

Well, did you make sure that the system has the latest SystemROM ? What
version of SmartStart did you use to setup the system with? You should be
using 5.50, if that isnt what you are using already.

As an alternative, you might consider using a USB 2.0 card and configuring
the system to use an Externally connected DVD drive. This will certainly
give your *friend* the ability to burn DVD's from within his OS. Also, I
would highly recommend that he NOT run 98 on that box. I assume it has 2
processors which dictates that an SMP compliant OS be used. Also, run an OS
that is supported by the Proliant Support Pack (PSP). I believe the most
modern OS you can run on a 1600 is Windows 2000, but with some creative
shoe-horning of drivers, you can get it to run 2003.

- LC

Nut Cracker wrote:
e sure that the system has the latest SystemROM ? What
version of SmartStart did you use to setup the system with? You should be
using 5.50, if that isnt what you are using already.

Yes, it's running the latest ROM and of course SmartStart 5.5 is the disk.



As an alternative, you might consider using a USB 2.0 card and configuring
the system to use an Externally connected DVD drive. This will certainly
give your *friend* the ability to burn DVD's from within his OS.

Nope, he's already bought the internal drive, and it'd be asking too
much of him both financially and tech-I-don't-know-how-to drive (pardon
the pun) an external DVD drive.



Also, I
would highly recommend that he NOT run 98 on that box. I assume it has 2
processors which dictates that an SMP compliant OS be used. Also, run an OS
that is supported by the Proliant Support Pack (PSP). I believe the most
modern OS you can run on a 1600 is Windows 2000, but with some creative
shoe-horning of drivers, you can get it to run 2003.

Nope, no M$ stuff on this machine. I'm building this for him as he needs
a PC and it has to be done on the cheap. The cost of the DVD drive alone
was twice what the 1600 cost. All he needs to do is surf the net and
type the odd document, which OpenOffice will do admirably.

I've installed Ubuntu 6.10 on it for him, and it runs quite nicely, SMP
kicking in by default with the two 400MHz CPUs. If I installed an M$
operating system on it, I don't know if the processors would have enough
capacity to deal with the overheating virus-protection software

BWAHAHAHHAHHAaaaaaaaaaaa.

Oops. Did *I* say that? Outside voice.


--
Plexus Technologies Pty. Limited.
Hardware & Software Design.
Phone: +61 (0)2 9758 2770
Mobile: +61 (0)411 470 880
UK Phone: +44 (0)701 4212 935
Skype: deanmalandris
web: http://plexustechnologies.net