XLR8 Machspeed and XPostFacto not loading to OS X |
August, 20, 2003 12:42 AM |
rationalanimal |
I am at the end of my rope here. The hardware: Power Computing Power Center 120 -Upgraded with a XLR8 Machspeed G3 333MHz Processor / 192MB RAM (2x64MB, 2x32MB) / SCSI ID 0 Seagate 2.14 GB Drive apple HFS+ formatted, no OS / SCSI ID 1 Quantum Fireball 1.19GB with OS 9.1(my normal boot drive) / 1 Internal Apple CD ROM / One external CDR attached to built in SCSI port The software: OS 10.1 installer CD / XPostFacto The problem: After launching XPostFacto the process goes as far as several seconds of Copying Extensions etc, Reboot to apple os x logo, then several screens with messages like load_kernal_extensions() can't get dependencies for kernal extensions 'com.macsales.iokit.applecurio4k78' load_kernal_extensions() can't get dependencies for kernal extensions 'oldworld.support.PatcchedIOSCSIdrive' finally a couple of screens of lines like 7+1 records in 7+1 records out 203962 bytes transfered in 3 secs (679897 bytes/sec) untill the computer stops doing anything with the last line being 24+1 records in 24+1 records out 6431760 bytes transfered in 10 secs (643176 bytes/sec) At this point the CD indicator light lights up solid for a minute or so then goes out with no further activity. Solutions I have tried (without sucess) -pressing the power switch after the cd light goes off reboots into the whole process again and ends with the same last line of text. -I have removed all PCI cards except the Voodoo 3. Using the onboard VRAM allows me to start the XPostFacto process, but on reboot I get a black screen and no activity. -I have removed each set of RAM with no change in how far the instalation goes. -I have reinstalled the old 120 processor and level2 cache then reset the cuda, however the computer wouldn't boot at all. Reinstalled the G3 and again reset cuda. -I have done a minimal install of OS 9.0.4 on the 2GB drive where OS X is going (misplaced my os 9.1 cd) along with the drivers for xlr8, then removed the old 1GB 9.1 drive thinking there may be some conflict there. No change in results. -I removed the SCSI CDR in case that was in conflict. -and lastly I paid my $10 bucks for access to a tech forum that has no search feature *cough*. So after going through 12 pages of unrelated problems I bring this new post to you all. Any insights? |
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XLR8 Machspeed and XPostFacto not loading to OS X |
August, 24, 2003 7:55 AM |
jseibyl |
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Well it might be, but you can still make this drive work. If 9.2 is seeing your drive, then you can do the twice boot shuffle with it and hope for the best. 80 pin drives are newer than these machines, and they are faster than the system scsi bus transfer. so the issue appears to be in the timing of how the drive talks to the mobo, etc. When you set the drive ID, that also sets the hierchy for when it is told to spin up. If that drive is indeed spinning up, before I went to Ebay, I would mess with the throttle settings for XPF. This does some things with the timing in how devices are initialised aat boot. Some people swear that none is best, some say 5. In my case, the throttle seems to work best at 10, so there it stays. Just remember you may have to warm boot it a couple of times at the first run. I thought I would hose my machine when I had to warm boot twice even before I saw a jag screen, the machine lived and jag DID install... Ideally, you should have three dives in your setup, one for X, one for 9.1, and one for 9.2.2. 9.1 is just in case ANYTHING goes wrong, Lately, I have pondered dumping 9.1 from my 9500 all-together, but I tend to be on the paranoid side, so it remains. 9.2 is my hacked install(os9helper) and actually is one of those 80 pin drives you mention, it is on an adaptec scsi card and boots very well from there. I have not had 100% pure unadulrterated scsi love from the 80 pin drives, but they can work. With regard to your drive, I looked around the seagate site for a variant of that drive with the 80 pin connector, not much luck. That drive might by an OEM for a server of some type. There should be jumpers there somewhere. On the bottom of the drive, they might be the really small ones in the middle of the drive circut board. The adapter should also have the larger jumper block pins on it somewhere which you can set the ID's on. |
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RE: XLR8 Machspeed and XPostFacto not loading to O |
August, 23, 2003 10:42 PM |
rationalanimal |
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Hmmm, the native drive is just a 1.19 Gig so no OS X install there. So its not an obvious jumper setting change then? The next step would probably be to find a 50 pin scsi drive on ebay or clearance somewhere. |
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XLR8 Machspeed and XPostFacto not loading to OS X |
August, 23, 2003 2:40 PM |
jseibyl |
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AH HA....adapter on the drive! That is an 80 pin LVD scsi drive with an adapter, that has the power plugging into the adapter right? Jumpers are set from the adaper. That is not a native drive to your machine, but don't worry, at least we are getting somewhere. Okay, my solution to this was to use another drive that DOES NOT have that 80 pin to 50 pin connsctor. I moved the drive w/ the adapter to a storage drive, and used a 50 pin native seagate on the mobo for my X install, I just set it to ID 2 and let the original drive terminate. I still got that cycle hang, at which point I set my throttle to 10 in XPF, and when it did it again, I just warm booted and it went away, and I was looking at my jag screen install. This happened on the first Install of jag. Everything went okay from there....Once the OS was in, it took about two weeks of "twice booting" every day when I started the machine to settle down, but after that, the problem slowly went away. Not sure why, but I am glad it did.... |
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RE: XLR8 Machspeed and XPostFacto not loading to O |
August, 22, 2003 10:49 PM |
rationalanimal |
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Mobo huh? Ah, so much to learn..... Well I unplugged the fans so I could actually hear, and remembered there is an indicator light on the drive that the mac housing doesn't allow me to see when in place, so maneuvered the drive so I could watch and listen on the next attempt. The indicator lights on the drive were very active from the moment I started XPF until the first reboot. Then the lights lit only very briefly over the next 2 minutes or so of the install until the hang-up. Now, just as you suggested, I hear a click, click, 10 sec. pause, click, click. Tomorrow evenings project is playing with the jumpers. Its a funky drive. The drive type is clearly labeled as a ST32550W and the Mac identifies it as such, but it doesn't much resemble the diagram provided at Seagate. Mine has some sort of adapter to fit the ribbon, but even without the adapter, most of the jumpers are in the wrong places and some are missing entirely. The link to the diagram is: http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/scsi/st32550w.html My drive has the power / scsi connector / J5 (for setting the scsi id) / J4 (sets scsi id bit among others) / and J2 (disable scsi parity, write protect, etc.) I bought it from OWC some years ago. I have a feeling you have me on the right track. Let me know if you have any further suggestions and I will post more when I have results. Thanks again. |
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XLR8 Machspeed and XPostFacto not loading to OS X |
August, 21, 2003 10:44 AM |
jseibyl |
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devfs_make_node: not ready for devices This tells me that we are beginning to narow it down. You have tested the ram as marcush suggested and it is all the same timing cycle faster 60 ns, that is good, and unless I am mistaken, (which can happen ;-)) we can rule that out as a possible issue. I think that the overnight thing rules out the slowness factor..... That leaves the above error. It is saying that the machine is waiting for the commands to start talking to the drive, but something screwy is preventing that from happening..... either the drive is not sending back to the mobo, or the mobo is not sending to the drive. If the drive is not responding, you can hear it spin through the same cycle over and over (it will sound like normal stuff ~10 sec, a few seconds rest, then about 10 sec of the same noise.) This is a scsi issue for the drive and can be easily corrected by futzing with the jumpers....this one took me a while to figure out when I first started this FrankenMac project.... If you are not hearing that cycle over and over, then it has to do with the mobo, and I caution in saying this...PRAM. either way, post when you can on the repitive cycle of the drive, I am hoping that is what it is......... |
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RE: XLR8 Machspeed and XPostFacto not loading to O |
August, 21, 2003 9:43 AM |
rationalanimal |
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Thanks for the suggestions! On Marcush's RAM thought, I tried Gauge Pro to test and identify the RAM. I wasn't sure if it would recognise a nested 70ns DIMM, so I tried them one at a time. All are 60ns and test ok. Jseibyl, just to be sure, I did a low level format and driver update using Apple's Drive Setup on the drive I am trying to load with OS X. I don't know if the OS 9.1 drive was formatted with Apple drivers, however just to take it out of the mix, I pulled the power to it. So now I am only dealing with the Seagate 2.14 GB Drive apple HFS+ formatted. I reinstalled OS 9.0.4 to the drive, installed the drivers for the XLR8 card, leaving 1.6GB for a minimal OS X install. Same problems as encountered before. I have disconnected the external CD ROM and am only trying to load from the internal CD drive. In answer to your question of how long did it hang, I gave it overnight this time. I then restarted using the OS 9.1 drive, trashed the OS9.0.4 on the OS X receiving drive, and copied the essentials of OS 9.1, XLR8, and XPostFacto over to the OS X receiving drive. Again same hang point. Should I be concerned abouth the can't get dependencies for kernal extensions messages I see at the beginning? Another bit of text I see 4 times durring install is devfs_make_node: not ready for devices! As for termination, I admit I dont know alot on this subject. The drives jumpers are definately set to make the drive SCSI ID 0. As for reinstalling the XPF extensions, I have checked this off, and identified the OS X receiving drive, however I can't tell that it installed anything. For example, If I look at the date modified, there are no new changes (presumably the extensions installed) to be seen. Thanks for the prompt reresponses, both of you! |
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RE: XLR8 Machspeed and XPostFacto not loading to O |
August, 20, 2003 1:06 PM |
marcush |
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Another thing to consider is your RAM. Is it all rated at 60ns or is some of it older 70ns RAM. OSX is extremely sensitive to RAM timing issues. I don't think 70ns RAM will ever work reliably. You can download the Newer Technology RAM utility Gauge Pro from OWC's tech center to determine what speed your RAM is rated it. Also, if your RAM is mixed between 70ns and 60ns parts that will cause problems as well. |
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XLR8 Machspeed and XPostFacto not loading to OS X |
August, 20, 2003 12:33 PM |
jseibyl |
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Couple of other questions.... Are your drive set with proper termination?? Are they formatted with native apple drivers or third party utility, and are they set with proper termination? What brand of drives are they? Some IBM Ultrastars require you to "disable unit attention" along with setting them to auto spin. I don't think there is an issue here if data is being transferred to the the target drive, but it helps to ask. |
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XLR8 Machspeed and XPostFacto not loading to OS X |
August, 20, 2003 12:22 PM |
jseibyl |
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okay, need to know a couple of things, are you booting the x disk from the internal CD, or the external, sounds like internal but just want to make sure. How long have you let the drive just sit there after the depndency errors, I ask because with the the slower g3 proc, could take a while ~10 minutes. X needs 256 minimum RAM, I don't know if others have done it with less, but I never tried to see if this is actually true or not. Have you tried reinstalling the XPF extensions to the target drive from your OS 9.1 disk?? Are you trying to run XPF from that 9.04 instal with only one disk in the machine, or have you formated the target disk and are attempting the install with both drives in??? Just as an FYI L1 cache is indeed fixed, if your proc is working, then there should be no need to clock down the speed or L2 cache. Last question, are the xlr8 extensions loaded on your target drive?? Let's start with those and maybe a solution will show itself..... |
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RE: XLR8 Machspeed and XPostFacto not loading to O |
August, 20, 2003 1:16 AM |
rationalanimal |
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2 more thing I tried: Changing the swithches on the processor slowing it to 120MHz and lowering the backside cache to its minimum of 110HMz as well. No help from either attempt. I can't see any way of changing th Level 1 Cache from the xlr8 control pannel. It appears fixed at 32KB data, 32KB Instruction (what ever that means) The whole installation leaves about 20mb worth of System and Personal files before stopping. |
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