[cobalt-users] RE: cobalt-users digest, Vol 1 #5427 - 12 msgs

["Neil Stringer" <neil@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

All

I am posting these replies to various comments on my predicament
As warning to others and hoping that they may be helpful to
People like I with more daring and less common sense than may
Be good for them.  Well I class myself if this group anyway!

Eddy said:

> BIOSes are written for very specific hardware.  A K6-powered 
> RAQ3 or RAQ4 is very, very different from a PIII-powered 
> RAQ550. Different CPU, bridge chipset, IO controller, et cetera.
>
You don't say ?! :-) 
>
> Remember the reason the BIOS exists when fooling around with 
> it: Providing a standard interface for divergent hardware types.
> 
I knew it before and I know it more now.  I recall the first (and only) 
time I had a head crash and no backup... It still hurts 15 years later!
I've had head crashes and worse since.  NEVER without a backup. I have
learnt my lesson :-)
>
> Good luck.
>
Ta! 

Brian said:

> I have done multiple of these, never had a single problem ... 
> so, my question is to the people who have had problems.
> 
> When you did your upgrade, did you go to the 
> ftp-eng.cobalt.com and download the bios update?  
> or
> Did you try to use the one that came on the CD?
> 
> 
> The CD does have specific bios updates (RaQ3 => RaQ 550), 
> (RaQ4 => RaQ 550) ... I know that it may be a little late 
> now, but if anyone else tries ... use the BIOS that came with 
> the CD ... it works, and you should NOT turn your box into a 
> door stop.
> 
Brian, I used the one of the CD, but if you were to ask me exactly which
One, I can no longer say.  The choice seemed sensible at the time, but
So did doing this darn fool thing in the first place!

Brandon said:

> Another variable - someone posted here or elsewhere some 
> specific steps they had followed relative to the power down 
> process after the ROM flash was complete. Interested to know 
> if they simply shut down and rebooted, or did a 'boot from 
> ROM' after the power cycle as has been suggested here...
Brandon, I flashed the rom, the LCD display confirmed FLASH OK or
similar
And then went on to ask me to REBOOT NOW.  There was no response to any
Of the front panel buttons, so I hot the big red switch and my poor
Little Raq4i breathed it's last.
--
Regards and thanks for all your input, it may not help me, but could
Help others.
Neil