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PS/2 Model 70 - Force boot?

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f1lm

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Dunno if this is the right place to be posting this question, but I was wondering if I could get some help with this.

I just rescued a PS/2 Model 70 from being sent to a recycler, still turns on and the inside is pretty pristine! It's running a 386DX-16 with co-pro as well as 3 MB of RAM and probably a 60 MB disk.

One problem, the thing gives me 162 and 163 errors on boot (CMOS battery is dead) and I really don't want to wait for a new battery to ship. It won't continue booting, and I was wondering if there was a way to force it to boot past this stage. Any help would be appreciated!
 
That's not a dead battery. 161 is a dead battery.

Here's what you're getting:
162
System options not set; CMOS checksum/configuration error
163
Time and Date not set; clock not updating
So it might be something else.
 
What you need is the IBM Maintenance/Reference Diskette for the Model 70 to set the system options. It can be found here...

http://www.walshcomptech.com/ohlandl/8570/8570.html

Batteries can be found at Radio Shack or I even found mine (though this was 5 years ago) at Wal-Mart in the camera section.

I used to have a Model 70, they are little tanks. Mine was found in the woods under a tree with a burn-mark on the back. My friend and I repainted it to cover the damage. It worked complete with rolly poleys running all over the motherboard (save for the hard disk) right out of the woods. It later was re-housed in a shell from a dead 50-Z with the 50-Z's old hard disk and floppy as a second floppy installed and had OS/2 2.1 with Win OS/2 installed.
 
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f1lm said:
Thanks for the help, guys, ran the auto-configuration program and it boots to DOS 6.22 without a hitch.

It doesn't like the 5250 emulation card in it, though, gives me a 165 and refuses to go on. Any ideas for sorting that out? I can't seem to find anything on it.

EDIT: This seems to be the "description file" the reference disk mentions, but I still have no idea how to actually use this during setup.
Click to expand...

I had an IBM PS/2 Model 30 286 that would do something close to that with a Diamond TeleCommander 2300 modem/soundcard combo installed in it, it would give me a 165 as long as the card was in there, but it would actually go forward and boot IIRC. I think it has to do with how the PS/2 series handles additional components, and in your case, because it's a MicroChannel card and not a normal ISA card, there is probably some sort of "lockout" in the BIOS that keeps it from booting if the card is not registered with the BIOS.

I recall reading somewhere a long time ago (probably the long defunct PS/2 webpages) that the IBM PS/2 computers take stock of ALL of the hardware in the BIOS/CMOS, and not just the usual (drives attached, devices attached, CPU and ALU settings, System Memory, Boot options). That is what I believe causes this error, and if the CMOS has been cleared by a dead battery, then likely the case is that the system options have to be set for that particular card (ie, it's IBM/Approved reference Diskette has to be run for tha tparticular piece of hardware). My Diamond Modem/SoundCard combo did not have a reference disk as it was not a supported piece of hardware, but somewhere there might be the files for yours as it is a MicroChannel bus card and that makes it strictly a PS/2 thing.

I always liked the idea of how PS/2 - MicroChannel handles hardware. It's always been described to me by a few techs from the day in hindsight as something like Plug and PLay to me, but far more difficult to have problems with as it is based in hardware/firmware, not software.
 
After spending a little time on Google it appears to [most likely] be a CLI 5250e adapter, but I can't find the ADF file (@614E.adf) for it.

If I just pull it out (which allows it to boot) it'll leave a gaping hole in the back, which I'd like to avoid. Is there any way to disable individual MCA slots or slot checks?
 
f1lm said:
After spending a little time on Google it appears to [most likely] be a CLI 5250e adapter, but I can't find the ADF file (@614E.adf) for it.

If I just pull it out (which allows it to boot) it'll leave a gaping hole in the back, which I'd like to avoid. Is there any way to disable individual MCA slots or slot checks?
Click to expand...

Now that you mention it, I think there is some way to bypass the 165 error code, I think I had to do this with my IBM PS/2 Model 30 to get the Diamond TEleCommander to work. But it was years ago. I also recall the Model 70 having an option.
 
Mad-Mike said:
Now that you mention it, I think there is some way to bypass the 165 error code, I think I had to do this with my IBM PS/2 Model 30 to get the Diamond TEleCommander to work. But it was years ago. I also recall the Model 70 having an option.
Click to expand...

I can't seem to find anything on bypassing diagnostic codes, I'll keep looking, though.
 
Might I be able to make something of a null ADF file for the card until the actual file is found? One that basically tells the BIOS it's there but doesn't assign any resources to it whatsoever?

Excuse the double post.

EDIT: Would something as simple as this at least allow it to recognize the card and boot?

Code: 
AdapterID 0614Eh

AdapterName  "CLI 5250e Adapter"

NumBytes 1
 
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I dunno about a null ADF File. I've not had much luck in figuring out those PS/2 Reference/Maintenance diskettes and how they work, a shame, one for the Model 70 I had had a tutorial with some pretty funny screenshots I wanted to use as Avatars (particularly the creepy PS/2 with the tie and a face for a screen).

It could just be to change the setting for "Halt on All errors" in the BIOS, but I"m not 100% sure, it's been about 7 years since I last worked on an IBM PS/2 machine.
 
"Fake" ADF file worked and the system boots perfectly!

Thanks for the help, guys!
 
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