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Altos 586/986 Xenix install disks, or Images
- Thread starter rcamarda
- Start date
cchhrriiss11
Experienced Member
Hi,
I'm pretty sure I've got these... a year or two ago, I received a pallet of Altos software and documentation and haven't had a chance to fully inventory it (let alone archive it) yet.
I'll poke through it sometime during the week and see if I've got anything that can help you.
As for the Altos 586, these can be found on the Internet currently - I restored my Altos 586 and had no problem finding the original XENIX installation media. Some of the Altos 586 installation media can be found here:
You'll also find the diagnostics disks handy as well.
Regards,
Chris
I'm pretty sure I've got these... a year or two ago, I received a pallet of Altos software and documentation and haven't had a chance to fully inventory it (let alone archive it) yet.
I'll poke through it sometime during the week and see if I've got anything that can help you.
As for the Altos 586, these can be found on the Internet currently - I restored my Altos 586 and had no problem finding the original XENIX installation media. Some of the Altos 586 installation media can be found here:
You'll also find the diagnostics disks handy as well.
Regards,
Chris
Hi Chris,
I did try the Xenix disks on Dave's site, but they don't work. It seems like they are looking for Xenix on the Hard drive, and then hang. I need to do a fresh install. The diagnostic and the M/PM disks work fine from his site.
If you find anything. Let me know. I appreciate it!
Rich
cchhrriiss11
Experienced Member
Hi Rich,
How are you writing your disks? If I recall correctly, the drive in a 586/986 is a Quad-Density drive and the images are also Quad-density... you need to write them with the appropriate configuration in IMD or change the spindle speed on a High-Density 5.25" drive to 300RPM (vs 360RPM). I had quite a bit of trouble at the beginning but was eventually able to write a number of floppies for my machine (XENIX, Diagnostics, Software, etc).
-Chris
Hi Chris,
I am actually using a Floppy emulator, and just load the IMD files on it. This works well, but I have had no luck with the Xenix disks. It seems to read the images ok, then starts the process of loading Xenix, and then hangs after I believe it tries to find Xenix on the hard drive. I have a newly formatted Hard Drive, so I need a fresh install. The MP/M images load fine on the Hard Drive, and all works ok, but I would like to find Xenix I can install.
Thanks!
Rich
aplmak
Experienced Member
Rich I know this thread is a year old.. and I've been chatting with Chris (who is awesome btw). I wanted to let you know my experience with the 586.
I have a regular 586 and have absolutely no issues booting from the floppies or hard drive.. Any version 3 (3.0, 3.1, but no 3.2) and SDX or ADX utilities. So that system is fine. I could boot off floppies all day.
BUT on my 586T I cannot boot from ANY version of 3.0/3.1 or the ADX,SDX utilities. I've had some other posts on here where I was getting the **FAULT** issue when booting off ADX or SDX. I've spent a lot of time on this trying to figure out why this system will not boot Xenix floppies or the Utilities. I just want you to know your not going crazy and the system is probably fine.
So I get the same thing on the 586T where it appears to be loading and then just stops. I've tried v3.0, 3.1 and the utility disks. So I copied the main boards ROMS from the 586 as well as ones I have as bin files and that did not make a difference. On my regular 586 it uses Monitor 1.3 and that's the one I have no issues with so I figured maybe there was some sort of ROM lockout. I also double checked and compared all the jumpers in the machine. BTW on E11 you need to jump that if it is a 64K ROM and f it is a 32K the jumper needs to be removed. On my 586T it is running Monitor 2.1. So I did the ROM swap of all three on the main board, the hi, and lo and, the other one. With those ROMS it would pass powerup tests then just stop dead. So that didn't work.
I've also even tried swapping the HDD from the 586 in the 586T, nope does not work.
I'm not sure what is going on. I thought perhaps there was some sort of security Altos did so the machine could not be booted off Xenix. I thought maybe you had to hold the CTRL down or a function key or the break key. Nope didn't work. So I'm still dead in the water on the 586T with loading Xenix.. I do have the OS running on the 586T's original hard drive which is v3.0e. But I cannot update it or run any utilities at all. Someone knows the answer to this question out there..
I'd be curious to know if your machine had Monitor 2.1 as well. I think I even tried Monitor 2.2
Hope this is helpful.
I have a regular 586 and have absolutely no issues booting from the floppies or hard drive.. Any version 3 (3.0, 3.1, but no 3.2) and SDX or ADX utilities. So that system is fine. I could boot off floppies all day.
BUT on my 586T I cannot boot from ANY version of 3.0/3.1 or the ADX,SDX utilities. I've had some other posts on here where I was getting the **FAULT** issue when booting off ADX or SDX. I've spent a lot of time on this trying to figure out why this system will not boot Xenix floppies or the Utilities. I just want you to know your not going crazy and the system is probably fine.
So I get the same thing on the 586T where it appears to be loading and then just stops. I've tried v3.0, 3.1 and the utility disks. So I copied the main boards ROMS from the 586 as well as ones I have as bin files and that did not make a difference. On my regular 586 it uses Monitor 1.3 and that's the one I have no issues with so I figured maybe there was some sort of ROM lockout. I also double checked and compared all the jumpers in the machine. BTW on E11 you need to jump that if it is a 64K ROM and f it is a 32K the jumper needs to be removed. On my 586T it is running Monitor 2.1. So I did the ROM swap of all three on the main board, the hi, and lo and, the other one. With those ROMS it would pass powerup tests then just stop dead. So that didn't work.
I've also even tried swapping the HDD from the 586 in the 586T, nope does not work.
I'm not sure what is going on. I thought perhaps there was some sort of security Altos did so the machine could not be booted off Xenix. I thought maybe you had to hold the CTRL down or a function key or the break key. Nope didn't work. So I'm still dead in the water on the 586T with loading Xenix.. I do have the OS running on the 586T's original hard drive which is v3.0e. But I cannot update it or run any utilities at all. Someone knows the answer to this question out there..
I'd be curious to know if your machine had Monitor 2.1 as well. I think I even tried Monitor 2.2
Hope this is helpful.
aplmak
Experienced Member
Rich I know this thread is a year old.. and I've been chatting with Chris (who is awesome btw). I wanted to let you know my experience with the 586.
I have a regular 586 and have absolutely no issues booting from the floppies or hard drive.. Any version 3 (3.0, 3.1, but no 3.2) and SDX or ADX utilities. So that system is fine. I could boot off floppies all day.
BUT on my 586T I cannot boot from ANY version of 3.0/3.1 or the ADX,SDX utilities. I've had some other posts on here where I was getting the **FAULT** issue when booting off ADX or SDX. I've spent a lot of time on this trying to figure out why this system will not boot Xenix floppies or the Utilities. I just want you to know your not going crazy and the system is probably fine.
So I get the same thing on the 586T where it appears to be loading and then just stops. I've tried v3.0, 3.1 and the utility disks. So I copied the main boards ROMS from the 586 as well as ones I have as bin files and that did not make a difference. On my regular 586 it uses Monitor 1.3 and that's the one I have no issues with so I figured maybe there was some sort of ROM lockout. I also double checked and compared all the jumpers in the machine. BTW on E11 you need to jump that if it is a 64K ROM and f it is a 32K the jumper needs to be removed. On my 586T it is running Monitor 2.1. So I did the ROM swap of all three on the main board, the hi, and lo and, the other one. With those ROMS it would pass powerup tests then just stop dead. So that didn't work.
I've also even tried swapping the HDD from the 586 in the 586T, nope does not work.
I'm not sure what is going on. I thought perhaps there was some sort of security Altos did so the machine could not be booted off Xenix. I thought maybe you had to hold the CTRL down or a function key or the break key. Nope didn't work. So I'm still dead in the water on the 586T with loading Xenix.. I do have the OS running on the 586T's original hard drive which is v3.0e. But I cannot update it or run any utilities at all. Someone knows the answer to this question out there..
I'd be curious to know if your machine had Monitor 2.1 as well. I think I even tried Monitor 2.2
Hope this is helpful.
Oh and BTW I had the same issue on TWO 586T's with the same ROMS.. so it's not the motherboard or controller card..
aplmak
Experienced Member
I'm thinking it's got to be something in the ROM.... I might just keep trying versions to see if I can get one to work. Because both the hard disk (a new blank properly formatted image) and floppies (different ones of root and utilities) begin the boot process but just halt.... I mean what else could it be?