Im converting a MDR To a HDR, but wanted to get it running as a MDR first,
so first off, when i got it, the screen just stays on the Loading screen for a few mins untill the error43 pops up.
so i made up some floppys with the build 408 OS and put the first one in and turned on,
still the same loading screen with no floppy drive working, after about 4 mins then the error 43.
so thinking it was the floppy drive i got another floppy drive........ still the same floppy wont boot
put new ram in ....................still the same floppy wont boot
put in a new processor..........still the same floppy wont boot
took all the cards out.............still the same floppy wont boot
re sat all the cables...............still the same floppy wont boot
tried my spare motherboard, ........still the same floppy wont boot
tried my spare power supply.................................still the same floppy wont boot
ok time for a bios disk.............still the same floppy wont boot
then i had a brain wave, i know the hard drive is tryiing to boot so i thought i could extract the software on to a spare hard drive put that in the media tray and bang.... but no the extraction only want to extract to the floppy A drive, when you try to put it on a hard drive you get an error.
so i took the whole thing to bits. drilled out a slot to mount a graphics card.
put it all back together added a graphics card, keyboard and mouse, turned on and screen came to life, but no floppy.
i changed the bios to the same as the HDR as could not find and printed bios settings for just the MDR
( update.. thay are the same bios settings),
rebooted and the floppy came to life
yyyyeeeeeehhhaaaarrrrrrr
so i put the first os disk in and rebooted, the LCD on the MDR goes to the loading screen and after 20 seconds or so i hear the floppy kick into life and seems to do its thing to about the right time, when it stops the LCD on the MDR just stays on the loading screen untill the error 43 again same as before.
The monitor just as the floppy disc stops tells me its all loaded, even tho i have not used the second disk, if i try and put the second disk in after the first has loaded its just dead, nothing floppy wont run the LCD just stays on the loading screen untill the error43 pops up, not even any of the press this button messages.
all the time the loading screen comes up i get no more lights on the mdr front and the screen does not change.
when i changed the file on the first disk to format on, again it just stays on the loading screen.
i have tried another set of new floppys. still the same.
so i used the bios disk now the floppy is booting and yep the i can see on the monitor the bios loads ok.
so reboot and checked the bios on the screed usind and still all good.
so booted again with OS disks in........and again it just stays on the loading screen
i have tried new hard drives.
(( update after the first os disk loaded or should have loaded, i turned off the MDR and checked the hard drive on my pc ( i have a thingy that lets me plug it in as a usb and loads fine) and there is nothing on it at all.
so looks like what the floppy is reading is not being wrtten to the hard drive unless the os is stored somewhere and then written later ??))
so now i am to the point of thinking its the firmware eprom.
so im tempted to try and swap the one from my HDR to try but dont want to take the chance of messing that up
so thats where im up to.......... i cant tell you how much fun im having........ sort of
im now looking at buying an eprom program/copyer, anyone know the best ones to go for ?? or can anyone do a copy of a hdr or mdr chip?
so i dont have to take the MDR sticker off the eprom, does anyone know what type of Eprom it is, its the 32pin one on the front board
any ideas anyone? other than a hammer! !
