Troubleshooting Startup Problems on RISC-based Computers

RISC-based computers generally have fewer problems at startup than x86-based computers. This is because they usually do not have problems with viruses destroying the Master Boot Record or the Partition Boot Sector. They also do not have problems with the disk configuration information in the computer not matching what the controller is using.

The startup problems common to RISC-based computers are:

• Missing or incorrect file(s). This problem is usually the result of a user deleting, moving, or renaming a file that is needed for startup. It is also possible that a device driver is not the correct version for the device.
• Incorrect firmware. Upgrading to a new version of Windows NT typically requires upgrading the firmware. The firmware upgrades are available through your RISC-based computer vendor.

On RISC-based computers, you can use the /sos switch to display the Kernel and device driver names while they are being loaded. Include this switch on the OSLOADOPTIONS variable in the firmware. See the section "Using the /sos Switch," presented earlier in this chapter, for a description of the output you see when using this switch. There is information about editing the firmware variables in the section titled "Manage Boot Selection Menu," within Chapter 19, "What Happens When You Start Your Computer," in the Windows NT Workstation Resource Guide.

Troubleshooting problems with RISC-based computers can be more difficult than troubleshooting problems with x86-based computers because there are few disk or hardware troubleshooting tools available outside of Windows NT. If you can startup Windows NT, which you might be able to do by using your Windows NT startup floppy disk, try using these utilities:

• The Windows NT Diagnostics in the Administrative Tools program group, which enables you to look at hardware information.
• The DiskProbe utility on the Windows NT Server Resource Kit CD, which is a low-level disk editor that enables you to examine and change individual disk sectors.

On RISC-based computers, there are no recovery tools such as those available when you dual-boot MS-DOS on x86-based computers. If your startup problem is because of a problem with information on the hard disk, you might have to remove the disk from the RISC-based computer and install it as a second disk on an x86-based computer to troubleshoot the problem. When you use this approach, you can use a low-level disk editor to examine the information on the disk in the same way you would troubleshoot a problem with a disk on an x86-based computer. Although these kinds of problems do not occur very often, you might have to use this approach after a power failure or system crash.

Note

On NTFS volumes, you need to use Windows NT-based utilities, such as DiskProbe, to examine information on the volume.