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2002-10-18
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{backimage bg.iff}
{center}
{subhead}Boot Errors{def}{p}
Article by Mark Tierno
{left}
{pp}
We've all seen the colors flash by on the screen when our Amis start
up, and most know that a yellow screen means a software error, but for
the rest you may be a bit fuzzy. For such a case is this article.
Just print this out and save it somewhere for when your computer is
havcing trouble and you really need this info you naturally won't be
able to access it because it could be on the very same bad computer.
{pp}
First off is a quick summary of the initialization rorutines that the
Amiga goes through. A quick list of the system test start-up
activities is as follows...
{pp}
{fixed}
1. Clear all chips of old data
2. Disable DMA and interrupts during the test.
3. Clear the screen.
4. Check the hardware ....checks to see if 68000 is functioning.
5. Change screen color.
6. Do a checksum test on all ROMS.
7. Change screen color.
8. Beginning of system startup.
9. Check RAM at $C0000,and move SYSBASE there
10. Test All CHIP RAM.
11. Change screen color.
12. Check that software is coming in ok.
13. Change screen color.
14. Setup CHIP RAM to receive data.
15. Link the libraries
16. Check for additional memory and link it
17. Turn the DMA and interrupts back on.
18. Start a default task.
19. Check for 68010,68020, and or 68881.
20. Check to see if thee is an exception ...processor error
21. system reset.
{def}
{pp}
During all this is when we get any flashing colors as a result of some
of these tests. It's when the screen holds on one of these colors that
you know something is really wrong. Yellow isn't so bad and occurs
with bad software, but red or blue spell major problems.
{pp}
{fixed}
COLOR MEANING
____________________
Dark gray Ok Hardware
Light gray Ok Software
Red Bad ROM Checksum
Green Bad RAM
Blue Bad Custom Chips
Yellow Exception; found an error before the error trapping software (GURU) was running.
{def}
{pp}
Don't panic even if you do get a bad color; it could be remedied by
something as simple as a loose connector to the motherboard.
{pp}
The keyboard processor has it's own self-checks as well, signaling any
erros with that dreaded series of blinking caps-lock light. The
keyboard start-up is as follows:
{pp}
{fixed}
1. Performs checksum on ROM's
2. Checks 64 bytes of RAM.
3. The timer is tested.
4. Performs handshake with computer and gives results of selftest.
{def}
{pp}
If the keyboard doesn't pass a test then it's error signal will be the
caps-lock light flashing in one of the foloowing sequences...
{pp}
One Blink: Keyboard ROM check failed.{p}
Two Blinks: Keyboard RAM checked failed.{p}
Three Blinks: Watch dog timer failed{p}
Four Blinks: A short between two row lines or special control keys.
{pp}
A note on these codes based on some unfortunate recent experience. If
the cable leading from the keyboard or the connector from it to the
computer is bad then that cou;ld trigger any of the above blinking
codes at erretic intervals. This doesn't say anything one way or the
other about the keyboard itself but just about the part between
keyboard and computer. If your capslock light starts blinking after
you've jerked the cable or touched the connector with something then
that's a sign it could be a bad cable. If you, like me, have an
A4000T keyboard hooked into an A4000 then you have an additional
adaptor (the plug for the keyboard is different for a A4000T keyboard
versus a normal A4000 one) hooked from keyboard connector to the back
of the computer- another possible source of your trouble.
{pp}