OS/2 Warp 3 Connect CD Install / Boot Disk Update Help

[Marc Galloway]

I'm ready to try and install OS/2 Warp v3 Connect (Blue spline) CD-ROM on my Tandy/GRiD 325sc. The systems boots using the 2 provided floppy disks but when it asks for the CD and I press enter nothing happens. It appears that the CD-ROM is not initialized, it won't even let me eject the CD. Once I boot back into DOS and the CD-ROM drivers are loaded I have no issue. In searching around it seems there is mention to update the floppy disks with newer ATAPI drivers and driver for larger HD support. The question I have is what and where are the drivers and do I just copy them to the floppy? I'm assuming I would need to edit some file to define the new drivers. Is there any guide for this?

[Martin Iturbide]

Hi Marc

There are some updated diskettes images available online.

Maybe I can suggest to start with this one and see if there is any progress with the CD-ROM
"OS2_W3B-D1CD_2000-03-19.zip"

It comes with loaddskf.exe so you can generate the diskette. It uses 3.5 diskettes, right?

Regards

[Marc Galloway]

Hi Martin,

Yes, 3.5" diskettes. I'll download and give it a try. Thanks!

[Marc Galloway]

So here is something interesting. When using the disk from the above download I get a red screen with CD-rom error (pics 1 and 2). If I use the original disks I don't get the CD-ROM error but can't proceed with the install (pictures 3, 4, 5 and 6).

[Dave Yeo]

How is your CDrom connected? IDE, SCSI, connected to a sound card?
If connected with IDE, double check the master/slave jumpers HD needs to be master. If you have to IDE ports, put the HD on the first one and the CDRom on the 2nd with both set to master.
Sometimes Cable Select will work too.

[Marc Galloway]

Motherboard disk controllers are disabled and all drives are connected to a 16-BIT EIDE controller. The HD (CF card) is attached on the primary IDE interface and set as master, the CD-ROM is connected to the second IDE interface but I believe its set as secondary.

[Dave Yeo]

Perhaps try setting it to master or leave it as a slave and try adding it to the first port.
It's been a long time but I seem to remember Warp V3 being particular abut this stuff, and the CDRom blue box Warp V3 should install fine from CD.
You could also try installing with the MB's controller and once installed and drivers updated, move back to the eide controller.

[Marc Galloway]

So I was able to get the install going using the original disks and floppy's that came with Warp Connect. When setting the CD-ROM to primary on the second IDE interface the computer would not recognize the drive. After trying multiple combinations the one that worked was this:

-Moved Compact Flash (C drive) to the secondary IDE interface and set as master
-Moved CD-ROM to primary IDE interface and set as master
-Verified motherboard IDE interfaces were disabled in the BIOS
-Booted from OS/2 Warp Connect install floppy and install proceeded

I think I got lucky with the IDE card being smart enough during the bus scan to figure out the order of devices and let me boot in this odd configuration.

I'm waiting on a new compact flash card to be delivered so my next question is what is the largest primary partition I can use with the stock OS/2 Warp Connect FDISK?

[Dave Yeo]

I'm waiting on a new compact flash card to be delivered so my next question is what is the largest primary partition I can use with the stock OS/2 Warp Connect FDISK?

The limitation is the hard drive size that your version of ibm1s506.add supports, probably 4.3 GB. It is easy to update to a newer ibms1506.add or maybe better with your EIDE card, DaniS506.add, in which case the limit is likely 64 GB, the largest partition that HPFS supports (actually more stable at about 60GB). Other things might need updating to boot from that partition, it's been a long time.

[Marc Galloway]

Great! thank you Dave and Martin. First hurdle is clear. Now trying to get network and sound going. If I can't figure it out I'll start another thread.

[ivan]

Hi Marc, 
Why are you trying to follow the windows way with everything on the boot partition?  Doing it that way means that if you ever want to update the operating system to Warp 4 you lose all your installed programs.

When I upgraded from OS/2 2.10 to Warp 3 in 1994 I kept the boot partition to 2 GB and made 2 other partitions on the hard disk (1 for utilities and the other for programs).  That setup has stayed through Warp 3 Connect, Warp 4 and now ArcaOS, although from Warp 4 the number of partitions grew to 10 spread over 3 hard disks.  I have programs from Warp 3 that still work and are used  when necessary.  I work on the principle of not putting all my eggs in one basket.

[Marc Galloway]

Hi Ivan,

I never even considered separating out the OS partition from a application partition. What your saying makes a lot of sense and if it works well I think I will give it a try. I can't think of a reason not to try it.

[Dave Yeo]

Hi Marc, also don't forget that you can install OS/2 to an extended partition.
My usual back then was a small primary for bootmanager, C: for DOS/Win9x, D: for cdrom, E: for OS/2 and F: for programs with E: and F: being extended partitions.

[Martin Iturbide]

Hi Marc.

Just some question:
1) Are you using a Compact Flash to IDE adapter as Hard drive? Can you share the model and possible a picture?
2) Is the CD-ROM drive a regular IDE drive
3) Both are connected to your SIIG Fast EIDE Controller as you told, right?

Regards

[Marc Galloway]

Hi Martin,

I reconfigured how the CF card and the CD-ROM are attached to the SIIG EIDE controller.

Hardware:
Compact Flash to IDE Adapter - SD-CF-IDE-BR
SIIG FAST EIDE CONTROLLER- CN2419
Mitsumi CD-ROM - CRMC-FX4824T

Setup:
1) Disabled secondary IDE interface
2) Set CF IDE adapter to master
3) Set CD-ROM to slave
4) Connected both to to the primary IDE interface on the SIIG controller

OS/2 installed without issue and boots without any issue using this configuration