Error after system install, "unable to operate hard disk or diskette drive"

[mopar_guy]

Hello all.  This is my first post on this forum.  I haven't had an OS/2 system for several years and I wanted to get a PC up and running with OS/2 4.0.  Actually, I wanted to start up the last OS/2 system that I built, but I found out that my wife had given it away a couple of years ago.

I have spent some time getting parts together and assembling a computer.  Today I finally thought that I had all of the pieces in place and I started to install Warp 4.0.
It has been over 15 years since I have installed OS/2 and I don't have any of the documentation or even the installation book. 

Here is the problem:  I am installing on a SCSI hard drive.  I made a modified copy of "Diskette 1" with the driver for the Adaptec 29160 SCSI adapter.  Everything went OK through the installation until the final stage of installation and the screen showed the SCSI adapter as an Adaptec 2940 and the install program wouldn't let me select the correct adapter.  It just told me to update after install was complete.  So I shut down to start up the system for the first time and I get an error message:

"OS/2 is unable to operate your hard disk or diskette drive.  The system is stopped.  Correct the preceding error and restart the system."

That's a great idea, but the system won't let me even get to a command prompt to try and find out what is happening.  Any ideas for recovery options?

Thanks in advance,
Dave

[Roderick Klein]

Hello all.  This is my first post on this forum.  I haven't had an OS/2 system for several years and I wanted to get a PC up and running with OS/2 4.0.  Actually, I wanted to start up the last OS/2 system that I built, but I found out that my wife had given it away a couple of years ago.

I have spent some time getting parts together and assembling a computer.  Today I finally thought that I had all of the pieces in place and I started to install Warp 4.0.
It has been over 15 years since I have installed OS/2 and I don't have any of the documentation or even the installation book. 

Here is the problem:  I am installing on a SCSI hard drive.  I made a modified copy of "Diskette 1" with the driver for the Adaptec 29160 SCSI adapter.  Everything went OK through the installation until the final stage of installation and the screen showed the SCSI adapter as an Adaptec 2940 and the install program wouldn't let me select the correct adapter.  It just told me to update after install was complete.  So I shut down to start up the system for the first time and I get an error message:

"OS/2 is unable to operate your hard disk or diskette drive.  The system is stopped.  Correct the preceding error and restart the system."

That's a great idea, but the system won't let me even get to a command prompt to try and find out what is happening.  Any ideas for recovery options?

Thanks in advance,
Dave

You kind of I think have given yourself the answer as to why it went wrong (I think). The install program did not allow you to select the right SCSI controller. You reboot and then OS/2 can not operate the hard disc.  That realy what it means...

You can boot from diskette again and in the text mode installer is an option to go to a command line so you can open the config.sys with tedit.exe
and add that line to the config.sys
basedev=??.add (proper driver name). Make certain its copied to \os2\boot already.

Then you should be ready to go!

[ivan]

Did you put COPYFROMFLOPPY=1 at the end of the config.sys on the second diskette?  This ensures that the necessary drivers are copied from the diskettes to the hard drive.

edit:  This is taken from the readme.os2 of WSeB.

To add a new device driver to the installation diskettes:

1.  If your device driver requires a BASEDEV= statement in the
    CONFIG.SYS file, add your device driver to Diskette 1.
    Otherwise, the device driver uses a DEVICE= statement, and
    is copied to Diskette 2.

2.  Modify the CONFIG.SYS file on Diskette 1 as follows:

    a.  Make sure the following statement exists in the CONFIG.SYS
        file:

            SET SAVECONNECT=1

    b.  Add the following statement to ensure the device driver is
        copied throughout the installation process:

            SET COPYFROMFLOPPY=1

    c.  Add the appropriate statements to the CONFIG.SYS file:

            BASEDEV=driver_name <parameters>
            DEVICE=driver_name <parameters>