Jon Elson wrote: > Rafael Skodlar wrote: >> computers DO NOT SEE drives because of the partition. BIOS code knows >> nothing about the partitions when it makes PC send low level commands to >> hard drive: reset, read disk configuration (heads, cyl, sec/track), >> seek, read raw sectors, transfer that data to memory, etc. >> >> > Not completely true. Many BIOS's attempt to read the partition table > and the boot sector from the boot partition during the self-test, and
BIOS reads boot sector not necessarily partitions independently http://www.moses.uklinux.net/patches/lki-1.html There are extensions checking for virus in some cases but that is very limited. That's technically not BIOS itself. In any case, it's possible to turn virus checking off as that's ineffective anyway. Some servers, IBM in particular, use longer time to go through POST but the whole discussion is moot until we learn what the motherboard/BIOS make is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Megatrends for example "Actual system behavior differs based on BIOS version, system hardware and Linux distribution." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boot_sector "On IBM PC compatible machines, the BIOS is ignorant of the distinction between VBRs and MBRs, and of partitioning. The firmware simply loads and runs the first sector of the storage device. If the device is a floppy or USB flash drive, that will be a VBR. If the device is a hard disk, that will be an MBR." > will hang there for a long time if they can't find it. I guess it is a > stupid timeout waiting for the drive to come on line. 10 seconds would > be reasonable, but many BIOS wait for 5 - 20 minutes in this condition. > I usually just wait it out, but if I am going to be powering off and on > a few times before loading software, then I will format the first > partition so I only have to experience the long wait the very first time. > My patience is shorter than 5 minutes to bootup from something. Paying customers do not like to see you stare into PC and wait 20 minutes either. > When you let the long timeout finally run out, you get a message "no > boot sector found" or similar unless there is a bootable floppy or CD > enabled in the BIOS boot list ahead of the hard drive and in the drive. > Jon Additional info http://orgs.man.ac.uk/documentation/grub/grub_23.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Technologies When troubleshooting bootup problems one needs to listen to the system for beeps, floppy, hard drive, and CD drive noise, watch any messages on the screen and take advantage of some BIOS to troubleshoot the system. -- Rafael ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stay on top of everything new and different, both inside and around Java (TM) technology - register by April 22, and save $200 on the JavaOne (SM) conference, June 2-5, 2009, San Francisco. 300 plus technical and hands-on sessions. Register today. Use priority code J9JMT32. http://p.sf.net/sfu/p _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
