Alpha Microprocessors Motherboard Windows NT 3.51 and 4.0 Installation Guide Order Number: EC–QLUAH–TE Revision/Update Information: This is a revised document. It supersedes the Alpha Microprocessors Motherboard Windows NT 3.51 and 4.0 Installation Guide, EC–QLUAG–TE. Software: Microsoft Windows NT Workstation and Windows NT Server Digital Equipment Corporation Maynard, Massachusetts http://www.digital.
October 1997 While DIGITAL believes the information included in this publication is correct as of the date of publication, it is subject to change without notice. © Digital Equipment Corporation 1997. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. AlphaPC, DIGITAL, DIGITAL Semiconductor, DIGITAL UNIX, and the DIGITAL logo are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. DIGITAL Semiconductor is a Digital Equipment Corporation business. CompuServe is a registered trademark of CompuServe, Inc.
Contents Preface .................................................................................................................................v 1. Requirements ................................................................................................................1 1.1 Hardware............................................................................................................1 1.2 Software....................................................................................................
3.7.2 Starting Windows NT Setup................................................................. 28 4. Troubleshooting .......................................................................................................... 29 4.1 Beep Codes....................................................................................................... 31 4.2 Post Codes........................................................................................................ 33 4.3 Fail-Safe Booter ...................
Preface This document describes how to install the Microsoft Windows NT Workstation and Microsoft Windows NT Server operating systems on the following Alpha microprocessor motherboards: • AlphaPC 164SX Motherboard (AlphaPC 164SX) • AlphaPC 164LX Motherboard (AlphaPC 164LX) • AlphaPC 164 Motherboard (AlphaPC 164) • Alpha 21164 Evaluation Board (EB164) • AlphaPC 64 Evaluation Board (AlphaPC 64) • Alpha 21066A Evaluation Board (EB66+) • Alpha 21064 and Alpha 21064A PCI Evaluation Board (EB64+) •
Document Conventions and Terms In this document, the term motherboard refers to the AlphaPC 164SX Motherboard, the AlphaPC 164LX Motherboard, the AlphaPC 164 Motherboard, the EB164 Evaluation Board, the AlphaPC 64 Evaluation Board, the EB66+ Evaluation Board, the EB64+ Evaluation Board, and the EB66 Evaluation Board, unless otherwise noted. The following conventions are used in this document: Convention Description boldface type Boldface type in text indicates a command or menu selection.
Related Documentation Documentation referenced in this document, such as the Alpha Motherboards Software Developer’s Kit and Firmware Update Read Me First and platformspecific README files can be found on the Alpha SDK and firmware update compact disc. See Section 5 for information about ordering related documentation.
1. Requirements This section describes the hardware, software, and firmware requirements to install and boot Windows NT on Alpha microprocessor motherboard systems. 1.1 Hardware You need the following hardware to run Windows NT on Alpha motherboard systems: • A supported video adapter and monitor • A 166MB (or larger) hard drive Note: For information about IDE/ATA hard drives, ATAPI CD–ROM drives, and support for QLogic ISP 1020 SCSI host adapters, see the platform-specific READNT.
1.2 Software You need different software to install Windows NT on an Alpha motherboard system running AlphaBIOS firmware than on an Alpha motherboard system running Windows NT ARC firmware. AlphaPC 164SX and AlphaPC 164LX You need the following software to install Windows NT on the AlphaPC 164SX and the AlphaPC 164LX. Software Vendor Microsoft Windows NT compact disc Microsoft Corporation AlphaBIOS Firmware diskette Digital Equipment Corporation Windows NT 4.
2. AlphaBIOS The AlphaPC 164SX and the AlphaPC 164LX motherboards ship with AlphaBIOS firmware and online documentation that describes how to configure the firmware for Windows NT. This firmware initializes the system and enables you to install and boot the Windows NT operating system. The AlphaBIOS firmware resides in the flash ROM on the motherboard. 2.1 AlphaBIOS Conventions AlphaBIOS uses the following keys and key combinations for navigating the interface and selecting items.
Two levels of keyboard help are available: • Press F1 once to display explanations of the keystrokes available for the currently displayed part of AlphaBIOS. • Press F1 twice to display explanations of the keystrokes available for navigating throughout AlphaBIOS. 2.2 Starting the AlphaBIOS Setup Program When you power up or reset your system, the boot screen with the system logo is displayed.
2.3 Upgrading AlphaBIOS As new versions of Windows NT are released, it might be necessary to upgrade AlphaBIOS to the latest version. Additionally, as improvements are made to AlphaBIOS, it might be desirable to upgrade to take advantage of new features. To upgrade from an earlier version of AlphaBIOS: 1. Insert the diskette or CD–ROM containing the AlphaBIOS upgrade. 2. Run the AlphaBIOS Setup program by restarting your system and pressing F2 when the boot screen is displayed. 3.
To enter standard CMOS Setup: 1. Start AlphaBIOS Setup. 2. Select CMOS Setup. 3. Press Enter. To enter advanced CMOS Setup: 1. Start AlphaBIOS Setup. 2. Select CMOS Setup. 3. Press Enter. 4. In the CMOS Setup screen, press F6. 2.4.1 Setting Up Your Hard Disk Express hard-disk setup is an easy way to create the recommended partition arrangement on your first hard disk, disk 0. Note, however, that express harddisk setup does not format the large partition with NTFS.
For information on manually managing hard disks, see the online documentation. 2.4.2 Displaying Your System Configuration You can use AlphaBIOS to display your system configuration in a clear, easy-toread format, organized by categories: system board, memory, hard disk, PCI, SCSI, and peripherals. To display your system configuration: 1. Start AlphaBIOS Setup. 2. Select Display System Configuration. 3. Press Enter. 4.
Figure 2 Display System Configuration 8 Windows NT Installation Guide
2.4.3 Running a Maintenance Program You can run maintenance programs such as RAID and other configuration utilities directly from the AlphaBIOS utility menu. To run a maintenance program: 1. Start AlphaBIOS Setup. 2. Select Utilities. 3. Select Run Maintenance Program from the submenu shown in Figure 3. 4. Press Enter.
5. In the Run Maintenance Program dialog box, type the name of the program to be run at the Program Name prompt, as shown in Figure 4. Then tab to the Location listbox and select the hard-disk partition, floppy diskette, or CD–ROM drive from which to run the program. 6. Press Enter to execute the program. Figure 4 Entering the Program Name If you are running a utility from a floppy diskette, you can simply type the utility’s name into the Program Name field, and press Enter.
2.5 Installing the Windows NT Operating System This section supplements the Microsoft Windows NT installation guide for installing the Windows NT operating system on an AlphaPC 164SX and the AlphaPC 164LX systems. If you have a previous version of Windows NT installed, see the Microsoft Windows NT installation guide for information about how to upgrade to a new version of the operating system. 2.5.
following procedure supersedes the Starting Setup on a RISC-Based Computer section of the Microsoft Windows NT installation guide. To start the Windows NT Setup program: 1. Insert the Windows NT compact disc in the CD–ROM drive. 2. Restart your computer. 3. Start AlphaBIOS Setup. 4. Select Install Windows NT. 5. Press Enter. 6. Follow the instructions on the screen. 3. Windows NT ARC Firmware This section describes how to use and update the Windows NT ARC firmware.
System Minimum Firmware Version AlphaPC 164 4.49-4 EB164 4.35 AlphaPC 64 3.5-10 EB66+ 3.5-10 EB64+ 3.5-4 (H1.6) EB66 3.5-4 (H1.7) Note: Firmware versions that are earlier than the minimum firmware versions shown in the previous table must be updated before the installation. 3.1 Firmware Conventions To select and choose different options in the Windows NT ARC firmware menus, use the following keys: Key Description Arrow The arrow keys are used to select different options.
3.3 Firmware Menus Structure Figure 5, which appears on the following page, shows the structure of the Windows NT ARC firmware menus. Note: The text of some of the options may differ, and some options may not always be available.
Boot menu: Boot Windows NT Boot an alternate operating system... Run a program... Supplementary menu... Supplementary menu: Install new firmware... Install Windows NT from CD-ROM Setup the system... Display hardware configuration Boot menu... Note: Arrows indicate flow between menu screens. This symbol... Setup menu: Set the time... Set default environment variables... Set default configuration... Set system language... Manage boot selection menu... Setup autoboot... Machine specific setup...
3.4 Firmware Menus Descriptions This section describes the Windows NT ARC firmware menus and the options on the menus. (See Figure 5.) 3.4.1 Boot Menu This section describes the Boot menu options. Boot menu . . . Boot Windows NT È Boots the default boot selection. The name of your default boot selection appears in place of the string “Windows NT.” Boot menu . . . Boot an alternate operating system . . . È Provides a menu of all boot selections; choose one to boot the system. Boot menu . . .
3.4.2 Supplementary Menu This section describes the Supplementary menu options. Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . . Install new firmware . . . È È Runs the firmware update program. Note: If you want to update firmware on an EB64+ or EB66 motherboard, see Section 3.5.2. Otherwise, you can update firmware using a CD–ROM or diskette. The firmware update utility is provided only on a compact disc; a diskette is not provided.
Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . . Setup the system . . . È È Takes you to the Setup menu. Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . . Display hardware configuration È È Displays your hardware configuration in three screens. The first screen displays information about your processor and memory, as well as the firmware version. The second screen displays the name of the firmware-supported devices that were detected. The third screen displays information about PCI devices found in your system.
Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . . Setup the system . . . Set default environment variables . . . È È È Allows you to set the default system partition. The system partition is the disk partition where the Windows NT osloader, PALcode, and HAL reside. Choosing this option removes all current boot selections. If you are unsure of the values for your system, use the following typical values: Media: SCSI bus number: SCSI ID: Partition: SCSI Hard Disk 0 0 1 Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . .
Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . . Setup the system . . . Set system language . . . È È È Allows you to specify the language that you want to use while interacting with the firmware. American English is the only language built into the firmware. If you want to use another language, ensure that your firmware language support disk is in your diskette drive before choosing this option. Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . . Setup the system . . . Manage boot selection menu . . .
Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . . Setup the system . . . Reset system to factory defaults . . . È È È Resets all options to the factory defaults. Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . . Setup the system . . . Help È È È Provides rudimentary help for the Setup menu. Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . . Setup the system . . . Supplementary menu, and do not save changes . . . È È È Returns you to the Supplementary menu, discarding any changes made from the Setup menu. Boot menu . . .
Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . . Setup the system . . . Manage boot selection menu . . . Add a boot selection . . . È È È È Allows you to manually add a new boot selection (usually you do not need to do this because installing Windows NT will automatically add a boot selection for the newly installed operating system). Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . . Setup the system . . . Manage boot selection menu . . . Change a boot selection . . . È È È È Allows you to modify a boot selection.
Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . . Setup the system . . . Manage boot selection menu . . . Dumps boot selections È È È È Displays all your boot selections. Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . . Setup the system . . . Manage boot selection menu . . . Rearrange boot selections . . . È È È È Allows you to rearrange your boot selections, changing which is the default boot selection. Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . . Setup the system . . . Manage boot selection menu . . .
Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . . Setup the system . . . Machine specific setup . . . Partition Disks . . . È È È È Starts the disk partition utility. See Section 3.6 for information about this utility. Boot menu . . . Supplementary menu . . . Setup the system . . . Machine specific setup . . . Setup menu . . . È È È È Returns you to the Setup menu. 3.5 Firmware Update Utility If you have an EB64+ or EB66 motherboard, see Section 3.5.2 for directions on how to update your firmware. 3.5.
3.5.2 Updating Firmware in a UVPROM If you do not have an EB64+ or EB66 motherboard, see Section 3.5.1 for directions on how to update your computer type’s firmware. The Windows NT ARC firmware is provided only on the compact disc; a UVPROM is not provided. To program your own UVPROM, see the Alpha Motherboards Software Developer’s Kit and Firmware Update Read Me First. Replacing the UVPROM To update the firmware on a motherboard after you have programmed your UVPROM, follow this procedure: 1.
Function Keys The following table lists the disk partition utility function keys and their functions: Key Description ↑ or ↓ Change selections in the active cell. ← or → Change the active cell. Esc Exits the disk partition utility. Keyboard commands Listed in the Keyboard Commands box. To perform a specific action on the current selection, type the key associated with the action. Help The disk partition utility provides context-sensitive on-screen help.
3.7 Installing the Windows NT Operating System This section supplements the Microsoft Windows NT installation guide for installing the Windows NT operating system on the AlphaPC 164, EB164, AlphaPC 64, EB66+, EB64+, and EB66. If you have a previous version of Windows NT installed, see the Microsoft Windows NT installation guide for information about how to upgrade to a new version of the operating system. 3.7.
3.7.2 Starting Windows NT Setup Windows NT Setup, located on the Microsoft Windows NT compact disc, installs Windows NT. Windows NT Setup provides a brief description of the available key functions at the bottom of the screen. During the Windows NT installation procedure, you may be prompted for your computer type. Use Table 1 or Table 2 to determine your computer type and to determine whether an installation diskette is required, based on the version of Windows NT.
To start the Windows NT Setup program, follow this procedure: 1. Insert the Microsoft Windows NT compact disc in the CD-ROM drive. 2. Restart your computer. 3. From the Boot menu, choose Supplementary menu . . . . 4. From the Supplementary menu, choose Install Windows NT from CD–ROM. 5. Follow the instructions on the screen. Note: If you have an Alpha Windows NT driver diskette for your video card, you can use the driver to install Windows NT. Follow this procedure: 1. Choose Custom Setup. 2.
Problem While booting Windows NT, you receive one of the following error messages: • The required system file DISPLAY_DRIVER.DLL is bad or missing. • The required system file DISPLAY_DRIVER.SYS is bad or missing. Solutions These error messages indicate video driver problems. Use the following table to solve common video driver problems. If the... Then... Driver becomes disabled Boot the Windows NT operating system with the last known good configuration.
4.1 Beep Codes Beep codes provide error information about the motherboard. The following table lists and describes the beep codes for the AlphaPC 164SX. Table 3 Beep Codes for AlphaPC 164SX Beep Code 1 1 Description 1–2–3 This sequence represents the fail-safe booter startup 4 No valid header found in ROM; loading entire ROM 5 No memory found 6 Checksum error detected when image was read back from memory One beep and a pause, followed by two beeps and a pause, followed by three beeps.
The following table lists and describes the beep codes for the AlphaPC 164. Table 5 Beep Codes for AlphaPC 164 Beep Code 1 1 Description 1–2–3 This sequence represents the fail-safe booter startup 4 No valid header found in ROM; loading entire ROM 5,6,7 Same meaning as AlphaPC 164 post code 3F fatal error subcodes One beep and a pause, followed by two beeps and a pause, followed by three beeps. The following table lists and describes the beep codes for the EB164.
4.2 Post Codes Post codes indicate the progress of the SROM and Windows NT firmware. The following table lists and describes the post codes for the AlphaPC 164SX.
Source AlphaBIOS Fail-safe booter Post Code (hex) Description 3F Fatal error.
The following table lists and describes the post codes for the AlphaPC 164LX.
Source AlphaBIOS Fail-safe booter Post Code (hex) Description 3F Fatal error.
The following table lists and describes the post codes for the AlphaPC 164.
Post Code (hex) Description 3A Jumping to SROM Mini-Debugger 3F Fatal error.
Post Code (hex) Description 96 Video or keyboard is missing or broken; using COM1 as console 97 Trying to initialize video subsystem and keyboard as graphic console 98 Serial ports have been initialized; firmware initialization is starting 99 The firmware is about to initialize the serial ports FD I/O bus initialization FC I/O initialization complete FB UART initialization BF Fail-safe booter is scanning diskette 0 Fail-safe booter is loading the firmware update utility The following tab
Post Code (hex) Description 08 Memory control register written 09 Memory bank 0 register written 0B DRAMs awakened 0C Memory sized and memory bank 0 written 0F Bcache turned on 13 All of memory rewritten (good data parity written) 14 Memory errors cleared; start reading system ROM 15 Loading ROM without SROM decompression 16 Loading ROM using SROM decompression 17 System ROM loaded to memory 18 Icache flush code written to memory 19 CPU errors cleared; jump to system code 3A Jumpi
The following table lists and describes the post codes for the AlphaPC 64.
Post Code (hex) Description 18 Icache flush code written to memory 19 CPU errors cleared The following table lists and describes the post codes for the EB66+.
The following table lists and describes the post codes for the EB66.
4.3 Fail-Safe Booter The fail-safe booter, currently available for use on the AlphaPC 164SX, the AlphaPC 164LX, and the AlphaPC 164 only, provides an emergency recovery mechanism when the primary firmware image contained in flash memory has been corrupted. When flash memory has been corrupted, such that no image is safely loaded from the flash, the fail-safe booter can be run to facilitate booting another image from a diskette that is capable of reprogramming the flash. 4.3.
4. Insert the system-specific AlphaBIOS Firmware diskette into the diskette drive 5. Go to Section 2.3 and follow the procedure for upgrading AlphaBIOS. AlphaPC 164 • If the primary firmware image is unavailable when the system is powered on or reset, the fail-safe booter runs automatically. When the fail-safe booter runs, the system emits a series of beeps through the speaker as beep code 1–2–3; this is, one beep and a pause, followed by two beeps and a pause, followed by three beeps.
5. Support, Products, and Documentation If you need technical support, a DIGITAL Semiconductor Product Catalog, or help deciding which documentation best meets your needs, visit the DIGITAL Semiconductor World Wide Web Internet site: http://www.digital.com/semiconductor You can also call the DIGITAL Semiconductor Information Line or the DIGITAL Semiconductor Customer Technology Center. Please use the following information lines for support.
5.1 DIGITAL Semiconductor Products To order Alpha microprocessors and motherboards, contact your local distributor. Note: The following products and order numbers might have been revised. For the latest versions, contact your local distributor.
5.2 DIGITAL Semiconductor Documentation The following table lists some of the available DIGITAL Semiconductor documentation.
Title Order Number DIGITAL Semiconductor AlphaPC 164 Motherboard Design Kit Read Me First EC–QPFZA–TE DIGITAL Semiconductor AlphaPC 164 Motherboard DIGITAL UNIX Product Brief EC–QZT6B–TE AlphaPC 164 Motherboard DIGITAL UNIX User’s Manual EC–QZT5B–TE DIGITAL Semiconductor Alpha Motherboards Software Developer’s Kit and Firmware Update V3.
5.3 Ordering Third-Party Software and Documentation To order Microsoft software and documentation, contact your local Microsoft sales office. The following products and documentation are available from Microsoft. Title Vendor Address Microsoft Windows NT Workstation Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052-6399 Microsoft Windows NT Server Windows NT Workstation Installation Guide Windows NT Server Installation Guide 5.
