OK I am at my wits end and I need some help from the pimps here on PR... So anyway... I scored a motherboard from Rob at the shop while I was in Wisconsin and have been trying to fine info about it for the past couple weeks because I am having a problem loading an OS on it... The mobo is from a "Fortress 3000 Series Server" the motherboard is marked

M21B Main Board
98135-1
48 . 53B01 . 011

I will get a picture of it a lil later and post it.... Its a dual Slot-1 processor mobo.... it has onboard SCSI AGP ect.....

As I said it will post and all and seems to be fine but... When I try to load an OS it will hang... When I was trying to load 2000 Server it would go through the initial driver loading and then when it says "Starting Windows blah blah" at the bottom of the screen it will hang up.... it does this with IDE and SCSI drives... I am betting it requires some kind of diskettes to load the OS like most Servers (i.e. Compaq, HP, IBM).... so ... what I am "Hoping" is that someone here has one of these or has used one... and or works for a company that uses one.... and or for someone who can find information as I have been unable to.... I would really like to get this system working.... Thanks

hey twiz...you got pics of the original server to go along with the pics of the motherboard?

Can you run it in one processor mode? I'd bet that one of the processors is defective and will not go into protected mode...

Try isntalling DOS6.1 on it...it'll likely install, because DOS works in real mode, not protected (like windows)

If you've got other processors, try swapping those in to see if it will install windows.

Well I will have to see if Rob can find the pics... He said he had some on CD but would have to find them on a CD in a file drawer with prolly 500+ CDs in it... I will try pulling one CPU to see what I can find out.... I hope its not a proc lol I have no idea where I would get another one.. Do they require special ones? ugh.. ok I will try that shortly... thanks.. any more ideas are welcome...

Quote: Originally Posted by pimp joose hey twiz...you got pics of the original server to go along with the pics of the motherboard? Can you run it in one processor mode? I'd bet that one of the processors is defective and will not go into protected mode... Try isntalling DOS6.1 on it...it'll likely install, because DOS works in real mode, not protected (like windows) If you've got other processors, try swapping those in to see if it will install windows.

I don't know if this has any bearing on your particular problem (as I haven't yet researched the mobo), but an old Alpha workstation I had wouldn't load any M$ OS other than NT 4. Probably not the answer but if it is kinda old, you never know.

What kind of processors? PII, PIII or Xeon?

Ok I tried takine one of the processors out and then switched them... and it would not post.... here are some pics of the board and some info from the CMOS...

They are PIII's also... It says 500mhz in the CMOS but I would figure thats just for one? I dunno.. I never heard of a 250mhz P3 before.... but anyway... here they are....

Also... I hooked it up using an old 15gb that I had laying around and happened to find when I was looking for parts to put it together again and it had Fedora Core 2 loaded on it which actually loaded up... but I am wanting to go with 2000 Server or 2003.... yeah I know... Im a Windows hoe.... meh. I may leave Fedora on it... although I would still like to do a fresh install.... not sure if it would take it and I dont want to mess up whats on it if the mobo wouldnt load linux even...

any ideas on why it wont boot with just one Proc in? maybe I need to chk the CMOS for a setting.....hmmmm.......

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Found a PDF for the Fortress 300 series servers. The main board section is chapter 2 and also discusses jumpers, perhaps your problem could lie there. Not sure.

http://www.dll.com.mx/biblioteca/cas...t3kmanu%29.pdf

Edit: AltaVista made baby Jesus happy.

you probably need a continunity module in the empty slot to boot the server in single processor mode. It looks like you may have a BIOS or processor problem. I would lean toward the latter, but seeing the P3-500 show up at only 250MHz casts at least some suspicion on the motherboard/BIOS.

P3's never came as low as 250MHz....I think 450 was as slow as they came...

You managed to find more than I did... I had been looking for weeks and didnt even find that... although.. I already had it.. Thats the only thing Rob had found also... he gave me a hard copy of that when I got the board.... I never found anything in it reguarding loading an OS but I could have overlooked something also.. I will go through it again...

no no ... in the bios is shows 500mhz... the processors are both 500mhz..... shouldnt the bios show as 1000mhz? or does it just read the first processor....... having limited documentation is proving to be a PITA... you would think info about a Server would be available online in an archive atleast... ugh!!

In my limited experience with Intel server BIOS workings, I have noticed that the single processor speed is what is usually displayed, although sometimes it may say "Dual 500MHz CPUs" or something to that effect on the POST screen.

Edit: After having seen that Fedora loaded fine (with both CPUs?), I am leaning toward it being an OS imcompatibility like the Alpha station I had. Do you have NT 4 Server to try loading? If not, you can have mine to try if you want, if it doesn't work just send it back.

yeah Rob also said that its prolly just reading the first processor.... either way.... I am thinking about trying to load an OS again.. although I am kinda not wanting to cause it will loose the Fedora install lol.. ugh choices choices......

Quote: Originally Posted by Twizted no no ... in the bios is shows 500mhz... the processors are both 500mhz..... shouldnt the bios show as 1000mhz? or does it just read the first processor....... having limited documentation is proving to be a PITA... you would think info about a Server would be available online in an archive atleast... ugh!!

It should list the processor speed for each processor...it makes no difference, though, because both the processors must run at the same speed.

bump for my last edit

Quote: Originally Posted by godfoot bump for my last edit

Stop spamming the forums with this useless crap!!!



[Edit] nevermind...

Does fedora take advantage of dual cpu's?

To be honest, I am not sure either on how Linux treats protected mode. But the offer still stands if you want to try NT 4 server on a clean HDD to see if it works.

Edit: The type is faster than the eye, eh PJ? Not sure if Fedora handles dual CPUs or not. There is probably a distro that does though being that Linux is so developed now.

oh... just as a note... when I was in Wisconsin I also put a HDD on that had Winblowz ME loaded on it and it booted into that fine also.... if I cant figure out anything I will take you up on that but I would rather have a more advanced OS installed on it ...... I am fixing to take and post pics of all the bios screens at the request of Stereo..... standby

Hmm, if it loaded into ME fine and into Fedora fine... maybe your Server 2000 CD is damaged. I had a similar problem with my backup copy and it worked fine after I burned another from the original.

Pics from Bios... sorry for quality but in bios the monitor is set to a low hz and realy messed with the camera....

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limited to 10 per post

**EDIT**
I also tried XP Pro and 2003 while in Wisconsin GF... so I dont think its the disc since they all done the same thing.. and they were original copies

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