newbie - BB-xm probs

Hi,

I’m totally noob on RiscOS, sorry for the maybe ordinary questions:

I’m using an older BB-xm board(rev c) with a ready-to-go SD-image from 5.22. It starts correctly, I made the first configs: layout(kb), screen, ethernet and save. Newstart. Maybe it works 4-5 times, then the system can’t find the “Disc0”, after newstart…

1. Why? Is it a problem from the sd-card (Intenso 4GB class 10)?
   I tried now a platinum 4GB class 10, but it shows partly the same behaviour.

I try Your “first steps for omap3” and tried to put HardDisk onto a USB drive, seems to work. But, after a few Newstarts, the same behavour as above. :(

1. Do I forget something in the configuration? Must I change somethin in loader/!Boot

Thx

I am also using a BBxM with RISC OS 5.22.

There seems to be a little difference in the installations. At the beginning 2010/2011 AFAIR there was no possibility to use the SD-Card for RISC OS programs. It contained at that time only the OS ROM image U-BOOT/BIN etc.. All the other stuff had to be located on an USB-Memory stick. Later this restriction was removed if keeping an eye on certain conditions.
However I kept my old installation scheme

The SD Card :0 is named “RISC OS” at my installation.
The USB Stick is named “HardDisc0”.

The SD Card is containing only
BOOT/SCR
cmos
MLO
riscos
U-BOOT/BIN
UENV/TXT

The USB Stick contains all the RISC OS files
!Boot
Apps
and so on.

Even it is a long time ago I made it the last time AFAIR it is the best way to create the SD Card with
!SDCreate.

The USB Stick must be formatted with !HForm so that uses a RISC OS specific FileCore format. Afterwards the Basic installation must be copied to it.

Using the SD Card only may be possible if using !SystemDisc.

Check your power supply and power cable. Problems like this are sometimes caused by a power system (i.e. power supply plus cable) that can’t maintain the power at the board within tolerance.

Try a different PSU and//or cable.

Hi,
my installation is originally both “partitions” on the sd-card. Because of above mentioned probs I “copy” !Boot+Apps-.. to the usb-stick – as earlier use. Because I suppose it could be the micro sd-card itself.

I tried !SDCreate, too; the sd-card won’t boot. Maybe there is a misconfiguration.

BB-xm (Rev C) has somewhat different in specs about Power DC, but (the probs) it happens after 4-5 resetting. I don’t “touch” the PSU or cable.

Antonio, I am not an expert, but one harmless thing you can try which might help to find the problem is to enter *show in a task window after you get the message "can’t find the Disc0”. To get a task window up, go to the ‘switcher’ icon on the iconbar on the extreme right and select Task Window. The result will be a list of various system variables, don’t worry about what it all means, just search the text for Disc0 (F4 key brings up a search box), but first you will need to kill the task from the menu. This might tell you what application or whatever is looking for Disc0.

I don’t “touch” the PSU or cable.

You may not touch them, but their properties change a little, especially with temperature, and, as a result of self-heating, with time.

Additionally, if something is on the borderline of failing, it may fail sometimes with no discernible pattern to the failures.

I will try to search error with TaskManager the next time the system fails. And, yes, I have to buy a new PSU first. I’m using a older one from a thinclient.

I’m using a older one from a thinclient.

It’s interesting that you say it’s an old PSU. In my career and hobby, I’ve come across at least three PSUs that would no longer give their rated current output. They had aged.

It’s worth remembering that power supplies are one of the least reliable parts of an electronic system, because they are usually the most highly stressed part.

Regarding SD Card:
Is there no activity at all?
Perhaps it is better to leave the cmos file containing the configuration away. However an unconfigured RISC OS machine will always try to start in old screen resolution 640*480 60 Hz.
I never tried SDCreate on a card which had been formatted previously with different partitions.
Perhaps it would be wise to use a DOS formatted
empty SD card for this.