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Power Computing provided the information in this article and it was deemed accurate as of 14 November 1997. Apple Computer, Inc. is not responsible for its content. This article is being provided as is and will not be updated in the future.
DISCUSSION Power Computing has reproduced the issue on Mini-Tower configurations of PowerCenter Pro and is actively investigating a solution. The issue is related to how the PCI slots are activated at system startup after a PRAM reset and is not caused by any kind of hardware failure. If you reset the PRAM on either a cold or warm boot, the machine will display a disk with a blinking question mark. If you insert the PowerCD, the machine will boot from the CD, but the HD will not be accessible. Once you boot from the CD, the HD will be accessible upon the next startup and the machine will again be completely operational. Current Workarounds: The preferred workaround is to boot from the PowerCD. When you see the flashing "?", insert your PowerCD that came with the PowerCenter Pro. The computer will start up from the CD. Choose "Restart" from the Special Menu in the Finder. The computer will restart from the hard drive and will continue to do so until the next time PRAM is reset. A second workaround is to move the Adaptec Ultra SCSI card to another PCI slot. On the Mini-Tower computers, the card is installed in the slot closest to the logic board (bottom slot). Moving the card to another slot will allow you to reset PRAM and restart without using the Power CD as a workaround. However, the card is placed in the bottom slot on Mini-Tower computers to facilitate routing of the SCSI cable. Moving the card to another slot can interfere with the installation of other PCI cards because the cable will block access to the other slots. If you move the card, the next best slot is the middle slot. With the card in the middle slot, an additional PCI card can be added to the top slot avoiding interference with the SCSI cable. Take extra care when installing extra PCI cards when the Ultra SCSI card is in either the middle or top slot. Machines Affected: PowerCenter Pro |
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| Document Information | |
| Product Area: | Computers |
| Category: | Power Computing Corp. |
| Sub Category: | Troubleshooting |
| Keywords: | kpowercc |
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