First I insert the bootdisk and the computer founds it but then it just flashing (on the screen) - up in the left corner. when i try press any key it just says beep and keep on flashing -
I donīt know what to do please help!

/Henrik

Henrik,

That mostly happen when you try to install a version of DOS that is very new. I think that you should try to find/install an older version of DOS. But if that doesn't work then I don't have any other ideas. You can also make sure the diskdrive is an 1.44 MB instead of the similar looking 720K drive wich can often be found in older computers.
If you can't find an older dos version then you should look in a search engine (google.com) under the word "abandonware"
those pages mostly talk about games but many also have an applications section.
I hope some of this helped you.

Marco.

Hi Henrik

Very good advice from Marco.
It may help to resolve the problem
if you supply some additional information
on the 286 PC

1 - Model & make of PC
It is possible that certain models of
PC can make life interesting when trying
to update or install Dos.

2 - Does the PC startup into dos
with out a FDD in the drive.
The 286 PC may not have a HDD
it may not have a HDD configured
to boot up, the HDD may not have
dos on it

if yes type in ver for version
of the dos/cpm on the PC.

With this information other people may be able to assist you with the problem

I am trying to Install Ms-Dos 6.22 on my Nokia Data (Ericsson PC) it has an 1.44 disk drive, 800MB Connor Harddrive and an new IDE-controller card. The computer have worked well until the old IBM 20MB harddrive crashed, so now I am trying install 6.22 on the new 800MB working harddrive.

800 Megs sounds like a lot for a 286 that used to have a 20 meg drive. That might be the root of the problem. Does the bios on the machine support user configurable drive types? What about that IDE controller card your using? Does it have a bios on the card?
Even if it does, that doesn't mean everything's rosy. I have a 286 motherboard (with no onboard IDE controller) that won't let me configure drive types. Even when I used my trusty Promise ISA EIDE controller card with it (which had worked with every other PC I had used it in), I couldn't get it to reconize my drive, which was itself only 170 megs.

To confirm this fact, try removing the drive and booting with a floppy and see what happens. Same thing happens? Maybe your brand new controller card doesn't play well with your old 286. Try yanking the card out and if your floppy controller is on the adapter, insert the old adapter and precede to boot with your floppy disk. Of course, always try the easy stuff first, such as the suggestions mentioned in the other posts. No need doing any real work until you have to :) lol

Opps, forgot to ask whether or not you are sure your bootdisk is good. One bad sector, and it might not boot correctly. Good luck!

The IDE-controller card has a bios that auto detect the Harddrive and it does. So its nothing wrong with it and it support up to 8,6Gigabyte drives.

/Henrik

Henrik is there some way to enter your bios and set the HDD settings to none? I think your new i/o card would need this done so the system will work properly.

What maybe happening is the i/o bios is clashing with the PC bios.

The IDE-cardīs bios founds the harddrive and set up heads,cylinders properly so thereīs no wrong with the card or the drive. The problem comes when the computer founds the boot disk and start to read it. then the it just start to flashing - up in the left corner. So i donīt really know what you (Mark P) mean with "Clashing" the computer must have a card to make it posseble to use a harddrive because there no Ide harddrive controller in bios like on newer computers.

/Henrik

Henrik by clashing I meant conflicting-ie if the bios had hdd settings these could have been conflicting with the i/o card bios.

Had it happen on one of my older pcs.

Have you tried the i/o card in another pc to make sure it is functioning ok?

Travis's comments may have hit the spot(post 4)-ie it may not work at all on your 286.

Did you ever try making a new bootdisk with a new floppy? Also, related to what Marco said, did you try booting with a different version of dos? I'm running out of ideas.... :( Where's the Doofus when ya need him?

I tried an other dos boot disk and it didnīt work either. So maybe i can plug in the hard drive in to an another computer and install Dos from there. And then just plug it back in to the 286, I think that it will work.
Mark p so mean a i/o (serial port and stuff) conflict between the motherboard and the card. But if you really think something with i/o you one more problem cause I donīt know how to get in to Bios. I have tested differnt buttons but it just says beep.
I even asked Ericsson Support 6mounths ago for little infomation about this machine, their answer was have we maked Computers?
So I donīt know so much about it, because i got it from school and i donīt have any manuals.
But here you can see a picture of it any way. http://www.digidome.nl/ericsson.htm

According the the link you gave, the last Desktop PC Erricson made was an 8088 in '84.
Are you sure its a 286?

Are there jumpers on the EIDE card to disable the serial ports and the like?

Yep its a 286, it have 16-bit ISA slots and a 286 processor so i think it could be a 286.
Ericssonīs last computer wasnīt the 8088 they build a 286 to but in an larger case.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/~oju/retro/EricssonPC_sve.html

In the late 80ies (1988) Finnish Nokia bought Ericsson Information System and became Nokia Data. They maked 286 in the old small cases with you may saw at.

http://www.digidome.nl/ericsson.htm

Like in 1993 or something Nokia sold Nokia Data to ICL so now there are no large Swedish computer brand existing any more boring huī.

The serial port I can disable them but I start to think thats may not be the problem.
I think thats it a little Floppy control conflict. I should test to install dos from one of my friends computer and see if dos loads when a put the harddrive back into the 286.

/Henrik

Lol looks like you're PC ID skills are up to scratch.

Let us know how you get on.

My name Henrik has become an synonym with trouble for you, right!
#:-)

/Henrik

From the link you gave I see that that PC had both 3.5 and 5.25 floppy drives. Does yours still contain both? I believe on one of my old mother boards, even though the ide and floppy connectors were on an adapter (with no bios) you configured which floppy drive it booted from with the motherboard bios. Both this AND the postion on the floppy cable for the floppy drive mattered. If one was wrong, it would not boot from a floppy. Of course, as I'm sure you know a: needs to be on the connector with a twist in it (most of the time), b: needs to be on the other. Even if you just have a:, it needs to be on the connector with a twist in it. I'm sure you know all of this, but some times it the simple stuff.........

It has a 3,5 1,44mb floppydrive and it start to read the floppy. When it have done it start to flashing - up in the left corner in the screen it like loading but it donīt (load). The computer trying to load Dos that not exist on the computer. Really strange.

/Henrik

Still no luck Henrik?

It's got me beat I'm afraid.

%>

Well, did you try swapping the floppy drive with another, or sticking this on in another machine to test it? What about using a bootdisk that was as bare as possible, for example just containing command.com, io.sys, msdos.sys? After these, I'm afraid I've exausted my knowledge on this problem, sorry! :(

I put the harddisk in to an another computer
and tried to boot it with a bootdisk.
Guess what it didnīt work either.

/Henrik

Well, maybe you've isolated the problem now, if nothing else. May be time for a new hard drive!