HP 9000/712 100 install help?

NeXT Computer, Inc. -> Sun / HPPA Hardware

Title: HP 9000/712 100 install help?
Post by: tmkdev on June 24, 2019, 11:32:57 AM
Trying to install Nextstep 3.3 onto an HP 712/100 Gecko. I can boot the install CD, it gives me a few options and gets to the install or advanced options selection and that's when the keyboard stops working.. Can't enter anything - even though it just worked for keyboard selection and the other couple of prompts.

Help? Anybody still out there?
Title: Re: HP 9000/712 100 install help?
Post by: barcher174 on June 24, 2019, 12:38:59 PM
These machines are -really- picky about the CDROM used to install. I used a yamaha drive that as I recall would only work reliably as device #2.
Title: Re: HP 9000/712 100 install help?
Post by: tmkdev on June 26, 2019, 01:48:49 PM
Tried 2 different CDs in 2 different CDROM drives, even tried copying the ISO to a hard drive partition.

I still can't get past the 1. install 2. advanced menu after the mach kernel loads. If I mash my keyboard I can get a 7 and a 2 out of it. I can't get enter/y/n etc. Like the keyboard isn't right for the driver or something? Keyboard works fine in HPUX/Linux.

It's an old 102 key HP keyboard? Maybe that's it? I wish I had another to try..

Ideas?
Title: Re: HP 9000/712 100 install help?
Post by: Rob Blessin Black Hole on June 30, 2019, 09:47:00 AM
I know you also have to set the scsi ID to 6 for the CDrom drive.  Is it a ps2 keyboard connector? also
"Most important fact missing on this FAQ is that you need BootROM 1.9 or higher for NeXTStep to boot and install.  I found this tidbit out the hard way."   
I have a pair of 725's I want to try!
Title: Re: HP 9000/712 100 install help?
Post by: tmkdev on July 01, 2019, 06:20:58 PM
Ordered a different cheapo PS/2 keyboard. See if that helps when it shows up.

TMKDEV
Title: Re: HP 9000/712 100 install help?
Post by: tmkdev on July 10, 2019, 10:46:07 PM
Cheap keyboard got closer but not close enough.. Going to try one more. Something in the nextstep hppa ps/2 driver must be really picky..
Title: Re: HP 9000/712 100 install help?
Post by: tmkdev on July 26, 2019, 10:52:57 AM
A surplus HP keyboard I picked up does the trick - Model HP KB-0316 (Silver and black PS/2) if anybody else has this issue.

The installer doesn't like my CDROM - gets further along when I copy the ISO to a hard drive partition and boot that. It then dies trying to format the new partition for install. There a max size or something that might cause that? Does it have to be SCSI ID6 that gets installed?

Thanks!
Title: Re: HP 9000/712 100 install help?
Post by: wizard on May 27, 2020, 09:43:54 AM
Found this video, hopefully it will help...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxsGMp_8w6Q
Title: Re: HP 9000/712 100 install help?
Post by: tpfaff100 on January 23, 2022, 08:49:32 PM
With some help in the way of an iso file, I used the scsi2sd card to boot the OS on the HP 900/712 and configure it.  Then, got Brian Willoughby's sdformat utility and formatted the internal hard drive.  Finally, I was amazed to see that all three of the hard drives worked perfectly and so I installed using BuildDisk on top of them.

I made a video to complement "The Pizza Box's" video but it's horrible quality I'm a little shy to publish it.  Still, it has valuable information.  I don't have a CD-ROM drive that would work with the HP, tho' somewhere I have an old black NeXT drive that _might_ have worked if I set the SCSI ID on it to 6.

Go to top  Forum index