Parameters Actually Stored In PRAM in The PB500 Series?

#1 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 - 23:15 68kMLA

Does anyone know what parameters are actually stored in the PRAM in the Powerbook 500 Series?

Since my PRAM battery is dead (actually, missing, I just took it out once I knew it was dead) I figure I might run into trouble with it remembering where the boot drive is located in the PCMCIA slot if that parameter is stored in the PRAM area and the system isn't left plugged in.

Edit: Looks like I answered my own question, without PRAM it can't boot off of PCMCIA, it just stares at me asking for an operating system... This is an annoying situation I didn't foresee...

#1 Thu, 4 Oct 2007 - 22:45 PPCMLA

The subject pretty much says it all. I've got a Sonnet 1 GHz G4 ZIF in my B&W, and I decided to run Debian 4. The processor upgrade smokes in OS 9 and OS X, but it's sucking wind in Debian. Any thoughts on why? I'm thinking that perhaps the L2 cache is not enabled. Does anyone know how I can check that?

Curiously, the system does seem to think it is running at about 66 MHz... Wink

Thanks!
Drew
_________________
Power to the PowerPC!

#2 Sun, 7 Oct 2007 - 12:43 PPCMLA

AFAIK the 1GHZ upgrades run the bus at 66mhz, even in machines that have a 100mhz bus normally.

#2 Tue, 23 Sep 2014 - 23:34 68kMLA

Does this happen in other PB series that can boot from PCMCIA if the PRAM dies (such as the 190?)

#3 Sun, 7 Oct 2007 - 20:15 PPCMLA

#3 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 - 01:30 68kMLA

No, it doesn't. It searches the machine for what is available (IDE or PCMCIA) and the first thing with a boot record, it boots it.

If the PCMCIA is not there and the hard drive is dead, bad boot records, or not on the IDE BUS, it puts up the flashing "?" inside the floppy disk. While the "?" is flashing, when you put in the PCMCIA, it takes a second to find it, and then it boots.

I think it has something to do with that separate CPU in the 5X0 series PCMCIA, and it needing the PRAM for the PB to see it.

#4 Tue, 2 Feb 2010 - 16:34 PPCMLA

#4 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 - 01:34 68kMLA

Agreed. The PCMCIA is essentially just a PDS module in the 5xx series, no different from any other. I would imagine the ROM is not programmed by default to search PDS modules for bootable partitions.

With the PCMCIA being an integrated part of every subsequent PB (until PCMCIA became irrelevant), it makes sense the ROM would be smart enough to search for a bootable partition on the PCMCIA bus.

#5 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 - 02:04 68kMLA

It is just as crazy in the PC World. Some laptops with PCMCIA can boot off it, some cant. Don't let me get started with Dell Hell!!! At least older ThinkPads are more forgiving.