SOLVED: Stuck in UBoot "limbo" with failed Linux install, now no Amiga OS4.1FE booting

Linux only discussion for the AmigaOne 500 and Sam series
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Neil_P
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat Jun 18, 2011 1:16 am
Location: Manchester, Britain (United Kingdom)

SOLVED: Stuck in UBoot "limbo" with failed Linux install, now no Amiga OS4.1FE booting

Post by Neil_P »

I've recently bought a SAM 440ep-flex system, which I just re-installed Amiga OS4.1FE, with Update 1, and all was going OK, got the system working online, downloaded Update 1, and a few more updates like AmiSSL v4.7, and installed some other additions from OS4depot.

However, when I received it all it came with a Linux installation disc (v5.0.3 - Lenny) for the board, which was originally supplied by AmigaKit, but the CD it seems was an incomplete distribution of Linux Lenny as it got stuck/went no further close to the end of the installation where it was "setting clocks". It had not changed the UBoot system booting process so Amiga OS4.1 still booted OK, and I expected that if I installed Linux successfully it would not stop Amiga OS from booting but allow me an alternative OS to choose from.

Anyway, thinking along that train of thought, I donwloaded the "Debian_7.2_Sam440ep_Netinstall.iso" from here and expected it to boot/install correctly, but it kept asking for various files the CD didn't have, such as the 'Lenny' kernel files "zd1211/zd1211b_ub" and as it had installed some of the hard drive files it seems it had 'tinkered' with the UBoot boot mechanism, which I am not familiar with.

Now my system, won't boot to Amiga OS4.1FE or even to Linux as the installation did not complete successfully. So, so far it's just been a BIG MISTAKE !

Now I just get stuck at the UBoot screen which has been successfully updated to the latest UBoot (1.3.1g) released by ACube in December 2020 but I am now stuck after the initial options to select a boot option (Esc, Return, etc.) with ... a black boot screen with the wording ...
==========
Parthenope (ub21b) version 0.91
No menu.1st or Kicklayout found!
Press a key to open U-Boot prompt!
===========
What do I need to do to fix this situation so I can once again boot the system with Amiga OS4.1FE?

Hope to hear back from someone soon on this topic

Neil_P
Last edited by Neil_P on Thu Dec 24, 2020 9:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
SAM 440ep-flex 733MHz 1GB RAM, Radeon 9250 PCI, OS4.1FE Upd 1, Amiga A1200 Blizzard SCSi PPC G3 240Mhz/060-50Mhz, 256MB + 200MB -> Radeon 9200 256MB in Mediator TX, + Voodoo 3 3000 16MB, Sound Blaster Live + TT-SOLO-1 soundcards, Spider USB, Ethernet RTL8139 + RTL8029AS, Adaptec 2940UW SCSI.
Spectre660
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Joined: Sat Jun 18, 2011 2:16 pm
Location: Montserrat

Re: Stuck in UBoot "limbo" with failed Linux install, now no Amiga OS4.1FE booting

Post by Spectre660 »

@ Neil_P

You have to boot from the AmigaOS4.1 CD and use System: Media Toolbox to reinstall the SLB, L:slb_v2 .

The Linux stuff is ancient and I can no longer support it as I no longer have the hardware .
Sam460ex : Radeon Rx550 Single slot Video Card : SIL3112 SATA card
Neil_P
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat Jun 18, 2011 1:16 am
Location: Manchester, Britain (United Kingdom)

Re: Stuck in UBoot "limbo" with failed Linux install, now no Amiga OS4.1FE booting

Post by Neil_P »

@ Spectre660 - Wed Dec 23, 2020
You have to boot from the AmigaOS4.1 CD and use System: Media Toolbox to reinstall the SLB, L:slb_v2 .
I'm not sure how I am supposed to reinstall the SLB - whatever that is / is it some sort of acronym? - please explain - by using the file in the "L" directory slb_v2 - which I have located but I don't know what to do with it using Media Toolbox as that's the HDD formatting tool as far as I know so how does that affect UBoot so that it resets the system to boot from the HDD?

Is that SLB thingy (possible explanation/acronym meaning: SLB - Secure Loader Block - used in computing) really going to fix the issue with the UBoot "limbo" situation I'm in currently? :?:

Thanks for responding in this thread as well as the Amiga OS4.1FE thread on this topic. :lol:
SAM 440ep-flex 733MHz 1GB RAM, Radeon 9250 PCI, OS4.1FE Upd 1, Amiga A1200 Blizzard SCSi PPC G3 240Mhz/060-50Mhz, 256MB + 200MB -> Radeon 9200 256MB in Mediator TX, + Voodoo 3 3000 16MB, Sound Blaster Live + TT-SOLO-1 soundcards, Spider USB, Ethernet RTL8139 + RTL8029AS, Adaptec 2940UW SCSI.
Spectre660
Posts: 1525
Joined: Sat Jun 18, 2011 2:16 pm
Location: Montserrat

Re: Stuck in UBoot "limbo" with failed Linux install, now no Amiga OS4.1FE booting

Post by Spectre660 »

@Neil_P

Sam440ep Os4.1 installation guide in pdf. Page 2 .

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... KzoyiqCCG4
Sam460ex : Radeon Rx550 Single slot Video Card : SIL3112 SATA card
Neil_P
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat Jun 18, 2011 1:16 am
Location: Manchester, Britain (United Kingdom)

SOLVED: Stuck in UBoot "limbo" with failed Linux install, now no Amiga OS4.1FE booting

Post by Neil_P »

Spectre660 wrote: Wed Dec 23, 2020 5:20 pm
Sam440ep Os4.1 installation guide in pdf. Page 2 . https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... KzoyiqCCG4
Aha! ... :arrow: so that worked out OK, and was a lot simpler than I expected, and was well laid out in the manual you pointed me to, which I didn't seem to have, so many many thanks for that, and I'll print a copy off for future reference. :idea:

In fact the re-installation of OS4.1FE and update v1 has got the USB system working at the moment, at least the ones I have connected through the Belkin 7 port USB hub, so that's a big improvement as well, :D and I'll mark that thread as fixed/solved very soon. 8-)

Without your help I would have had a miserable Christmas wondering how to get it resolved - so have yourself some heart-felt Merry Christmas wishes from me. :lol:
SAM 440ep-flex 733MHz 1GB RAM, Radeon 9250 PCI, OS4.1FE Upd 1, Amiga A1200 Blizzard SCSi PPC G3 240Mhz/060-50Mhz, 256MB + 200MB -> Radeon 9200 256MB in Mediator TX, + Voodoo 3 3000 16MB, Sound Blaster Live + TT-SOLO-1 soundcards, Spider USB, Ethernet RTL8139 + RTL8029AS, Adaptec 2940UW SCSI.
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