  errors bootstrapping (unknown) VAXstation? 
 The Question is:
 
I've got a VAXstation that doesnt seem to boot
properly, even though i suspect VMS to be on
the disk. When I do a 'show ver' in the ROM
monitor, it tells me VMB 6.2 is installed. Then
I attempt to boot the system off disk (which
shows up as DKA300 with 'show dev') with the
command 'BOOT DKA300:'. The system then errors
out with the messages '?42 NOSUCHFILE' and
'84 FAIL'. I was wondering if this error was
caused by my using the wrong commands/syntax to
boot the machine, or if there is a problem with
the OS on the disk. Thanks!
 
 
 The Answer is:
 
  When asking questions, it is of great benefit to the Wizard if you would
  specifically identify the hardware in question.  All members of the
  VAXstation 3100 series and certain of the oldest MicroVAX 3100 series
  systems, for instance, have restrictions around the maximum system disk
  size possible -- please see the OpenVMS FAQ for further details on these
  system disk capacity restrictions.
 
  The explanation for the '84 FAIL' error message is:
 
     DEVOFFLINE, device is not in configuration or not available
 
  This error message normally suggests a hardware failure, but in some
  situations it can indicate that the device is not recognized, (i.e.,
  not supported by that version of the software or firmware).
 
  Try booting from an OpenVMS distribution CD (V6.0 or higher) with the
  command:
 
    &gt;&gt;&gt; B/10000000 DKAxxx
 
  where DKAxxx is the device name of the CD drive.  Once booted into the
  standalone DCL environment (yes, available on OpenVMS VAX), try to mount
  the DKA300 device to see if you get a more informative error message.
 
