VOGONS


First post, by Munwele

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Hello, I have a Fujitsu Siemens Primergy F200.
This machine was not POSTing, thanks to some 13 failing capacitors on the motherboard. I have replaced them and it's working now.

All of a sudden, one of its PSUs won't work. I turn it on, powers on for a split-second then turns back off, like there's some sort of protection that's triggering. It was working before...

Anyway, I'm also encountering a problem with its tape drive, it won't eject. I press the eject button and the ready button blinks for 5 seconds or so but nothing's happening. It's like there's no cartridge inside (there is). In fact, that's what the HP software application's thinking...

Click the images below to view the full-sized images.

No_cartridge.png
Caption: Software says there's no cartridge present, although there is.

Tests_success.png
Caption: The 'Device Self Test' and 'Connectivity Test' were completed successfully. I cannot perform the 'Read/Write Test', the software
thinks there's no cartridge inside 😵.

Analysis_results.png
Caption: The software reports that a firmware update could be the solution to the problem I am having!
Two things. One: I've searched and searched for the firmware update. Not only does it not exist on HP's servers, I can't find it anywhere else.
Two: Funnily enough, the cartridge used to eject when the server was not POSTing!

Firmware_server_down.png
Caption: Firmware update window shows that the latest is version is N26D (I have N23D).

IMG_20170920_233510.jpg
Caption: A picture of the tape drive itself. You can clearly see that there's a tape inside 🤣.

I have found a video explaining how to manually eject the tape. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZD6qC2AQSk&t=2m36s
I would really like to try the firmware update first, though. Does someone here have it?
Don't get me wrong, I am very willing to try the manual eject method, but I'd really like to update the firmware first because
if that works, I won't have to open the machine up.

Reply 1 of 2, by Unknown_K

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If the drive is acting funny the last thing you want to do is update the firmware, you could brick it, so quit being lazy and just manually eject it.

Sounds like you have a short somewhere. Disconnect all external drives and see if the machine works. The tape drive might work if the data cable is removed (might be getting some crazy commands keeping it from working caused by a crimped cable). Did you lose a screw inside when removing the motherboard?

Collector of old computers, hardware, and software

Reply 2 of 2, by Munwele

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I performed the manual ejection procedure and the tape was still getting stuck, so a third of the cartridge was basically sticking out with no way to eject the darn thing.

I hooked up the drive and it kept spitting a third of the cartridge out then sucking it back in.

Frustrated, I tried to manually eject the cartridge again.
This time, half of cartridge came out, but it still wouldn't completely eject, so I hooked the drive up and inserted the cartridge in.
Now, the drive keeps ejecting the cartridge by itself whenever I put the cartridge back in.
I have also noticed that the 'Tape Error' light keeps on blinking whenever the tape is ejected.

I am still convinced that a firmware update (and probably a new tape) could help in this situation.
HP says I must have an active warranty or support agreement to download the firmware. How ridiculous is that?
The firmware is basically unobtainable, there's literally no way to get it now.