alpha system insists to boot

[alex.blackbit]

hello everybody!

my internet gateway is a LX164, 600Mhz which worked great for months now.
i want to boot from a different device now and therefore wanted to access my srm console again which i did not for a long time.
so i rebooted and hit ctrl-c which worked always. now it does no more.
i examined the boot procedure and found out that nothing really is output until linux boots.
i remember that there were some status codes printed on the screen like e5...e6...f2... or the like.
now: nothing. just the blue screen with a blinking white cursor in the top left corner and then linux starts. strange.
so i tried to unplug the hdd so he cannot boot and i hoped that i would get my console. no. then he stops at the blue screen.
i also tried to "echo -n 'HALT' >/proc/srm_environment/named_variables/auto_action", but then i get

[airbatica]

I've got an LX164 as well, though its currently in retirement. Blasphemy, I know. The only time I ever saw what you described is when I set the system to output the SRM console on the serial port. Hook a null modem cable up and see if you get anything that looks familiar. Failing that, I think you can reset the NVRAM by playing with the jumpers on the board, but I don't have the diagrams in front of me. You might also remove the clock battery and let it sit for a couple of minutes (hours/days?). Might be time for a new battery anyways. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

[alex.blackbit]

well, i do not know why the output should be set to serial, but it is something i can try.
removing the battery should at least change something, what is indeed better than nothing.
thanks for the thoughts.