Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:53:58 +0100 From: "Julian H. Stacey" <jhs@berklix.org> To: "Stefano Spinucci" <virgo977virgo@gmail.com> Cc: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org Subject: Re: installation problems of FreeBSD 7 beta 2 on Dell D610 (multiboot con solaris, linux, winxp) Message-ID: <200711271153.lARBrwLG088221@fire.js.berklix.net> In-Reply-To: <906f26060711261558j42749f58mf5cd3cf4619a701b@mail.gmail.com> References: <906f26060711261558j42749f58mf5cd3cf4619a701b@mail.gmail.com>
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"Stefano Spinucci" wrote: > I encountered some problems installing FreeBSD 7 beta 2 on my Dell > D610 laptop, on the original 60 gb hd; the hd is formatted as follows: > - primary 1, 15 gb, ntfs for Windows XP > - primary 2, 15 gb, solaris for Open Solaris > - primary 3, 10 gb, fat32 for FreeBSD > - extended, 20 gb, 3 partitions for linux > > I tried to install FreeBSD many times, but after the geometry error > (the geometry is however correctly recognized), FDISK doesn't find any > partition and the space is shown as free, unpartitioned. > > I tried to set the partition type for FreeBSD to FAT16, FAT32, FreeBSD > and I also reformatted the partition many times, but with no success. > > have you any idea??? Stefano & stable@ Your symptoms seem likely laptop specific, so if you remain stuck, later try mobile@ I saw similar installing 7.0-BETA3 on my Digital HiHote Ultra 2000 laptop: it recognised the 5G laptop disc, but did Not recognise the 3 x FreeBSD-5.1-RELEASE boot partitions that work OK there. So I thought, OK, abandon installing on an fdisk partition, install on whole disk. It went through partitioning, then failed to find its file system. 5.1 was still intact & booted. I assume it's my laptop ATA interface, seen that problem before. FreeBSD for old hardware often needs extra instructions manually to loader to tell WD/ATA (&/or ep0) to run in a more conservative mode. I'll look for right syntax. eg maybe hw.ata.ata_dma=0 etc starting in my http://www.berklix.com/~jhs/hardware/laptops/#loader.conf /Soapbox: This frequent `FreeBSD defaults to need high end modern hardware' is bad for publicity, newbies who dont know where to look will tell friends: I gave up & went Linux. ( For those who might say "buy high end", No! spare old laptop sufficient for Xterm + mp3 + LAN for stereo in living room, leaving main laptop free for more demanding things. Plus not all can afford latest, + conservation, green etc, ... just needs more generous install defaults. ) FreeBSD has improved elsewhere though on old hardware: The same laptop that failed to go beyond 5.1 without losing ep0, now sees ep0 in 7.0-BETA3 install. End Soapbox/ -- Julian Stacey. Munich Computer Consultant, BSD Unix C Linux. http://berklix.com Ihr Rauch = mein allergischer Kopfschmerz. Dump cigs 4 snuff.
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