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Date:      Thu, 11 Jan 2001 09:54:10 +0900
From:      "Daniel C. Sobral" <dcs@newsguy.com>
To:        Wm Brian McCane <root@mccons.maxbaud.net>
Cc:        current@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Problem installing on T20
Message-ID:  <3A5D0432.DC472940@newsguy.com>
References:  <Pine.BSF.3.96.1001229055609.68525B-100000@fw.mccons.net>

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Wm Brian McCane wrote:
> 
> I have an IBM T20 laptop that I want to run FreeBSD on.  I have run

[etc]

You have a problem which is technically called an "IBM laptop". IBM, in
their infinite wisdom, decided to hibernate on the first partition it
doesn't recognize (hypothesis #1) or on the first partition identified
as 165 decimal (hypothesis #2). Whatever the case is, when the shitty
thing boots, the BIOS checks said partition to see if the system had
hybernated. Upon finding stuff there (the FreeBSD partition), it does
something which screws the system and locks up.

One possible fix to enable normal operation is creating an hybernate
partition explicitly and a FreeBSD partition *after* that. You should be
able to find out from IBM how to create an hybernate partition. If not,
check the next fix.

Another fix some people have resorted to is returning the laptop for a
refund and, optionally, never again buying from IBM. You might also
explain to them why you are doing so, but IBM does not support FreeBSD,
so, technically speaking, they are not required to make it compatible
with FreeBSD.

Legend goes that Linux had the same problem at first (which is the
origin of hypothesis #1) and got fixed by having IBM add their partition
numbers to to BIOS as recognized partition numbers. It's beyond my
ability to understand why they refuse to fix the #%'&%$%'& BIOS so it
would use a SAFE hybernate partition number (like the one they used
before).

-- 
Daniel C. Sobral			(8-DCS)
dcs@newsguy.com
dcs@freebsd.org
capo@a.crazy.bsdconspiracy.net

		"There is no spoon." -- Kiki



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