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Date:      Mon, 25 Nov 1996 10:28:03 -0800
From:      Julian Elischer <julian@whistle.com>
To:        J Wunsch <j@uriah.heep.sax.de>
Cc:        FreeBSD-current users <freebsd-current@FreeBSD.org>
Subject:   Re: 2.2-ALPHA install failure
Message-ID:  <3299E533.15FB7483@whistle.com>
References:  <199611250847.JAA16092@uriah.heep.sax.de>

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J Wunsch wrote:
> 
> As Rodney W. Grimes wrote:
> 
> > > If you run a third party fdisk program on the disk, then the disk isn't
> > > dedicated.
> >
>

ENOUGH ALREADY!
When I implimented the dummy fdisk table in the boot loader, I did 
it simply to allow people who had loaded the previous style of
bootblocks, and who had used IT's style of "dangerously dedicated"
to be able to replace the old bootblocks with the new ones and 
still be able to boot.

the end sect/cyl/head numbers are NEVER USED except by FreeBSD
to try get sme hints about the geometry, and I tend to believe in
setting them to the following would be best.

Ehead = Bios #heads -1
ECYL = 2 (or maybe 1?)
Esectors = Bios# sectors
note that the slice SIZE does not come into this calculation at all....

this would ensure that we could derive the geometry from it..
but the NCR bios might not like it too much
but then, who cares.. it'd still work I believe.

this would require altering disklabel to fiddle these bits 
(which it presently does not do), of setting sysinstall to do
it in a compatible manner.

personally I NEVER EVER EVER use dedicated mode.
I find it too useful to have the 'dead area' before the 
first partition, and hell it's only 32K usually!

julian
(who has been following this froma a machine he could not reply from
all weekend)


>



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