Date: Tue, 31 Dec 1996 08:44:55 -0800 (PST) From: 346rbkk@cmich.edu To: freebsd-gnats-submit@freebsd.org Subject: misc/2337: Can't use a deleted DOS logical drive, can't boot (with Promise EIDE Max disk controller) Message-ID: <199612311644.IAA06246@freefall.freebsd.org> Resent-Message-ID: <199612311650.IAA06481@freefall.freebsd.org>
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>Number: 2337 >Category: misc >Synopsis: Can't use a deleted DOS logical drive, can't boot (with Promise EIDE Max disk controller) >Confidential: no >Severity: non-critical >Priority: low >Responsible: freebsd-bugs >State: open >Class: change-request >Submitter-Id: current-users >Arrival-Date: Tue Dec 31 08:50:01 PST 1996 >Last-Modified: >Originator: Sing-Cheong Ong >Organization: Central Michigan University >Release: 2.1.6 >Environment: >Description: First I tried to install Free BSD on my 486, without success, it did't even boot up. I guess it has been the Promise EIDE Max disk controller, which I need for a 1.2 gb drive. The computer is a Laser 486SX/2 made by VTECH. It came with 2 mb ram, upgraded to 12 mb. It had a 102 mb Seagate hdd, upgraded to Western Digital 1.2 gb hdd. The processor is an Intel 486/DX4 75mhz over drive. When I turned on the computer, it just stuck with the floppy drive light on and no response. That is after it checks through the BIOS and IRQ for the controller. Then I tried to install Free BSD into a logical drive deleted from the DOS extended partition on my new Pentium 133 mhz. But Free BSD can't make use of it. Linux lists all the DOS logical drives, and when one or more is deleted, it allows the creation of a partition for Linux, whereas Free BSD does not list logical drives in the extended DOS partition, so when a DOS logical drive is deleted, the extended DOS partition is still of the same size. (I partition large drives into small, around 250 mb logical drives, under DOS, so that the alocation units would be smaller, 4k instead of 16k or even 32k, and wasting huge overhangs. I installed Linux in a deleted DOS logical drive on the 486 mentioned above, with no problem whatsoever, with that same Promise EIDE Max controller. My new one also has Linux running and X windows also just like the old one.) I guess what this amounts to is that Free BSD can't be installed in a DOS logical drive in the DOS extended partition, but Linux can. Am I right? If this is the case, one of the improvements Free BSD can make is to make this possible, as Linux does. I am confident that this second attempt will work if I back everything up and repartition the drive, or get another drive. But it will be nice if the way I have tried works also. Thank you for your attetion. Happy holidays! Sing-Cheong Ong >How-To-Repeat: >Fix: >Audit-Trail: >Unformatted:
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