Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 15:59:29 -0400 From: Rob Winters <rob@annapurna.com> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Cc: freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org Subject: Re: new IBM Thinkpads rejecting FreeBSD Message-ID: <5.0.0.25.0.20001018145632.00ac76f8@mail.fiderus.com>
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This is an old thread from the archive, but I seem to be dredging up the
issue IRL, so I thought I'd pass along some additional information.
Someone else wrote:
> > The rep at IBM Tech Support claims that IBM is aware of this problem. He
> > claimed that FreeBSD was "writing the boot sector somewhere above the usual
> > boot sector location". His explanation doesn't make sense, and he was
> unable
> > to provide me with any specifics...
Jonas Bulow <jonas.bulow@servicefactory.se> wrote:
>That doesn't make sense. The only thing I changed to get the drive
>working was to change the partition type of the freebsd partition from
>165 to 131. Today I will try to use partition magic to create the
>partitions.
I just killed a ThinkPad A20p by installing 4.1-RELEASE. Apparently IBM allows
for boot sector programs of a certain size, i.e. "LILO-sized". After that, the
BIOS stores power management information ON THE BOOT SECTOR. If the BIOS finds
unpalatable information in that location (presumably whatever FreeBSD puts
there),
then it gets very confused:
- can't boot alternate devices (floppy, CD, or even an UltraBay HD)
- can't run the BIOS config
- loops on the "ThinkPad" start-up screen
Remove the HD, and the system boots; insert the HD and it's very dead.
The only way out is to wipe the boot sector, and you can't do it on any of
this generation ThinkPad (A20, T20, etc). You can on a 600, or probably some
other flavors of older ThinkPad, or any other computer where they aren't
stupid enough to store BIOS information on the boot sector.
Not having access to a TP600, I'm waiting for a HD swap from IBM. The support
guy said that this was just referred to engineering as a problem, so hopefully
a future BIOS update will fix it. In the mean time, the FreeBSD loader is not
an option for these 'Pads. Their current company line is a very simplistic
"Linux supported -- FreeBSD not supported". If LILO gets any bigger, I think
they'll have to amend that statement.
It's really funny: the IBM support tech started the call smugly enough with
"No, this isn't like some *Compaq* where they store BIOS software on the
hard drive"... :-) Turns out, it's exactly like that. :-(
/// Rob
P.S. BTW, this was my second support call. The first guy said flatly
"UNIX is not supported on IBM ThinkPads". He stuck to this position
even after I pointed out that IBM *ships* ThinkPads with Linux on them.
Hung up. Called again. Got a smart guy. Life goes on.
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