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From: Julian Elischer <julian@ref.tfs.com>
Message-Id: <199506082132.OAA09073@ref.tfs.com>
Subject: Re: Boot Manager problem
To: yves@CC.McGill.CA
Date: Thu, 8 Jun 1995 14:32:20 -0700 (PDT)
Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
In-Reply-To: <199506082038.QAA07759@maelstrom.cc.mcgill.ca> from "Yves Lepage" at Jun 8, 95 04:38:55 pm
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> 
> 
> Hello,
> 
> I am a new freebsd user and I have encountered a real weird problem.
> 
> I created a bootable floppy (boot_144.flp), booted it and used sysinstall
> to create proper slices, partitions, etc.... wrote MBR and boot code and label.
> 
> At this point I was asked to remove the floppy and boot from the HD (IDE
> 1.25GB on a P75 Packard Bell system, PCI bus.) Boot manager would not
> boot my newly installed kernel from the HD.
> 
> I was able to fool it: I booted the floppy again and I told the FreeBSD
> boot monitor to go and boot hd(0,a)/kernel. It worked fine and I was able
> to continue the installation.
> 
> Now, since this will be a production machine, I need to be able to have
> an automated boot sequence. My prefered choice would be to get rid of the
> broken boot manager ( I run the same version at home on a 486dx2/50, 1GB
> IDE disk, ISA bus, ATI ultra pro, and the boot manager works fine).
> 
> I did notice a certain difference between what the BIOS thinks my HD is
> (geometry) and what FreeBSD thinks it is. For my BIOS, the HD is 2477 cyl,
> 16 heads and 63 secs for a total of 1278MB. For FreeBSD it is the same thing
> except that it thinks it is 1219MB. (the right number is 1278=16*63*2477*512)
no,
1MB is 1024 x 1024 = 2^20 = 1048576 bytes

16*63*2477*512 = 1278369792 bytes
1278369792/1048576 = 1219MB


alooks like 2.0 version?
did you both select 'whole disk' AND a boot manager?
the two options are incompatible under 2.0
and result in a similar problem..

failing that make sure that your geometry is the SAME as what the BIOS
expects  AND that your last block is the LAST BLOCK OF A CYLINDER
according to the BIOS geometry.




> 
> I wonder if that's what is breaking the boot manager.....
no
> 
If FreeBSD is the only OS, then don't install the boot monitor.

> 
julian
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