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Date:      Fri, 14 Jul 1995 18:48:22 -0500 (CDT)
From:      John Lind <john@starfire.mn.org>
To:        hackers@FreeBSD.org (FreeBSD hackers)
Subject:   HEYELP!  (486DL fails to boot 2.0.5R-CD floppy image)
Message-ID:  <199507142348.SAA00186@starfire.mn.org>

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Just got my CDs for 2.0.5R, and made all my backups and prepared to upgrade.
I made the boot floppy (since I don't have any DOS at all on this machine)
to do the install.  This floppy works fine on a 25Mhz 386 machine w/4Mb
of RAM, but on my 33Mhz 486DL w/16Mb of RAM, it is a reboot loop!

Whether or not I specify -c, it reads in the image from the floppy,
uncompresses the kernel (... Done), says it is Booting the kernel, then
BAM!  Instant reboot.  As nearly as my eyes can tell, there is no Copyright
notice or anything before the screen clears and it does the Reset code
stuff.

This system is a 486DL -- the Cyrix 486SX in a 386 pin configuration --
with a real Intel 387.  This system has been running FreeBSD 1.1 very
nicely since it came out, and is the system from which I am writing this
message (back under FreeBSD 1.1, obviously).  I tried booting both with
and without the CMOS cache config enabled, no difference.  Even though
this is a 486DL, I have never gone to the trouble to try to execute the
magic instruction that turns on some special cache mode.  If the 2.0.5R
kernel does, could that be the problem?  This motherboard was built to be
486DL compatible -- apparently there are some additional status lines that
the DL can use or does produce or something, but I have never run it
that way, to my knowledge.

There is no Shadow RAM or any magic like that enabled.  This same boot
floppy works great on my 25Mhz 386.

Help?  Workaround?

Very anxious to run 2.X -- this is a great thing, people, THANKS!

Say, while I'm bothering you anyway, has anyone played with a 486DL before,
and is that special instruction worth sticking in somehow somewhere if it
isn't there already?

		   John Lind, Starfire Consulting Services
E-mail: john@starfire.MN.ORG		USnail: PO Box 17247, Mpls MN  55417



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