From - Tue Apr 20 23:09:52 1999 X-Mozilla-Status: 0001 X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 FCC: /c|/Program Files/Netscape/Users/rjob/Mail/Sent X-Mozilla-News-Host: news.gulftel.com Message-ID: <371D4F90.B8F0EA58@gulftel.com> Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 23:09:52 -0500 From: bob olbrich X-Mozilla-Draft-Info: internal/draft; vcard=0; receipt=0; uuencode=0; html=0; linewidth=74 X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.5 [en] (Win98; I) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc To: cjclark@home.com, davon@shires.org, FreeBSD-questions@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: boot syntax and 3.1-release References: <199904201448.KAA09620@cc942873-a.ewndsr1.nj.home.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello, First, I am a new user. Back in 97 I first tried to install (via ftp), but I found out that my modem was in the winmodem category. I dropped FreeBSD until I purchased a new computer in March 99. With my new modem I could use the FTP installation fully for the first time. Onto my configuration. My configuration is very simple. My HP Pavilion has a single IDE hard drive (Quantum Bigfoot 11.5GB) with two partitions. Partition 1 is win98 (9.5MB) and partition 2 is FreeBSD (2 GB, at the end of the disk). I made my two boot floppies(kern.flp and mfsroot.flp) and booted off the first. I configured my devices and chose to do a quick and minimal install. I changed the 2nd dos partition to a freebsd partition,and created the following disk structure: / 100 MB swap 250 MB (128MB RAM) /var 100 MB /usr 1545 MB I followed the rest of the steps, switcted to the alt-F screen, typed term, dialed my modem, switched back, and watched the download begin. I had chosen to set debugging on and saw the components of bin download. This is where the confusion began.I chose to use the booteasy and I do get a menu prompt like F1-DOS F2-FreeBSD, but only F1 works. I got a reply to this in which somebody said that there is a 500MB restriction in the BIOS that prevents FreeBSD from accessing the partition at the end of the disk. So it was suggested the I try to boot the hard drive from the floppy. First off, where is the boot prompt on the 3.1 -release boot floppies? It is not simple as in the 2.x.x floppy. Someone said you can hit enter to get it but the cursor moves a line below it. I even tried booting with an older (2.2.8) version of the boot floppy. That's where I get the error with 1:wd(0,a)kernel : error D:0x81 C:0 H:0 S:0 Since I could not boot I wondered about the fixit floppy. I'm not an experienced system administrator but I thought their may be a few simple commands that I might use to double-check the download. That's about it. I appreciate any suggestions. Bob Olbrich rjob@gulftel.com "Crist J. Clark" wrote: > bob olbrich wrote, > > Hello, > > > > You replied to one of my e-mails a few weeks ago. > > You gave a new boot syntax (i.e. 1:wd(0,1,a)). Is > > this discussed in detail somewhere? > > The best place I can think of is 'man 8 boot', but there are quite a > few entries in the Handbook and FAQ about booting. The only time the > slice number becomes inportant is when you have multiple FreeBSD > _slices_ on a single device. At other times, you can just leave it > out. > > > I'm still having > > difficulties trying to boot FreeBSD. > > I looked you up in the mail archives to find your problem. According > to the archives, you've been posting since August of '97? And you're > still a new UNIX user having boot problems? :) > > > Also, I > > can't seem to get my questions answered on the > > mailing list or newsgroup. > > Last I saw, you were saying that hitting a F-key at the BootEasy > prompt 'did nothing.' Is that still the problem? You might not be > getting much help from the list or newsgroup since there is not a lot > there to go on to diagnose the problem. How did you install? What did > you install on to (what types of hard drive(s))? Exactly what appears > at the boot prompt? Exactly what happens when you make your selection? > > I'd like to help, but I am no termendous expert with this either. I've > installed FreeBSD 2.2.x and 3.1 on several machines (some off of > CDROM, some by ftp over Ethernet), but all were onto IDE HDs > cohabitating with Windows9x/NT. If that sounds like your situation, I > might be able to help. > -- > Crist J. Clark cjclark@home.com