Date: Fri, 22 Jan 2010 08:09:50 -0600 From: John <john@starfire.mn.org> To: Fbsd1 <fbsd1@a1poweruser.com> Cc: freebsd-questions <questions@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: "Invalid partition table" after installation (GOOD NEWS!) Message-ID: <20100122080950.B28958@starfire.mn.org> In-Reply-To: <20100122072756.A28958@starfire.mn.org>; from john@starfire.mn.org on Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 07:27:56AM -0600 References: <20100121014759.B3377@starfire.mn.org> <4B58127E.9000106@a1poweruser.com> <20100121065206.B8574@starfire.mn.org> <4B5863D6.2000800@a1poweruser.com> <20100121180336.B17543@starfire.mn.org> <4B59973B.8040203@a1poweruser.com> <20100122063614.A27734@starfire.mn.org> <20100122072756.A28958@starfire.mn.org>
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On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 07:27:56AM -0600, John wrote: > On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 06:36:14AM -0600, John wrote: > > On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 08:16:59PM +0800, Fbsd1 wrote: > > > John wrote: > > > > On Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 10:25:26PM +0800, Fbsd1 wrote: > > > >> John wrote: > > > >>> On Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 04:38:22PM +0800, Fbsd1 wrote: > > > >>>> John wrote: > > > >>>>> I've tried the "modern BIOS" geometry and the "255 head" geometry. > > > >>>>> I've ensured that the first slice (boot slice) is smaller than 1.5 > > > >>>>> Gb. I've tried to figure out what the BIOS thinks the geometry > > > >>>>> is, but it doesn't seem to want to tell me. At least, I can't find > > > >>>>> it in the BIOS menu anywhere. When I boot from the CD-ROM with > > > >>>>> the 255 head geometry, though, it complains about the disk geometry, > > > >>>>> saying 16h,63s != 255h,63s or something like that - it flies by > > > >>>>> pretty fast (is there a way to go back and see that from the CD-ROM > > > >>>>> "boot only" boot?). > > > >>>>> > > > >>>>> I'm using the "Standard" boot manager, and the entire disk is devoted > > > >>>>> to FreeBSD. > > > >>>>> > > > >>>>> System > > > >>>>> BIOS version PT84510A.86A.2004.P05 > > > >>>>> Processor Type: Intel Pentium 4 > > > >>>>> Processor speed: 2.20Ghz > > > >>>>> > > > >>>>> Memory: 512Mb > > > >>>>> > > > >>>>> Disk: Primary IDE Master ST380021A (Seagate Barracuda ATA IV 80Gb) > > > >>>>> Primary IDE Slave: IOMega ZIP 250 > > > >>>>> Secondary IDE Master: Sony CD-RW CRX19 (what I boot from to install) > > > >>>>> Secondary IDE Slave: DVD-ROM DDU1621 > > > >>>>> > > > >>>>> Boot sequence: > > > >>>>> 1) ATAPI CD-ROM > > > >>>>> 2) Hard Drive > > > >>>>> 3) "Removable Dev." > > > >>>>> > > > >>>>> "Modern BIOS" geometry: 155061/16/63 for ad0 > > > >>>>> "calculated" geometry: 9729/255/63 for ad0 > > > >>>>> > > > >>>>> ad0s1 start=63, size=2875572 > > > >>>>> ad0s2 start=2875635, size=10217340 > > > >>>>> ad0s3 start=13092975, size=143203410 > > > >>>>> unus start=156296384, size=5103 > > > >>>>> > > > >>>>> ad0s1a / 384Mb > > > >>>>> ad0s1d /usr 1Gb > > > >>>>> ad0s2b SWAP 1Gb > > > >>>>> ad0s2d /tmp 384Mb > > > >>>>> ad0s2e /var 512Mb > > > >>>>> ad0s2f /var/mail 2Gb > > > >>>>> ad0s2g /usr/ports 1Gb > > > >>>>> ad0s3d /home/mysql 4Gb > > > >>>>> ad0s3e /home 50Gb > > > >>>>> ad0s3f /usr/src 3Gb > > > >>>>> ad0s3g /usr/obj 3Gb > > > >>>>> ad0s3h /extra 8483Mb > > > >>>>> > > > >>>>> Suggestions, please? I'm making zero headway right now. :( > > > >>>> What version of FreeBSD are you running???? > > > >>> Well, yes, I suppose that would be a good bit of information! > > > >>> > > > >>> What I'm *TRYING* to run is 8.0. It seems to install successfully > > > >>> (of course - after doing all that), but then when I try to boot > > > >>> from the hard drive, I see an otherwise-blank screen that says: > > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >>> Invalid partition table > > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >>> and that's as far as it goes! > > > >>> > > > >>>> _______________________________________________ > > > >>>> freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > > > >>>> http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > > > >>>> To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org" > > > >> There are reports of this sort of thing caused by 8.0 fdisk when doing a > > > >> install from scratch over a hard drive that all ready has an older > > > >> version of Freebsd installed on it. > > > >> > > > >> The solution is to force the scratching of the MBR on the disk first > > > >> before running sysinstall fdisk. > > > >> > > > >> Boot a LiveFS CD, then at a root prompt do: > > > >> > > > >> sysctl kern.geom.debugflags=16 and: > > > >> > > > >> dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/adx oseek=1 bs=512 count=1 > > > >> > > > >> where x equals your drive number. > > > > > > > > OK. I did exactly that. I confirmed that the second 512 bytes were zero > > > > by doing a dd if/dev/ad0 bs=512 count=2 | od -c > > > > and everything from 001000 through 002000 was zero. > > > > > > > > But I still got "Invalid partition table" after the installation. > > > > > > > > I guess I should set up one of my other systems as a local mirror. > > > > I've done the installation so many time already, and it looks like > > > > I'm not done yet! > > > > > > On the 8.0 fdisk/MBR subject. > > > Doing dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/adx oseek=1 bs=512 count=1 was the > > > solution from another post to the list with subject 'SunFire X2100 > > > fails'. Here is another post that gives more details > > > http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/getmsg.cgi?fetch=322687+326879+/usr/local/ > > > www/db/text/2009/freebsd-questions/20091227.freebsd-questions > > > > > > It seems in 8.0 gpart was introduced and a change was made to fdisk to > > > support its sector o mbr format. 8.0 fdisk and disklabel are now broken. > > > > > > Searching the list archives may shed more light on your problem. > > > > Hmmm. This seems to describe a case where fdisk fails to change > > the slice table. That is definitely not my case. The changes > > certainly get made. The next time I go to retry the installation, > > it has the information I gave it the previous time. I suppose it is > > possible that it is putting it (and reading it) in the wrong location, > > which is why the MBR throws up. > > > > The problem is that I have a finite (and smallish) amount of time > > in which to solve this. It seems like the most expedient route > > forward at this point may be to try to install 7.2 and see how > > that goes. > > OK - well, I just tried with 7.2. I got exactly the same results. > After what seems like a successful installation, I try to boot from > the hard disk and get "Invalid partition table." Should I try Boot > Manager? Could that make a difference? Is it possible that this > combination of BIOS, processor, disk drive, etc., just isn't going > to to do for me? I can't just keep throwing hours at this problem. > -- > OK! Well! Good news! After a sort. I switched to BootMgr, and it came right up with 8.0! Slight downside - extra prompt during boot, and of course, it offers me all three slices, when I only need to boot from one. Is that's what's wrong with "Standard" MBR? Are all three FSD partitions (type 165) marked bootable and that's upsetting it? Can I change it so only one of them is marked bootable? Anyway, it appears that there is a problem with the "Standard" MBR boot. I don't think I was doing anything that unnatural - I wanted quite a few file systems, so I used multiple slices, both to keep the boot slice below 1.5Gb and to be able to support all the file systems I wanted, and maybe that's what upset it. I don't know. All I know is that Standard MBR didn't work, and BootMgr does. I'm willing to spend SOME time trying to debug / fix this for the good of the community and the next poor sucker who comes along behind me, but I need to move somewhat quickly. I actually plan to use this machine! -- John Lind john@starfire.MN.ORG
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