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Date:      Sun, 4 Nov 2001 09:24:29 -0800
From:      "Sean Noonan" <noonans@cx952600-a.fed1.sdca.home.com>
To:        <questions@freebsd.org>
Cc:        <noonans@home.com>
Subject:   Install Probs - Sony VAIO PCG-GR250P notebook - Intel PRO 100 /VE NIC
Message-ID:  <KIEPJNLEBFIFHLFBELKMCEKFEHAA.noonans@cx952600-a.fed1.sdca.home.com>

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(Sorry if this is posted twice)

Hi Everyone,

I'm the semi-proud owner of a new Sony VAIO notebook, model PCG-GR250P.
This is a 1GHz P3 box, 256MB RAM, ATI Radeon Mobile graphics card with 16MB
RAM, combo CD-RW/DVD drive, built-in Intel PRO 100/VE NIC, and a 20GB ATA
HD.  Since it doesn't have a floppy drive I got a USB 1.44 floppy, too.

The first thing I did was contemplate blowing away Windows XP Pro
completely, but then I decided I had better keep it for those apps I need
for work.  Plus, Sony doesn't actually give you XP installation disks.  The
best you get is "restore CDs", which I understand restores the box to it's
factory condition.  Oh well.  I *was* able to use Partition Magic to make XP
occupy only half of the 20GB HD, leaving the other half for FreeBSD.  I then
immediately began to install 4.4-RELEASE on the second half of the drive :-)

I decided to install FreeBSD via the 2 floppies and then FTP the rest of the
installation.  That process went very weird; The floppies loaded the boot
disks extremely slowly, like 15 minutes per disk.  But it did work.  Sort
of.  The installation process froze just as the installation routine began
to mount the root partition.

I chalked this up to the USB floppy installation and decided to download the
ISO CD and give that a try instead.  As I was waiting for the ISO to
download, I realized I had a 4.3-RELEASE CD nearby.  I grabbed it, and
things went almost perfect--except for the recognition of the built-in Intel
PRO 100/VE NIC.  No go.  I searched the archives and found one instance of
someone asking about the Intel PRO 100/VE NIC.  The responder said to turn
of PNP in the BIOS.  The original poster responded backing saying "thanks",
that turning off PNP in the BIOS did the trick.  I started to really get my
hopes up.  I turned off PNP too, but the box still didn't recognize the PRO
100/VE adapter.

So I decided to wait until the 4.4-RELEASE CD was downloaded and burned,
thinking that maybe code for the adapter was added after 4.3-RELEASE.  To my
surprise, the 4.4-RELEASE CD hung at the exact same point as the 4.4-RELEASE
install via floppies.  Damn.

So, here's the situation:  I can install 4.3-RELEASE, but it doesn't detect
the PRO 100/VE.  I can't install 4.4-RELEASE at all.

Can anyone provide any suggestions on how to proceed?  I really want FreeBSD
on this box!!

Thanks in advance,

Sean Noonan


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