From owner-freebsd-stable Sat Jul 27 17:20: 0 2002 Delivered-To: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.FreeBSD.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1F60137B400 for ; Sat, 27 Jul 2002 17:19:56 -0700 (PDT) Received: from pc1-cove2-4-cust33.bir.cable.ntl.com (pc1-cove2-4-cust33.bir.cable.ntl.com [80.4.78.33]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id CBC3D43E4A for ; Sat, 27 Jul 2002 17:19:54 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from ianjhart@ntlworld.com) Received: from ntlworld.com (alpha.private.lan [192.168.0.2]) by pc1-cove2-4-cust33.bir.cable.ntl.com (8.12.3/8.12.3) with ESMTP id g6RNvHgA074423; Sun, 28 Jul 2002 00:57:18 +0100 (BST) (envelope-from ianjhart@ntlworld.com) Message-ID: <3D43335D.78197D5A@ntlworld.com> Date: Sun, 28 Jul 2002 00:57:17 +0100 From: ian j hart X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en] (X11; U; Linux 2.4.2 i386) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Andy Sparrow Cc: Andrea Monaldi , David Sieb rger , stable@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Cannot initialize disklabel References: <20020727222756.4917A171@CRWdog.demon.co.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: owner-freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk List-ID: List-Archive: (Web Archive) List-Help: (List Instructions) List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG Andy Sparrow wrote: > > > > Every time I've upgraded any HDD since ~4.2, I've attempted to > > > install FreeBSD directly without using any other OS. Each time, it's > > > failed due to fdisk using some strange geometry, which the BIOS can't > > > boot from afterwards (they've almost all been "large" drives, all > > > IDE). I had this problem most recently about a week ago, upgrading my > > > laptop drive to 40GB with a 4.6-RELEASE CD. > > > > Are you seriously saying that you have NEVER managed to install FBSD > > without this kludge? > > Not at all. I installed most of the 2.x & 3.x series on different hardware > multiple times without a hitch. Of course, those were mostly on smaller HDDs - > and the BIOSes on those machines are pretty ancient by now... > > But my laptop has a circa 2000 BIOS, and FreeBSD wouldn't install without the > workaround on the 6GB drive it came with, IIRC. I was having to set geometry manually on one particular M/B about this time period. I recently re-installed 4.6 without a hitch. (I did have to zero the MBR tho'.) > > > If I were you I'd have complained by now. > > ??? I've got a workaround that hasn't failed yet, and it's a known problem, to > the extent of being documented in the handbook. I've read this but I can't find it. Can you quote the section number? The point is not that you have a workaround. *You* are not a newbie. If you had reported your problems, at the very least they would be documented on the ML where a newbie might accidently stumble upon them. > > I'm mostly concerned about the possible impact on people who want to try the > OS, decide they can't get it work, and try something else. That can only hurt > us, I think. > But your comment, "Every time..." isn't helping. My experience is that I have NEVER, EVER, *HAD* to use MSDOS fdisk to install FBSD. I've had to do some weird shi^h^htuff, but never that. double ditto Linux (any flavor). Remember, every once in a blue moon a newbie will actually read this ML. Suggesting you need to own MSDOS to complete the install, doesn't help at all. > However, it's a known problem for which there is a workaround. *shrug*. This > is a volunteer project, and there are other things I'd personally rather see > fixed. > > Anyone posting to -questions about getting "OS Not Found" after sysinstall > would get the right answers pretty quick, I'd think. We'll probably lose the > ones that don't ask, but they're probably better suited to a life as > Penguinistas anyway... :) > > Cheers, > > AS > -- ian j hart To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-stable" in the body of the message