From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Oct 25 10:06:22 2007 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D26E416A41A for ; Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:06:22 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from perryh@pluto.rain.com) Received: from agora.rdrop.com (agora.rdrop.com [199.26.172.34]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id BFECE13C494 for ; Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:06:22 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from perryh@pluto.rain.com) Received: from agora.rdrop.com (25@localhost [127.0.0.1]) by agora.rdrop.com (8.13.1/8.12.7) with ESMTP id l9PA2Zwl060413 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NOT); Thu, 25 Oct 2007 03:06:20 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from perryh@pluto.rain.com) Received: (from uucp@localhost) by agora.rdrop.com (8.13.1/8.12.9/Submit) with UUCP id l9P7WQgk022305; Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:32:26 -0700 (PDT) Received: from fbsd61 by pluto.rain.com (4.1/SMI-4.1-pluto-M2060407) id AA24873; Thu, 25 Oct 07 00:20:21 PDT Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:19:27 -0700 From: perryh@pluto.rain.com To: lorin.lund@gmail.com Message-Id: <4720437f.0iZxRIZnBMGw++yt%perryh@pluto.rain.com> References: <20071024124508.GA17482@ozzmosis.com> <20071024160437.GF88476@gizmo.acns.msu.edu> <472023D4.9010404@infowest.com> In-Reply-To: <472023D4.9010404@infowest.com> User-Agent: nail 11.25 7/29/05 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: hidden disk geometry on Compaq Presario V2000 X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:06:22 -0000 Lorin Lund wrote: > I have a Compaq Presario Notebook in the V2000 series. > I just replaced the hard drive because the original was getting > disk errors. > > I have a WD Scorpio 120 GB. When I try to load FreeBSD I get an > error message when I get to the partition the disk stage. It > says my disk geometry is wrong. It says I need to use whatever > numbers my BIOS uses. But my BIOS doesn't show the disk geometry > numbers anywhere I can see. How can I proceed? How can I find > out what disk geometry to use? One method, which I think may be mentioned in the Handbook, is to boot the Windows install CD (that presumably came with the Presario) and use its fdisk to create a small partition. You don't need to actually install Windows, just create a partition as if you were going to install it. Then boot the FreeBSD CD and sysinstall will figure out the geometry from the Windows master boot record.