From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sat Jan 26 13:55:47 2008 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 4F23C16A419 for ; Sat, 26 Jan 2008 13:55:47 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from a.j.werven@student.utwente.nl) Received: from filter2-tmobile.zx.nl (filter2-tmobile.zx.nl [194.187.76.139]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id EA0BC13C442 for ; Sat, 26 Jan 2008 13:55:46 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from a.j.werven@student.utwente.nl) Received: from localhost (localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1]) by filter2-tmobile.zx.nl (Postfix) with ESMTP id F15791C72F2 for ; Sat, 26 Jan 2008 14:55:43 +0100 (CET) X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at zx.nl Received: from filter2-tmobile.zx.nl ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (filter2.zx.nl [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10127) with ESMTP id 14-0YClQyDfn for ; Sat, 26 Jan 2008 14:55:24 +0100 (CET) Received: from [127.0.0.1] (unknown [84.241.202.163]) by filter2-tmobile.zx.nl (Postfix) with ESMTP for ; Sat, 26 Jan 2008 14:55:24 +0100 (CET) Message-ID: <479B3BCE.3050808@student.utwente.nl> Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2008 13:55:26 +0000 From: "Alphons \"Fonz\" van Werven" User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.9 (Windows/20071031) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Subject: [FreeBSD] 6.3-R diskhandling X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list Reply-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2008 13:55:47 -0000 Hi, I have a recent model Toshiba laptop here, dual-booting Windows Vista and Slackware Linux (not my call, so no flames please). When I got the go-ahead to replace Linux with FreeBSD 6.3-RELEASE, the following happened: The partitioner complained that the found geometry 232581/16/63 is invalid and it's using a more likely geometry instead. Closer inspection reveals that this "more likely" geom (14593/255/63) is actually the real geometry, so question 1 is: where did FreeBSD get this other weird-ass geometry from? When installing the boot manager, it hosed Windows' bootability. I could mount and access the Windows partition from within FreeBSD just fine so the partition itself seemed to be okay, but it just wouldn't boot. When I selected it in the bootmanager menu, it showed a screen saying Windows can't boot and I should use the recovery disk to repair Windows. Since everything on the machine that was even remotely important had just been backed up and Windows was due for a reinstall anyway, I just reinstalled it and no harm was done, but I still wonder what happened. How come FreeBSD's boot manager stopped Windows from booting? The reinstall of Windows wiped away everything else, so I can retry installing FreeBSD. But given the troubles described above, what's the best way to do it? Currently, I'm considering the following: 1. Boot this Live Linux CD I have lying around here and which finds the correct geometry for the disk right away. 2. Make a backup of the MBR. 3. Create a partition (slice) for FreeBSD. 4. Boot the FreeBSD install disk and run through sysinstall (partitioning the slice Linux just created) but don't let it install a boot loader. 5. Boot the Live Linux again and install LILO from there. But if you have any other suggestions I'm all ears of course. Oh, and a final question: the Windows installer creates a partition table in which partitions (slices) don't end on cylinder/track boundaries. Is this a big deal? Linux notices it but doesn't seem bothered much by it and FreeBSD appears to act likewise. But I thought I'd better ask, just to be sure. Thanks in advance, Alphons -- VISTA - Viruses Intruders Spyware Trojans Adware