From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sat Jan 26 14:35:50 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 2B05C16A419 for ; Sat, 26 Jan 2008 14:35:50 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from ghirai@ghirai.com) Received: from iota.fastbighost.com (iota.fastbighost.com [65.98.8.190]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id EEA1A13C465 for ; Sat, 26 Jan 2008 14:35:49 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from ghirai@ghirai.com) Received: from [89.123.34.240] (port=54756 helo=deimos.bsd.nix) by iota.fastbighost.com with esmtpsa (TLSv1:AES256-SHA:256) (Exim 4.68) (envelope-from ) id 1JIm8F-0001MR-BM; Sat, 26 Jan 2008 14:35:43 +0000 Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2008 16:34:43 +0200 From: Ghirai To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Message-Id: <20080126163443.dcdf9202.ghirai@ghirai.com> In-Reply-To: <479B3BCE.3050808@student.utwente.nl> References: <479B3BCE.3050808@student.utwente.nl> X-Mailer: Sylpheed 2.4.8 (GTK+ 2.12.5; i386-portbld-freebsd7.0) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-PopBeforeSMTPSenders: ghirai@ghirai.com X-Antivirus-Scanner: Clean mail though you should still use an Antivirus X-AntiAbuse: This header was added to track abuse, please include it with any abuse report X-AntiAbuse: Primary Hostname - iota.fastbighost.com X-AntiAbuse: Original Domain - freebsd.org X-AntiAbuse: Originator/Caller UID/GID - [47 12] / [47 12] X-AntiAbuse: Sender Address Domain - ghirai.com X-Source: X-Source-Args: X-Source-Dir: Cc: "Alphons \"Fonz\" van Werven" Subject: Re: [FreeBSD] 6.3-R diskhandling 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: Sat, 26 Jan 2008 14:35:50 -0000 On Sat, 26 Jan 2008 13:55:26 +0000 "Alphons \"Fonz\" van Werven" wrote: > 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 > This article might help: http://www.clearchain.com/wiki/FreeBSD_%26_Windows_Vista -- Regards, Ghirai.