From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Jun 18 18:15:42 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9D65B37B401 for ; Wed, 18 Jun 2003 18:15:42 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mail3.panix.com (mail3.panix.com [166.84.1.74]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id CC46643F85 for ; Wed, 18 Jun 2003 18:15:41 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from fj@panix.com) Received: from panix3.panix.com (panix3.panix.com [166.84.1.3]) by mail3.panix.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2393E983FE for ; Wed, 18 Jun 2003 21:15:41 -0400 (EDT) Received: (from fj@localhost) by panix3.panix.com (8.11.6p2/8.8.8/PanixN1.1) id h5J1Fe611643 for FreeBSD-questions@FreeBSD.org; Wed, 18 Jun 2003 21:15:40 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2003 21:15:40 -0400 From: Joe Altman To: FreeBSD-questions@FreeBSD.org Message-ID: <20030619011540.GA8322@panix.com> Mail-Followup-To: Joe Altman , FreeBSD-questions@FreeBSD.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.1i Subject: FreeBSD 5.1 Release, WMe, Invalid Partition Error after 5.1 install X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2003 01:15:42 -0000 Greetings, listmembers....if 5.1 Release questions are better on the list for current, please let me know...I'm not quite sure where the lines are in this apparently interim period. I recently performed the following act of Doh: 1) Partitioned a 30 Gig Seagate IDE under dos fdisk, allocating 8 Gig to WMe for Unreal Tournament. 2) Installed Me, and the game, configured the necessaries, and voila it booted fine. 3) Then, I installed 5.1 in preparation for a complete move to it on my main machine. That went fine, and booting was a cinch. I was using the FBSD bootloader, F2 for FreeBSD as usual. 4) Trying to use F1 after the FreeBSD install, however, failed with an "invalid partition" message. IOW, WMe would not boot. FreeBSD continued to boot just fine. The partition was seen by both fdisks. I've installed the boot loader in 4.3 - 4.8, and never had this problem. I could go through the steps presented to me in the sysinstall process, but they appear identical to the last 4.x install I did, years ago, so I don't know if that is relevant. Did I miss an announcement about incompatabilities between Mes' fdisk/partitioning scheme, and FreeBSDs' bootloader, particularly 5.1, or what....? I'm quite perplexed; is this somehow related to the new bootloader stuff referenced here, specifically Section 4: http://www.freebsd.org/releases/5.1R/errata.html I think that what I am really interested in is whether or not anyone has ever seen such an error, post-BSD install, where the other OS just will not boot. Nothing fixes it; wiping the BSD install, nope; fdisk /mbr, nada. In fact, I can't use the BSD fdisk to delete the partition...I am presented with an 'unable to write changes' type of error message, and I am forced to use the dos fdisk, but that still doesnt' repair whatever was broken. Also, I was always under the impression that BSD just doesnt' fubar other OSes MBRs. So it must be something else. But what? The machine itself is not crucial to my online/work needs, and it is at this point a test bed for 5.1. But I do need my UTEO, so any help is appreciated. -- Free the West Memphis Three http://www.wm3.org/