Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2003 16:53:19 -0700 From: sd <xscd@xscd.com> To: questions@freebsd.org Subject: Phoenix BIOS, hard disk data loss Message-ID: <200312041653.19817.xscd@xscd.com>
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On the chance that this information might help someone else. Some months ago, just after buying a Tyan Tiger s2466 MPX dual processor motherboard and installing FreeBSD 5.0 on it, I experienced a lot of data loss (lost files and directories, unrecoverable by fsck). I thought the problem might be related to disk geometry (I'm fairly new to FreeBSD and the sysinstall disk geometry warning concerned me). However, after a couple months I decided to change just one setting in the Phoenix BIOS: Large Disk Access Mode There are two options for Large Disk Access Mode: "DOS" and "Other" The help text for this item says: "This option denotes that a hard drive with more than 1024 cylinders, more than 16 heads and or more than 64 tracks per sector is present. Choose OTHER when using OSes such as UNIX." So, at first I had chosen "Other." However, after all the data loss, I felt I had nothing (more) to lose so I changed it to DOS just to see if it made a difference. Apparently it did. I have experienced no more lost data (from hard disk corruption or problems) in the six or so months since I made the change. Maybe this will help someone else. Thanks, Steve D -- ---------------------------------------------------------------- Good luck favors the bold and confident, and if one shrinks from fear of adventure, then fate conspires to provide adventure to one in their hiding place. ----------------------------------------------------------------
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