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Date: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 10:49:13 +0200
From: Nadav Eiron <nadav@barcode.co.il>
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To: centroel@snefru.comm2000.it
CC: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject: Re: A (simple) Post-Installation problem
References: <33258D3C.3DEA@comune.casale-monferrato.al.it>
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CentroEL wrote:
> 
> Hello, I write you from Italy.
> 
> Here you the problem I hope you can solve.
> 
> I downloaded the entire /bin directory from your ftp site and the boot
> end fixit floppy.
> 
> I installed only the bin directory fon a DOS partition and the
> installation program go through all of the 66 bin files and do not show
> any apparent error.
> 
> When i reboot, the system starts with the usual line, then start with
> default command line....the system check and load a variety of devices,
> included the Hard Drive IDE (master on the second PCI EIDE port)
> 
> THE PROBLEM IS...after that above,the last message on screen is:
> 
> PANIC...can't mount / file system
> THE SYSTEM WILL REBOOT WITHIN 15 SECONDS
> 
> Can you tell me something??       Thanks a lot
> 
>                                                         Mauro

Well, this is pretty much a FAQ and looking through the mail archives
will give you a bunch of solutions. Basically:

give 1:wd(2,a)/kernel at the Boot: prompt (this is assuming 2.1.7, don't
know about other versions...). You will also need a new kernel, so you
should download and install (at least) the kernel sources distribution
as well once you get your system up and running for the first time. You
can find teh kernel sources as ssys.* in the src directory.

Once you get that either:
1. Build a kernel with the line "config kernel root on wd2" in it
or:
2. Rename your disk in the kernel config file so that it is called wd1
and modify /etc/fstab.

This should make the boot succeed with the default settings.

Nadav