Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 23:25:35 -0500 (CDT) From: Forrest Cahoon <forrest@abstractfactory.org> To: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.org Subject: Install problem -- can't mount disk Message-ID: <20021018.232535.92592630.forrest@abstractfactory.org>
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Hi!
This is my first experience with FreeBSD, although I've been running
Linux for seven years now, so I have some clue about UNIX-like OSes.
I'm trying to install FreeBSD 4.7 on an old Pentium 90, and when the
install is completed and the machine reboots, it can't find the root
partition.
I've installed Linux on this box with no problems, so the hardware
is basically OK.
The only drive in the machine is a 6 Gb Seagate IDE. The BIOS is so
old that it doesn't identify the disk size correctly, but I don't know
if that matters. (It doesn't to Linux.)
I'm doing the install with floppy images since this box is too old to
boot a CD.
The first thing that seems weird to me is in the FDISK Partition
Editor -- here's what it tells me:
Disk name: ad0 FDISK Partition Editor
DISK Geometry: 784 cyls/255 heads/63 sectors = 12594960 sectors (6149MB)
Offset Size(ST) End Name PType Desc Subtype Flags
0 63 62 - 6 unused 0
63 12257532 12257594 ad0s1 3 freebsd 165 C
12257595 337365 12594959 ad0s2 1 ext2fs 131
For LBA addressing, the geometry looks right. The geometry shows up
the same whether or not I have LBA enabled in the BIOS.
(The ad0s2 partition is actually a minefield of bad blocks. It needs
its own partition only to ensure that part of the disk isn't used.
It's an ext2 partition because this used to be a Linux box, and I
haven't messed with it.)
No matter what I do, I can't seem to get rid of the "unused" cylinder
at the beginning of the disk. I try deleting the freebsd partition
and creating a new partition starting at offset 0, but it always
inserts that empty cylinder. That's just weird. Neither Linux nor
DOS fdisk show this. When I use Linux fdisk to create a FreeBSD
partition, the FreeBSD partition editor will still show that there's
an empty first cylinder.
The rest of the install seems to go OK: I've tried both "BootMgr" and
"Standard" for the MBR; they both boot, but neither can find the root
partition.
I've taken all the defaults - "Auto" in the Disklabel Editor,
"Minimal" install from CD image ... that seems to go smoothly. When I
get to the prompt "Visit the general configuration menu for a chance
to set any last options?", I take the default "No", then exit install.
The machine boots, but when it gets to the disk mounting part, here's
what I see:
Mounting root from ufs:/dev/ad0s1a
no such device 'ad'
setrootbyname failed
ffs_mountroot: can't find rootvp
Root mount failed: 6
Then I get taken to the mountroot> prompt.
What's going on here? FDISK and the Disklabel Editor both see my hard
disk fine, and ad0s1a is correct name for my root partition.
I've tried at least a half dozen times now, with different variations
on BIOS settings and using Linux and DOS fdisk programs to prep the
disk. I keep running into the same problem.
Any help would be most appreciated.
--
| Forrest Cahoon | forrest@abstractfactory.org |
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