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From: laufen@sol.med.ge.com (Derek Laufenberg  x7-4534)
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Date: Wed, 30 Aug 95 15:27:15 CDT
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To: questions@freebsd.org, partek@indecent.com
Subject: Re: FreeBSD and the Promise 2300+ EIDE controller
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> 
> (Please send replies to partek@iquest.net)
> 
> After using Linux for 4 months, and learning more about FreeBSD, I 
> decided to give it a try. (The main thing that convinced me was the 
> kernel configure that's almost identical to SunOS 4.1.3)
> I tried 5 times yesterday to install FreeBSD 2.1.0-950726-SNAP. Each time
> the install over FTP went fine,(even though it took forever over my 28.8k
> modem) but when it came to booting the system from the HD, it would lock
> up looking something like this: 
> 
> ------------- 
> >> FreeBSD [Stuff I don't remember deleted]
> 
> Boot:
> |
> --------------
> 
> Then the computer was completely frozen. I was told on #FreeBSD that the
> problem sounded like it originated with my hard drive controller. I've
> tried every setting, and every configuration on the controller and it
> still did the same exact thing when trying to boot from the HD.. Is this
> controller just incompatable with FreeBSD, or am I doing something
> horribly wrong? I tried setting it up with the boot manager AND the
> standard MBR also.. 
> 

No, this controller works fine.  I have one in my BSD box.  You need
to disable the on-board bios.  There is a jumper on the card.  I did
that when I first loaded 2.0 and it worked fine.  I haven't changed 
the jumper since, so I don't know if the 2300+ bios works with the newer
FreeBSD boot scheme.

BTW: For dos, I load the eide drivers that Promise supplies so I still
get the improved proformance.


> Also, when installing I ran into another problem. When sysinstall went to 
> write the fdisk info to wd0, it would crash saying something like this:
> ------
> sysinstall: read input/output error
> panic: running away without my init!
> ------
> It then would force a reboot.
> I don't know what caused it, but if I erased the partition table and 
> started over, it seemed to work. Could this be related to the HDC too?
> 
> I refuse to go out and spend $80+ on a new EIDE controller, so I'm 
> willing to help out in any way I can on getting this to work. 
> 
> (Please send any replies to partek@iquest.net)
> 
> 

Derek Laufenberg
laufen@sol.med.ge.com