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Date:      Mon, 17 Apr 2017 19:14:46 +0000
From:      Manish Jain <bourne.identity@hotmail.com>
To:        Shamim Shahriar <shamim.shahriar@gmail.com>
Cc:        "freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.org" <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
Subject:   Re: Is it possible to fix slice order with gpart/any other tool ?
Message-ID:  <VI1PR02MB12006146FCBC5F98F4D548BBF6060@VI1PR02MB1200.eurprd02.prod.outlook.com>
In-Reply-To: <CAOyJeZT4js8UhHXVTjCpjXqRWewGQTtEC-td=Lb%2BowCH1%2B34Ow@mail.gmail.com>
References:  <VI1PR02MB1200105F68383363B35D0DE9F6060@VI1PR02MB1200.eurprd02.prod.outlook.com> <CAOyJeZT4js8UhHXVTjCpjXqRWewGQTtEC-td=Lb%2BowCH1%2B34Ow@mail.gmail.com>

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On Monday 17 April 2017 11:58 PM, Shamim Shahriar wrote:
> Hello
>
> Just out of curiosity, did you try changing the vfs.root.mount option=20
> in the loader.conf? Also, I'm not sure what you mean by having to=20
> press F2 -- it can mean do many different things at various stages of=20
> booting, if refrain from using a guess.
>
> Hope this helps
>

Hi Shamim,

Thanks for responding. Your tip would probably have been more useful had=20
the FreeBSD installation been rendered unbootable - which is not the=20
case here. It is just that I was having to press F2 instead of F3 to=20
boot FreeBSD.

BTW, F<n> is the function key methodology that the Boot Easy manager=20
installed via boot0cfg uses to boot operating systems on an MBR disk. If=20
I were to list the things in FreeBSD which make it better than anything=20
else on this planet, my list would begin with : No-Blink Cursor;=20
Beastie; the inbuilt ports+pkg combination; and - last but surely not=20
the least - Boot Easy.

Returning to my problem, I ran into some seriously good luck. A google=20
search got me to locate there there are commercial tools on the internet=20
which can alter slice indexes in the MBR table. But there is no way I am=20
ever to going to pay for commercial software. Software must either be=20
open-source or free - even pirated software seems a better option to me=20
than commercial goodies  : -)

But since there are tools available that claim to do be able to do this,=20
I opined that it would be worth a shot to see the effects of recreating=20
the slice from within Windows. (I was anyway ready the delete all slices=20
and install FreeBSD afresh with the right MBR indexes for slices).

So I booted Windows again, and used CompMgmt.msc to create a slice in=20
the 'hole' at ada0s2. (As per the correct/normal geometry : ada0s3 is=20
FreeBSD and ada0s4 is already occupied with an EBR slice).

To my pleasant surprise, MS did a darned good thing : it created the=20
slice; and simultaneously  shuffled the slice order yet again to=20
normalize them with 2 after 1; 3 after 2; and 4 after 3.

So it ends pleasantly for me. When I rebooted the system, Boot Easy=20
prompted me with F3 for FreeBSD. And the installation boots normally=20
when I press F3 - as if nothing ever happened.

But I do wish folks reading this message to draw a lesson : never use=20
Windows for management of non-native slices. As far as possible, use=20
gpart Or Linux fdisk.

Regards
Manish Jain





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