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Date:      Sun, 28 Jun 1998 22:43:51 +0930
From:      Matthew Thyer <thyerm@camtech.net.au>
To:        Greg Lehey <grog@lemis.com>
Cc:        Mike Smith <mike@smith.net.au>, Matthew Thyer <Matthew.Thyer@dsto.defence.gov.au>, Terry Lambert <tlambert@primenet.com>, Jonathan Lemon <jlemon@americantv.com>, current@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: 'fatal trap 12' on boot (smp and up)
Message-ID:  <3596418F.5AFDC7D1@camtech.net.au>
References:  <199806270151.SAA09466@antipodes.cdrom.com> <35959EE1.197BE9D5@camtech.net.au> <19980628123937.G28055@freebie.lemis.com>

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Greg Lehey wrote:
>
> > Conclusion) FreeBSD should not be relying on these vectors being
> > unmodified.  Particularly when the broken code in question is going
> > to become mandatory.
> 
> FreeBSD doesn't.  What we're talking about is a standalone boot
> program that none of us use anyway.  And the broken code is anything
> but mandatory.  Understand what we're trying to tell you: run
> Microsoft if you must, but don't try to use it to run FreeBSD.

FreeBSD does.  I say FreeBSD because when "options VM86" becomes a
mandatory option you cannot remove it.  This then triggers the
broken code (being the memory size checking IIRC).

There is nothing wrong with fbsdboot.exe.  It's just that it cannot
ensure that these vectors have not been changed and then later
code requires them to be unchanged.

I only use fbsdboot.exe to recover when Microsloth has trashed my
boot sector (usually from re-installing Win95 which has to be done
once a month or so as it's a piece of crap that gets itself screwed
up all the time).

I should use a FreeBSD boot disk and I will in the future.

I'm just slightly pissed that a function that can be performed now
is about to be lost because of an assumption in the code.

I hate to lose functionality.

> > When I say "floppies have been formatted with Windows 98" I obviously
> > mean "formatted to be bootable." since I was replying to your
> > suggestion of "boot from a floppy".  Dont try to cloud the issue by
> > stating the obvious "the formatter doesn't matter a damn".
> 
> You misunderstand the situation.  A FreeBSD boot diskette is a FreeBSD
> boot diskette, not a bootable Microsoft floppy.  Once you copy the
> data to it, it knows nothing of Microsoft disk formats.

I dont misunderstand.  I know the difference between a FreeBSD boot
disk and a DOS boot disk.   I thought we were talking about booting
from a DOS floppy so I can run fbsdboot.exe.

What you are saying is boot from a FreeBSD boot disk.  If I dont have
one of these I might be in trouble in the future (I do have one)
especially if I dont have a FreeBSD CD (having installed from the net).

Answer:  Always make a FreeBSD boot disk.

> 
> Greg
> --
> See complete headers for address and phone numbers
> finger grog@lemis.com for PGP public key
> 
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-- 
/=====================================================================\
|Work: Matthew.Thyer@dsto.defence.gov.au | Home: thyerm@camtech.net.au|
\=====================================================================/
"If it is true that our Universe has a zero net value for all conserved
quantities, then it may simply be a fluctuation of the vacuum of some
larger space in which our Universe is imbedded. In answer to the
question of why it happened, I offer the modest proposal that our
Universe is simply one of those things which happen from time to time."
 E. P. Tryon   from "Nature" Vol.246 Dec.14, 1973

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