Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2017 03:42:34 +0200 From: Polytropon <freebsd@edvax.de> To: "Thomas Mueller" <mueller6722@twc.com> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Is it possible to install FreeBSD on a single MBR slice with ZFS ? Message-ID: <20170418034234.d8752257.freebsd@edvax.de> In-Reply-To: <96.0D.25473.6CB65F85@dnvrco-omsmta03> References: <VI1PR02MB12004B1D8A87B3E247FC1A66F6040@VI1PR02MB1200.eurprd02.prod.outlook.com> <e2f76fb0-05e0-5a53-1730-a5a64291c407@holgerdanske.com> <VI1PR02MB120024156110981D6A3B4C80F6060@VI1PR02MB1200.eurprd02.prod.outlook.com> <20170418014946.fa114b49.freebsd@edvax.de> <96.0D.25473.6CB65F85@dnvrco-omsmta03>
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On Tue, 18 Apr 2017 01:28:33 +0000, Thomas Mueller wrote:
> With either gpart or Rod Smith's gdisk, and I believe also
> NetBSD's gpt, you can save the GPT partition table data to
> a file, preferably on a different disk, such as a USB stick,
> and restore if the GPT partition table is damaged.
With GPT's metadata, it is more complicated. But if you have
a MBR layout, you can simply copy the partition table using
dd to a file (stored on a USB stick, for example), and dd it
back in case of trouble (bootable USB stick).
> Backup partition-table data file would have to be restored
> from the same partitioning software.
>
> This requires a USB-stick or other off-disk installation of
> FreeBSD that would include gpart or gdisk; gdisk also can be
> used under Linux.
>
> This would be better than Norton Disk Editor + handheld
> calculator + DOS boot floppy.
Keep in mind this is a _historical_ note from a time when
there was no USB, no bootable USB, no gpart or other tools.
No Internet. Only DOS. And floppies. And Norton was Norton
(not "The Yellow Plague" as the name suggests today). ;-)
> Your mention of OS/2 reminds me that this month, or about 10
> days ago, marks the sixteenth anniversary of the crash with
> OS/2 Warp 4. On rebooting, OS/2 CHKDSK ran automatically and
> ran amok, trashing all data on my second hard drive in addition
> to partition data on the smaller, first hard drive.
In my case, it was the OS/2 installer: Instead of using the
prepared 4th slice ("DOS primary partition"), it somehow
messed up the 1st slice, then run amok, and rebooted. With
a DOS boot disk, I found out that C: had D:'s content, D:
had E:'s content, but the original content of C: was gone.
_This_ is where NDD + calculator + pencil + paper got me all
my data on C: back. As a result, C:, D: and E: were present
as before the installation, and there was one unformatted
partition F:. But I never tried OS/2 on that disk again,
it got its own disk - and installed without any problems. :-)
--
Polytropon
Magdeburg, Germany
Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...
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