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Date: Tue, 25 Feb 1997 09:21:19 -0500 (EST)
From: "Jeffrey M. Metcalf" <jeffrey_m._metcalf@ccmail.bms.com>
Subject: How does the 'boot' command know the default boot device?
To: questions@freebsd.org
Cc: metcalf@snet.net
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     Hello,
     
     I was wondering how the 'boot' command which begins the FreeBSD
     bootstrap procedure knows what the default boot device is?  I 
     currently have the problem that whenever I try to boot my
     FreeBSD 2.1.5 system, the default boot device is set to 'fd(43)',
     which does not exist.  This causes a spontaneous reboot of the
     computer and forces me to have to type the following to the boot
     prompt every time I want to start FreeBSD
     
     boot: wd(0,a)/kernel
     
     I currently have two IDE hard drives, wd(1) being primarily a 
     backup to the main drive on wd(0).
     
     The wd(0) device used to be the default boot device when I ran
     FreeBSD 2.1.0 on a system with a different hd on wd(1).  After
     I changed my hard drive on wd(1) and updated to FreeBSD 2.1.5, I
     have been left with the nonexistent fd(43) as the default boot 
     device ever since.
     
     Any ideas?
     
     Thanks,
     
     J. Metcalf