Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2004 15:44:03 -0600 From: danl@solvnet.net To: Lowell Gilbert <freebsd-questions-local@be-well.no-ip.com>, freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: 4.9, 5.1 boot failure after install Message-ID: <4002C0C3.12700.2CEB8F@localhost> In-Reply-To: <44isk2s3c6.fsf@be-well.ilk.org> References: <3FEC133C.11489.27764D@localhost>
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We finally have mail working again. I heard a number of responses. though none was the actual solution, corporately they massaged one to being. From one guy who installed redhat, to someone using the live disk, to adjusting bootstraps I still couldn't get to the file system, even after installing slackware. Problem is the hologram was writing over the error prompt. It wasn't until I used the raid device format and attempted to install that I got a readable error "not close enough to boundary edge" that I caught on that I probably had a geometry problem. I installed slackware but that didn't work. Out of frustration I installed windows 2000 and successfully replaced it with 4.9. I then tried to replace that with 5.1 and it failed. I then tried to reinstall 4.9 and that failed. I then went back to installing windows 2000 then replacing it with 4.9 and writing the geometry down. On the next attempt to install 5.1 I saw the geometry changed and the install failed. I attempted to reinstall 4.9 and it failed. I again reinstalled 4.9 changing the geometry to what I'd written down and the install was successful. The geometry chosen by windows worked. Now I don't know if it is the best economy (could be windows huge blocks wasting space on small files) but it does work. Here's the rub, this geometry is a lucky guess on 17G drives, what about when I replace them with 50 or 80G drives. How do I figure out the proper geometry? I'd like to setup 5.1 before I commit this box to the network, but it needs a different geometry that I couldn't guess. Is there a requirement standard? A special offset at the start of the disk space? any help much appreciated. Dan To: danl@solvnet.net Copies to: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Send reply to: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: 4.9, 5.1 boot failure after install From: Lowell Gilbert <freebsd-questions-local@be-well.ilk.org> Date sent: 27 Dec 2003 10:11:21 -0500 > danl@solvnet.net writes: > > > Hello, > > > > I had 4.9 release working and did a clean install of 5.1 release over > > the 4.9 and ended up with boot failure after install. Using allBSD > > partition and standard MBR I get a missing operating system error. If I > > use the FreeBSD boot I just get "default F1" and a beep. Now trying to > > install the 4.9 gives the same results. > > > > I'm using a Mylex DAC960ptl (accelraid 250) with the primary disk > > setup as JBOD. I set the bootable disk as active but everytime I go > > back to config fdisk the flag is not set. > > > > I then upgraded and flashed the RAID card, reformatted the disks and > > tried a 4.9 install, again with the same results. > > > > Is there an issue with the DAC card geometry or BIOS? Or a subtle > > quirk that isn't documented yet? > > Sounds more like you're not using the option to actually write out the > results to disk. (W)rite, maybe?
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