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From: Luigi Rizzo <luigi@labinfo.iet.unipi.it>
Message-Id: <199511161811.TAA05643@labinfo.iet.unipi.it>
Subject: Re: IDE/eIDE issues
To: kuku@gilberto.physik.rwth-aachen.de (Christoph P. Kukulies)
Date: Thu, 16 Nov 1995 19:11:56 +0100 (MET)
Cc: freebsd-hackers@freefall.freebsd.org
In-Reply-To: <199511161421.PAA22771@gilberto.physik.rwth-aachen.de> from "Christoph P. Kukulies" at Nov 16, 95 03:20:41 pm
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> For some installation tests I bought a brandnew Quantum Fireball640
> (612 MB) thinking it would be least risky to use IDE/eIDE to install FreeBSD.
> 
> But it turns out to be the most cumbersome installation I was doing
> ever :-(
> 
> I can't the hell get it to boot. After several tries with 
> 'missing operating system' results I finally got it to find
> the boot loader but when the kernel is being loaded
> all I can get is the first | from the twisting |/-\'s then hang.

Are you sure it is not the BIOS on your system/controller that does
automatic remapping of the geometry to something <= 1024 cylinders ?

I had this problem with a new Intel Zappa motherboard. Luckily
you can disable this feature in the bios.

I think there is some mention to this problem in the helpfiles
within the install floppy (as of 95100x snap), but it was so indirect
and hidden that one hardly finds it even if he knows what to look for.

I suggested Jordan to point out this specific problem (possibly in
simple words, e.g. "WARNING: disable automatic geometry remapping
in your bios, if present"), but have not checked the new floppies.

	Luigi
====================================================================
Luigi Rizzo                     Dip. di Ingegneria dell'Informazione
email: luigi@iet.unipi.it       Universita' di Pisa
tel: +39-50-568533              via Diotisalvi 2, 56126 PISA (Italy)
fax: +39-50-568522              http://www.iet.unipi.it/~luigi/
====================================================================