From owner-freebsd-questions Mon Nov 16 15:51:39 1998 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id PAA07513 for freebsd-questions-outgoing; Mon, 16 Nov 1998 15:51:39 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG) Received: from resnet.uoregon.edu (resnet.uoregon.edu [128.223.144.32]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id PAA07506 for ; Mon, 16 Nov 1998 15:51:34 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from dwhite@resnet.uoregon.edu) Received: from localhost (dwhite@localhost) by resnet.uoregon.edu (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id PAA08075; Mon, 16 Nov 1998 15:51:04 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from dwhite@resnet.uoregon.edu) Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 15:51:04 -0800 (PST) From: Doug White To: Tony Tye cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Alternate booting methods In-Reply-To: <01be0f55$c71b6250$1923a8c0@photo03.post-gazette.com> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG On Fri, 13 Nov 1998, Tony Tye wrote: > I'm preparing to install FreeBSD on a Compaq 120 MHz (Intel processor). I > would prefer not to make any changes to my Master Boot Record right now, if > I can avoid it. > > Does FreeBSD have an alternate method of booting, comparable to Linux's > Loadlin, for example? Or can it be booted directly from a floppy, without > touching the MBR? You can set up a boot floppy to automatically start your kernel on the hard drive; I do this for my workstation (with an overgrown disk). Once you image the boot disk, there's a few sectors leftover. Mount the boot floppy and make /boot.config with wd(0,a)/kernel or whatever your boot string is. Unmount the disk and you should be good to go next boot. > Also, if there is an alternate boot method, can it handle a FreeBSD > installation above the 1024th cylinder? I have an old BIOS which does not > recognize large hard drives, and it would be easier to install at the end of > a drive. This is a BIOS limitation, and it can't be gotten around, sorry. Doug White Internet: dwhite@resnet.uoregon.edu | FreeBSD: The Power to Serve http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~dwhite | www.freebsd.org To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message