Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 22:24:57 -0000 From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Bj=F6rn_Patrick_Swift?= <bjorn@innn.is> To: <freebsd-stable@freebsd.org>, <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: RE: Boot failed - all data lost - SOLVED Message-ID: <09A1AF8C8C150046B67CE1A8DE345037042A19@exchange01.is.innn.is>
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Hi, and thanks for all the replies (on and off the list). I got the machine back from my Dell vendor last Friday with the explanation that it's BIOS (Dell A02) was broken. Under some operating systems, disabling the USB controller could interfere with the OS's boot process. Now, they weren't familiar with this "FreeSDF" system but they thought that might be it. Just to be sure they decided to format the disks, install Windows 200 Server and see if they could get the machine to boot. It booted. This may be the best way to troubleshoot hardware, but I beg to differ. Once back in my office I downgraded to A02 and installed FreeBSD. I tried disabling the USB controller in the BIOS with the same results as before. Boot failed and no sign of any data. Doing the same procedure with A03 has no affect and therefor I have written this off as a Dell BIOS thing. Of course, since Dell does not officially support other OSes than Windows or Redhat linux - running FreeBSD was at my own risk and I will have to pay for the times spent on "fixing" the machine. Thanks again for your replies, Bjorn Swift > -----Original Message----- > From: Robert L Sowders [mailto:rsowders@usgs.gov] > Sent: 9. ágúst 2002 21:14 > To: freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG > Cc: freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG; owner-freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG > Subject: Re: Boot failed - all data lost > > > Is this a SCSI disk? > > I had this same problem last night, it turned out to be a bad > SCSI cable. > The disks were found on boot and the SCSI bios could see them > on the chain > but when it tried to boot it kept saying no disk found. I > booted a DOS > disk with fdisk and it also couldn't see the disk. I almost > trashed the > drive. On a whim I replaced the cable and it everything > worked. It turns > out the scsi cable had a bad active terminator. I replaced > the cable and > everything came back. > > If your system is scsi, it's something to try anyway. > > > > > > > > Hanspeter Roth <hanspeter_roth@hotmail.com> > Sent by: owner-freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG > 08/09/2002 12:35 PM > Please respond to freebsd-stable > > > To: freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG > cc: > Subject: Re: Boot failed - all data lost > > On Aug 08 at 10:32, Björn Patrick Swift spoke: > > > The first error I got was from the 'FreeBSD Boot Manager'. > It started as > normally and displayed 'F? FreeBSD', but as I struck 'enter' > I got a 'boot > failed' message. Then I rebooted the machine again and > started getting 'No > operating system found' messages. I thought that maybe the > boot record had > been damaged so I booted the FreeBSD 4.6-install CD and > opened fdisk - all > space unused, no partitions found. No sign of my data at all! > > Get your disk back from Dell. > Then try testdisk or gpart. > > -Hanspeter > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > with "unsubscribe freebsd-stable" in the body of the message > > > > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > with "unsubscribe freebsd-stable" in the body of the message > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-stable" in the body of the message
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