From owner-freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG  Wed May  7 10:09:29 2003
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 99BA637B401
	for <freebsd-stable@freebsd.org>;
	Wed,  7 May 2003 10:09:29 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from kientzle.com (h-66-166-149-50.SNVACAID.covad.net
	[66.166.149.50])
	by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C42A443FBD
	for <freebsd-stable@freebsd.org>;
	Wed,  7 May 2003 10:09:28 -0700 (PDT)
	(envelope-from kientzle@acm.org)
Received: from acm.org (UGLY.x.kientzle.comg [66.166.149.51] (may be forged))
	by kientzle.com (8.11.3/8.11.3) with ESMTP id h47H9Sv98544
	for <freebsd-stable@freebsd.org>; Wed, 7 May 2003 10:09:28 -0700 (PDT)
	(envelope-from kientzle@acm.org)
Message-ID: <3EB93E1F.30205@acm.org>
Date: Wed, 07 May 2003 10:10:55 -0700
From: Tim Kientzle <kientzle@acm.org>
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; FreeBSD i386; en-US; rv:0.9.6) Gecko/20011206
X-Accept-Language: en-us, en
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Subject: Peculiar Boot Failure
X-BeenThere: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1
Precedence: list
Reply-To: kientzle@acm.org
List-Id: Production branch of FreeBSD source code
	<freebsd-stable.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-stable>,
	<mailto:freebsd-stable-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-stable>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-stable@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-stable-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-stable>,
	<mailto:freebsd-stable-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 07 May 2003 17:09:29 -0000

Here's an odd one:

If I disable the FLOPPY DISK in the BIOS
of my ASUS Terminator K7, then FreeBSD
(4.8-STABLE) will fail to find the HARD DISK
when it boots.

More details:
  Disable floppy in BIOS, try to boot machine.
  BIOS sees hard disk (primary master, 20GB Seagate)
  Boot loader loads
  Kernel loads and boots
  Kernel finds atapci0, ata0, ata1
  But, kernel never sees ad0 and boot freezes at
    end of device probe.  (Kernel issues no
    error message.)

I did this because I pulled out the floppy
cable (it was getting in the way of the fan).
Curiously, if I enable the floppy disk, then:
   BIOS reports error (no floppy found)
   Kernel boots normally, although it
     does probe and recognize the floppy drive
     (the floppy drive is physically disconnected!)

Apparently, floppy probing is more peculiar
than I had ever imagined....

Tim Kientzle