Date: Sat, 6 Sep 1997 19:21:57 -0400 From: Bryan Batten <BryanBatten@compuserve.com> To: Walnut Creek <support@cdrom.com> Subject: FreeBSD 2.2.2 Won't Boot Message-ID: <199709061922_MC2-1F6B-C018@compuserve.com> Resent-Message-ID: <Pine.NEB.3.96.970910102155.14773D@pooh.cdrom.com>
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Hi,
I'm calling in for help with respect to a boot problem I'm having with
FreeBSD 2.2.2, which I purchased from you in CD-ROM format (Invoice #
07970569). Briefly, the installation seems to go off without a hitch; but
when I try to boot the newly installed system, I get the message: "No
bootable partition".
I've been trying to get this thing going off and on for the last two weeks
without success. I had the same problem with 2.1 and eventually gave up,
thinking that that version's lack of extended partition support might be
the cause.
My hardware is a component built Pentium 90 with 32 MB of memory, a SCSI
adapter, an Ethernet adapter, a Mitsumi CD-ROM, and 2 x 1GB EIDE disk
drives. The physical geometry of these drives is 2100 cylinders, 16 heads,
and 63 sectors. The BIOS reports the geometry as 525 cylinders, 64 heads,
and 63 sectors. Each drive is divided into three primary partitions and an
extended partition which is further subdivided into logical partitions
reserved for various OSes.
I'm trying to install FreeBSD on the 3rd primary partition on drive 0. The
basic partition layout has been created with Linux's fdisk. My system
currently has Linux, SCO, OS/2, and MSDOS installed and working in the
other primary partitions on both drives. I'm using V Communications' System
Commander as a boot manager.
I do the installation using a floppy boot disk made from boot.flp in the
CD-ROM. (All that happens when I try using install from DOS is that the
system just reboots and I end up back in the System Commander menu.) Using
the boot floppy, I can do all the kernel configuration with no error
indications. To set up the FreeBSD partition during installation, I delete
the partition I've reserved for it, then manually create a new one. Since
I'm using System Commander, I always choose "None" for the MBR choice. I
also get thru disk labeling OK, and end up with a root ("/") slice and a
swap slice on the primary partition I've reserved for FreeBSD. /usr and
/var are mounted under / for now.
After that completes, a bunch of files are copied from my CD-ROM - all
without error indications - and finally, I'm asked to remove the floppy and
reboot.
On rebooting, I get to the System Commander menu, and select the FreeBSD
option. After doing that, the message "No bootable partition" appears and
the system just sits there. Using Linux, I've been able to get to the boot
record on my FreeBSD partition and find that it contains the string "No
bootable partition". I suspect I've missed some subtle requirement for
FreeBSD, but am at a loss as to what it may be. I think it may be a
geometry problem, but since OS/2, DOS, Linux, and even SCO boot without
problems, I'm reluctant to change anything.
Thanks for any help you may be able to provide here.
Bryan
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