Date: Thu, 24 Jul 97 13:30:17 EDT From: crose@mogli.rutgers.edu (Christopher Rose) To: questions@freebsd.org Cc: crose@mogli.rutgers.edu Subject: toshiba tecra 510CDT Message-ID: <9707241730.AA05491@mogli>
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Hi Again Folks,
Many of you have offered helpful hints for getting freebsd 2.2.2
installed and working on my machine. The most common response was to
make sure disk spindown (an important feature for power-poor laptops)
was diabled or at least curtailed.
Well, I've now officially tried everything I could think of:
0) Used advanced power control to build the kernel (in the linux
distribution) with no luck. Also, tried to boot using the PAO boot
floppy supplied on one of the freebsd page links with no luck
1) Carefully mapped out bad blocks (sectors)... using the DOS program
scandisk and bad144 (from linux I think). There are 8 clusters of them
where some evil force danced on my 2.06G disk during manufacture
(probably)
2) Tried to format the disk for bsd using the bad block check: it hangs
EVERY time with the hateful messages
wd0: interrupt timeout:
wd0: status 50 <rdy,seekdone> error 0
wd0: interrupt timeout:
wd0: status 50 <rdy,seekdone> error 1<no_dam>
for hours without seeming progress
3) Did not check for bad blocks: Successful Installation! and then
later (as you'd probably expect since it does not know where the
disk-pits are) the kernel panics and system dies.
4) I even tried to partition around where the disk seemed to be failing,
also to no avail.
5) Someone suggested that the disk might be overheating. Pretty
reasonable since the Toshiba decides to shut down if it gets too hot.
So (you can laugh it you'd like) I got an ice pack (gel pack actually)
and placed it under the disk (portion of the casing), elevated the
casing and then brought my standup fan nearby and let'er rip. Papers
were curling and flying around occasionally, the disk stayed cool to
the touch (not cold), AND BSD STILL HUNG ON BAD BLOCKS. It also still
died later with kernel panics when I did not check for bad blocks.
So, after quite a few sleepless nights, I've given up for now. The
Toshiba folks wanted to take my machine away on retreat to discuss the
problem with it. I declined the offer since when I asked whether any
had experience with BSD of linux, fsck and the like, blank phone
stares ensued.
Meanwhile, Linux is happily purring away. On installation, it
encounters the bad disk spots, hiccups and carries on. Of
course, after an unclean shut down linux becomes an ax murderer
depositing various file parts in lost+found.
Needless to say the already installed Windows95 seemed to work
flawlessly and I COULD use that. Of course, I could also set my tongue
on fire.
Yours from the unix trenches,
Chris
**************************************
Christopher Rose
Assoc. Prof. E&CE
Rutgers University
**************************************
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