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From: Adrian Steinmann <ast@marabu.ch>
Date: Mon,  9 Dec 96 09:01:59 +0100
To: hackers@freefall.freebsd.org
Subject: Badblock scan at 2.1.5 install time renders disk unbootable ?
References: <199612090404.UAA21632@freefall.freebsd.org>
X-Organization: Steinmann Consulting, Apollostrasse 21, 8032 Zurich
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I was installing FreeBSD 2.1.5 minimal on a 325MB IDE drive in a
Compaq Prolinea 466. The first install went great (I used the full
disk including block 1, i.e., losing "compatibility with other
OSs").  When I booted, I saw badblack messages and so I said, OOOPs,
lets reinstall using that "scan for bad blocks option" in the
disklabel menu. The scan worked - it found two bad blocks and entered
them in the maintenance blocks, the install went fine again, but
when I rebooted, the system hung right after the "Boot:" prompt
with a never ending stream of "Error: Cyl 616 Hd: ?? Sector: ??".
So I installed (with badblock scan) again with the first block
"Compatible with other operating Systems" and the FreeBSD
BootBlockManager. This time, the never ending loop was the infamous
"Default F?" disk geometry problem (I had used 324/32/64). Finally,
I decided to reinstall as I had done first: no bad block scan at
install time, but then rebooted to the Fixit floppy and did the
"bad144" from there, after which the system came up fine.

So, does bad block scanning at boot time currupt the disklabel?
BTW, the bad blocks were somewhere in the last third, that is, not
in the label nor in the maintenance blocks.

Adrian
_________________________________________________________________________
Dr. Adrian Steinmann  Steinmann Consulting  Apollostrasse 21  8032 Zurich
   Tel +41 1 380 30 83     Fax +41 1 380 30 85    Mailto:ast@marabu.ch