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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.mel.connect.com.au!munnari.OZ.AU!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!news.dacom.co.kr!news.uoregon.edu!mars.efn.org!usenet From: Michelle Brownsworth <michellb@efn.org> Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc Subject: FreeBSD 2.1 install fiasco Date: 2 Jan 1996 00:53:31 GMT Organization: Oregon Public Networking Lines: 61 Message-ID: <4c9vmb$17h@mars.efn.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: dynip89.efn.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 1.1N (Macintosh; I; 68K) X-URL: news:comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc I've encountered a certain amount of thrashing about with the installation of FreeBSD 2.1, caused principally by two factors: (1) an IDE CD-ROM drive that's not recogized by the drivers in either boot floppy (created with INST_IDE.BAT or ATAPIFLP.BAT), and (2) a system/BIOS that can't access drives larger than 1024 cylinders (528 MB). The first problem was not insurmountable, since FreeBSD thoughtfully provided for installation from a DOS partition. In preparation for this I XCOPY'd most of the /DISTS/ and various other directories from the CD to the 504 MB DOS partition on my new Western Digital AC31600 1.6 GB drive. Now, although Western Digital provides software, Ontrack Disk Manager, to deal with the 528 MB barrier, the W/D manual (addressing Unix installation) states: "Ontrack Disk Manager CANNOT be used with Unix. Current Unix operating systems do not work with translatin BIOs. You must set up your BIOS without enabling the translation feature. Enter your CMOS setup and select a user-defined drive type. Enter these parameters: cylinders = 1024 (instead of 3148, the actual number of cylinders), heads = 16, sectors = 63. This will disable the translation feature in your BIOS." The manual goes on to warn: "CAUTION: Do not install the drive using an auto config drive type in the CMOS setup. Do not enter more than 1024 cylinders of 16 heads for any drive with a capacity over 528 MB." Then it goes on to state: "You may need to manually enter the number of cylinders during the Unix partitioning to obtain the full capacity of your drive. Don't enter these numbers in CMOS. These numbers are used during the partioning segment of the Unix installation." That's pretty clear," I said to the dog. "And Unix certanly won't care a fig about no stinking 528 MB BIOS limit." So I did as the manual said. Then I booted with the FreeBSD floppy and proceeded with a Novice installation, choosing the "Install from a DOS partition" method, and also opted for the dual OS boot routine to be installed. The actual installation went swimmingly. "Lulu, we're home free," I chortled to the dog, who seemed skeptical; perhaps her canine (dog, to the layperson) intuition sensed what was to come next... I rebooted the system, and was presented with the boot routine's menu: F1 . . . dos F2 . . . BSD Triumphantly, I pressed F2... Error: C:1024 > 1023 (BIOS limit) Ulp! I dropped to one knee, the wind knocked out of me. Lulu was on her back, rolling from side to side with doggie laughter. "Lulu, where did we go wrong?" I beseeched her. She regarded me with amusement. "Simple," she seemed to be saying. "Unix itself doesn't care about BIOS's 528 MB limit, but what about FreeBSD's OS boot routine? It apparently does. You might have to upgrade your old (AMI, with SIS chip set) BIOS, if FreeBSD doesn't have a work-around. Now how 'bout one of those Friskies Jerky Strips?" Well. Some days I think I shoulda stood in bed... [mutter, mumble] \\ichelle