Return to BSD News archive
Xref: sserve comp.os.386bsd.questions:4720 comp.os.386bsd.misc:797 comp.os.386bsd.development:1154
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions,comp.os.386bsd.misc,comp.os.386bsd.development
Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!news.Hawaii.Edu!ames!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!wupost!decwrl!decwrl!netcomsv!netcom.com!jmonroy
From: jmonroy@netcom.com (Jesus Monroy Jr)
Subject: [ANSWER to question] How to format a floppy for 386bsd
Message-ID: <jmonroyCCKEKC.KJD@netcom.com>
Keywords: floppy format
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 09:05:00 GMT
Lines: 67
mail rgrimes@agora.rain.com
more info to add to FDC stuff
It was posted. It all looks correct. We need to keep a copy
for us and our testers, just in case.
BTW, I did not know how to do this.
==============================cut here=======================================
mail dsilvia@blunt.net.com
Re: Subject: FAQ: floppies that boot
******************************* FAQ ****************************************
Q: How do I get a bootable floppy?
A: Several ways, ranging from brain-dead-but-works to simplest.
Classification into categories is left to the reader (is there
really a difference between 'brain-dead' and 'simple'?:')
1) rawrite (or dd) dist.fs (or fixit.fs) to a disk,
mount it, cd to the mount point, and execute:
rm -rf .
you now have a bootable floppy!;^}
2) Take your existing dist.fs or fixit.fs boot disk and
diskcopy it on a DOS machine. Mount and rm as in 1)
above. Again, you have a bootable floppy!;^}
3) Run disklabel on the floppy, e.g.:
disklabel -w -r fd0a floppy5
where 'floppy5' is a 'name' for an entry in the disktab
file in /etc. You'll get a couple of ioctl errors because
writing a label to a floppy isn't supported (yet?), but
the boot blocks have indeed been written.
4) Write the boot blocks to the floppy:
cat /usr/mdec/fdboot /usr/mdec/bootfd | dd of=/dev/rfd0a
or, more simply:
cat /usr/mdec/fdboot /usr/mdec/bootfd > /dev/rfd0a
Methods 3) and 4) require you to run newfs on the floppy, e.g.:
newfs /dev/rfd0a floppy5
If you have a floppy that was originally bootable, but the boot
blocks were somehow damaged, you can use method 3) or 4) to
restore bootability (do _NOT_ run newfs). You _could_, through
the convolutions of copying a floppy whose boot blocks are damaged
to a temporary location and then recopying to a bootable floppy,
use method 1) or 2) (if you really want to!;^})
********************************************************************************
___________________________________________________________________________
Jesus Monroy Jr jmonroy@netcom.com
/386BSD/device-drivers /fd /qic /clock /documentation
___________________________________________________________________________