Return to BSD News archive
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions
Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!constellation!rex!ben
From: ben@rex.uokhsc.edu (Benjamin Z. Goldsteen)
Subject: How do I make a boot disk?
Message-ID: <CqA4ss.DHy@rex.uokhsc.edu>
Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 23:48:27 GMT
Reply-To: benjamin-goldsteen@uokhsc.edu
Organization: Health Sciences Center, University of Oklahoma
Lines: 54
System:
i486DX-33
8 MB RAM
200 MB Maxtor HD
3.5" 1.44MB floppy
AMI BIOS
FreeBSD 1.1 (upgraded from FreeBSD 1.1 Gamma by recompiling the kernel
and then unpacking the bin-dist [and then what-the-hell-recompile-the
-kernel-again]
Problem:
I don't want to install LILO or any of the other OS managers. I
would just like this computer to boot up straight into DOS like normal
if there is not disk in the floppy, but I would like it to boot BSD
from the hard drive if the appropriate floppy is inserted. I currently
do this now with one of the distribution disks (kcopy_ah.flp), but I
have to manually type "wd(0,a)/386bsd" EVERY TIME. If I miss the
window then I have to reboot. Also, I can't access the system remotely
if there is a power failure (since it will timeout and stop at the line
"Insert file system disk and press A or B...").
It seems to me all I need to do is put some boot blocks similar to
those used on the kcopy_ah.flp disk except defaulting to
"wd(0,a)/386bsd" rather than "fd(0,a)/386bsd". I think all I have to
do is change one line in one file in /sys/i386/boot. However, I have
not even got that far. I have tried a number of different methods to
create a disk with standard boot blocks with little success. Usually,
I tried something based around:
# cat fdboot bootfd > /dev/rfd0
or
# disklabel -r -w fd0 floppy bootflpy biosboot bootbios
[if the order of fdboot and bootfd is backwards here, I did it right
when I tried]
I have tried using the XXboot/bootXX that was the kcopy disk (which is
different then what is in /usr/mdec and what I get when I compile
/sys/i386/boot), putting a file system on the floppy, my kernel, etc.
Some attempts gave me the message, "Read Error", but other times it
just locks up (sometimes keeping the disk spinning other time not).
I have read the man pages, the README's, the FAQ's, and
freebsd-questions* and freebsd-bugs* and I still can't get this to
work.
Thanks
P.S.I made a file system on a floppy and when I tried to mount it, the
system panic'd with a page fault. I can successfully mount the
distribution floppies, however.
--
Benjamin Z. Goldsteen