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From: kientzle@netcom.com
Subject: FreeBSD MBR bootcode problem.
Message-ID: <kientzleD1n5D9.MqL@netcom.com>
Summary: MBR bootcode won't boot anything.
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
Date: Fri, 30 Dec 1994 20:39:09 GMT
Lines: 48
I was very excited when my new 486/66 arrived just a few days after
the FreeBSD 2.0 CD-ROM. After tinkering, I got down to work:
- Used DOS FDISK to partition the drive (200 meg for DOS, 300 for BSD)
- Built the `boot' and `cpio' floppies from CD-ROM
- Boot from `boot' floppy
- Build FreeBSD slice, ** Write MBR Bootcode to hard disk **
- set partitions, mount points.
- Wait for rest of installation to proceed
- Reboot machine when asked.
At which point I get:
F1 . . . dos
F2 . . . FreeBSD
Default: F?
If I hit F1 or F2, the floppy grinds, and the menu reappears.
If I hit F3 or F4, the menu redisplays.
No other key has any effect.
I don't know how to get rid of the MBR Bootcode.
Fortunately, I have a few bootable DOS floppies handy, since
I can't boot from the hard disk.
I tried repeating the installation above without writing the
MBR bootcode, but that seems to have no effect. I've tinkered
with DOS fdisk to no avail.
Any suggestions on how to get rid of the MBR bootcode or (preferably)
get it to work?
For the record: ZEOS Pantera 486/66, PCI bus, 528 MB Seagate IDE,
Mitsumi FX400 IDE interface CD-ROM, 8 meg RAM, Diamond Stealth 64 VRAM
When booting from the FreeBSD boot floppy, there are only a few
irregularities:
* It doesn't like the Intel PCI chip. `class=old [Not Supported]'
* It sometimes has problems mounting the root filesystem,
sometimes not.
* It doesn't see the Mitsumi, but that's no surprise.
* It never gives me a chance to type anything at the `Boot:'
prompt, but proceeds to immediately boot from floppy.
(Otherwise, I'd try using the boot floppy to
boot from the hard disk and circumvent the MBR bootcode.)
Other than that, my inexperienced eyes can't see anything wrong.
Why is the bootcode locking me out of my own machine?
- Tim Kientzle