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From: kientzle@netcom.com
Subject: Re: Help w/ Install!!
Message-ID: <kientzleD9w1pu.9qq@netcom.com>
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
References: <skoch.2.001305A8@ais.net>
Date: Fri, 9 Jun 1995 04:27:30 GMT
Lines: 35
Sender: kientzle@netcom15.netcom.com
A quick clarification that may help:
Actually, FreeBSD 2.0 handles all sizes of IDE hard drives. The
problem is that MSDOS doesn't handle IDE hard drives greater than 1024
cylinders. Because of this, newer system BIOS's do nasty things that
work around DOS's incapacity but screw up nice, polite operating
systems like FreeBSD.
The solution, then, is to disable those nasty things your BIOS is
doing (in the CMOS settings, look for `Large Disk Access Mode' or
`Geometry Translation' or some such, but BACK UP YOUR HARD DISK
FIRST!) Then you can partition the drive, leaving MSDOS down in the
first 1024 cylinders (which is all it can handle, poor thing), and
putting FreeBSD at the top end. (Actually, because of FreeBSD's boot
sequence, FreeBSD's `a' slice must also be within the first 1024
cylinders.) My 1gig drive has 250meg for DOS and the rest for
FreeBSD; works great.
The unpleasant thing is that this does require reformatting your
hard disk <sigh>.
FreeBSD installation is one of those things you get better at
with practice. I've installed it about a dozen times now, and
each time it makes a bit more sense.
- Tim
In article <skoch.2.001305A8@ais.net>, Steve Koch <skoch@ais.net> wrote:
>Please forgive me because I'm new at this. I'm trying to installed BSD 2.0
>from CD. This release does not seem to support IDE hard drives greater than
>1024 cylinders (I have a WD Caviar 2540, 540 meg). Is there an update out
>there that fixes this? If so, how do I do it? (Like I said, I'm new at this)
>I would really appreciate any help. Thanks.