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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!feed1.news.erols.com!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!ais.net!uunet!in2.uu.net!206.250.118.17!nntp.earthlink.net!usenet From: "Ming Chu" <mingchu@cory.eecs.berkeley.edu> Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc Subject: Re: CDROM Installation Probs. Date: 22 Apr 1997 04:54:46 GMT Organization: U.C. Berkeley Lines: 142 Message-ID: <01bc4ed9$bc4e9e70$e3c42299@beta> References: <5jbmfa$50r$1@news.inc.net> <01bc4d46$27d94090$3dc42299@beta> <335A5C12.41C67EA6@uiuc.edu> <5je2d0$3e3$1@news.inc.net> <335B17CD.59E2B600@uiuc.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: cust99.max30.san-francisco2.ca.ms.uu.net X-Newsreader: Microsoft Internet News 4.70.1161 Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:39488 Just one more suggestion: If you really want to install from your v2.1.6 FreeBSD CDROM, just <<borrow>> a scsi CDROM drive and install it. You can still use your IDE CDROM after installation. Vlad <roubtsov@uiuc.edu> wrote in article <335B17CD.59E2B600@uiuc.edu>... > Adam L. Simpson wrote: > > > > > > Hi... the scenario is this: > > I am installing 2.1.7. I have tried the following: > > > > I first tried via the cdrom... this failed because of the cdrom being ide i am > > assuming.. Do I need to go scsi with the cdrom drive? > > I think the following is true: prior to v2.2.1 the kernel that was > packed inside the boot floppy didn't have atapi cdrom support switched > on, despite it being on in kernel.GENERIC. I have an IDE cdrom and I > have verified myself that it isn't recognized when booting into v2.1.5 > install program but it _is_ recognized by v2.2.1 boot floppy. I am still > using v2.1.5 [so, to perform the abovementioned check I downloaded > boot.flp image for v2.2.1 from FreeBSD ftp site] and I know I wouldn't > have been able to install from a CD back then -- _even though_ the atapi > support was good enough in v2.1.5 already [at least for my Toshiba 12x]. > > If you insist on installing directly from CD, either get a SCSI cdrom or > FreeBSD 2.2.1 CD (which way is cheaper? :) > > > > > I then tried xcopy to a dos partition on the d drive and tried to install it to > > the c drive wd0 which also failed. > > Wait a sec, don't the pre-install instructions specify that for DOS > install you must have the ditribution in C:\FREEBSD ? (_not_ D: or > whatever). > > > > > I have tried the setup program that transfers the files to the drive and tried > > to install that way.... that too failed. > > I am not sure what you mean above... > > > > > I guess the questions I have are: > > > > 1. Do you have any tips for me to enable this to suceed? > > (A) I have installed different FreeBSD versions from DOS partitions > successfully several times. The distribution files _must_ be on C: DOS > drive [or should I say, 1st BIOS drive, i.e. drive # 80h ?]. (somebody > from the core team could confirm if the install program uses BIOS int > 13h to read dist files from C: or not) > > If this is not your case, could you swap drives at least temporarily so > that the one you're installing _on_ is _not_ c:? Later on you may swap > them back if necessary, but you may need to edit /etc/fstab to make sure > everything can be mounted in the new configuration. I have played with > such things and it is possible. > > (B) Another important issue: BIOS translation for your IDE drives. You > _must_ switch it off for the drive you install _on_. If it's the same > drive that has distribution files for from-DOS install, you may have to > reformat it without translation. BIOS translation works around 1024 > cylinder int 13h limit (and others). Go to your BIOS setup and check if > it says something like "LBA" or "Large" next to your drive types. What > you need is "CHS" or "Normal". You can read up on BIOS translation issue > in "EIDE .. FAQ", can't remember the link right now, get it from my > collection at http://www.physics.uiuc.edu/~roubtsov/ (in fact, read the > FAQ _before_ changing anything) > > (C) If you stick to your v2.1.7 CD+IDE cdrom combo and hence must do an > install from DOS, either install on a different disk or on a second > partition of the same disk. In the latter case make sure your FreeBSD > partition starts at a cylinder # that is <1024 [because of the > translation issue again]. DOS fdisk will report a smaller disk size than > the actual size -- don't worry about it, FreeBSD will use the rest > correctly. > > (D) Finally, don't specify "bad block checking" in disklabel or > partition editor for IDE drives -- it won't work, since you will have > switched BIOS translation off at that point and bad144 program does its > scan and then attempts to write a bad block map via int 13h at some > cylinder (the last one?) that is already inaccessible. > > Whew... Confused even more now :) ? > > > 2. Is it simply replacing the ide cdrom with a scsi? > > Not necessarly [see above]. > > > 3. Have you had as much grief installing fbsd on your machines? Will we > > alsways have this sort of hassle? > > As far as my experience is concerned, the only unexpected part was that > bad block checking option mentioned in (D) above. Kind of annoying to > wait through the lengthy bad block scan only to see the install program > fail after that. Otherwise several installs from DOS partition or using > ftp went without a glitch. > > > > > Pentium Pro 200Mhz, 2 4Gb ide harddrives, 128Mb RAM, Toshiba 12x ide cdrom > > Hey ,I've just noticed: you cdrom is the same as mine... Am I in trouble > with v2.2.1 :) ? Nah...I think not...Will order the CD some time soon... > > > my dos partition was 200Mb and the entire disk was 4gb. I tried to so an > > install from wdo to wd1 so yes, we were on the second partition. I > > No, no: wd0 and wd1 don't refer to different partitions -- they are > different drives. Say, I have 1 ide disk split into a tiny DOS partition > and the rest given to BSD, then DOS is wd0s1, while BSD's /usr, /var are > wd0s2f and wd0s2e and so on. FreeBSD "slice" scheme is explained in one > of help screens of the sysinstall program -- press F1 when in "FreeBSD > disklabel editor" and read all of it. Things appear confusing because of > terminology: DOS-fdisk-style partitions [the ones written in the > partiton table in the master boot record at the start of every hard > drive] <-> FreeBSD partitions [usual UNIX meaning]. > > > were errors displayed... > > > > It put me in the mode of # and never asked me for login or anything... kindo of > > like files not being there or somthing.. > > > > May well be the translation issue at work here. > > > I appreciate the help.. > > > > Adam L. Simpson > > Sure, let us know when you succeed. > > Vlad. >