misc/86600: Sysinstall boot manager screen is misleading

[Kristopher Wieland]

>Number:         86600
>Category:       misc
>Synopsis:       Sysinstall boot manager screen is misleading
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       non-critical
>Priority:       low
>Responsible:    freebsd-bugs
>State:          open
>Quarter:        
>Keywords:       
>Date-Required:
>Class:          sw-bug
>Submitter-Id:   current-users
>Arrival-Date:   Mon Sep 26 14:40:15 GMT 2005
>Closed-Date:
>Last-Modified:
>Originator:     Kristopher Wieland
>Release:        6.0B5 amd64
>Organization:
Washington University in St. Louis
>Environment:
Problem with install, not relevant
>Description:
I have a dual boot setup with windows 2000 and freebsd 5.4 (amd64).  
Everything was set up using ntldr to dual boot so I could "learn" 
freebsd meanwhile my wife could still use the computer.  I recently 
wiped 5.4 and installed 6.0B4 and in the setup chose not to load any 
boot managers (NONE).  I finished installing, everything working fine.  
Until I rebooted.  Freebsd booted!

First, this is what worked: Boot into freebsd and changing the active 
partition back to the windows partition (if it is /dev/ad0) ala
fdisk /dev/ad0 -a
yes
1 (vs 2, the freebsd partition)
yes
reboot!

What didn't work:
1.  using sysinstall in freebsd to set the partition as active.  For 
some reason this gave an error.
2.  windows recovery CD, fixmdr, fixboot, fdisk /mbr, repair 
installation of windows 2000 (screwed up windows big time, btw!)

Apparently if you do not choose an active partition in sysinstall, it 
defaults to the freebsd partition.  Even if you choose not to alter the 
MBR.

I didn't have an error of ntdlr not found, it was just booting into 
freebsd right off the bat.  Also, some people solve this problem by 
reinstalling windows, which I am sure when you do this, it sets the 
install partition to be the active partition.

(from Gary Swearingen garys at opusnet.com as a result of conversations on freebsd-questions at freebsd.org)

The menu after the fdisk screen is misleading.
The last install menu item below

Quote------------------------------------------------
    { { "BootMgr",	"Install the FreeBSD Boot Manager",
      { "Standard",	"Install a standard MBR (no boot manager)",
      { "None",		"Leave the Master Boot Record untouched",
(from src/release/sysinstall/menus.c)

That last one is clearly misleading, even if it is in the context of
picking a boot manager, because later "fdisk" operations are certainly
able to change the MBR's primary partition table, including the
"active" bits that gave you trouble.

I'll try to get the menu items changed to something like:
    { { "BootMgr",	"Install the FreeBSD interactive boot manager",
      { "Standard",	"Install the FreeBSD non-interactive boot manager",
      { "None",		"Don't Install any boot manager",

If you'd like, you could file a formal PR about this (and CC me,
please) and maybe someone will beat me to it.
Quote------------------------------------------------


>How-To-Repeat:
1. Start with two partitions, one of them active.
2.  Install FBSD on the inactive partition, but DO NOT choose an active partition, and choose NONE for boot managers.
3.  note that the active partition has been changed to the FBSD partition.
>Fix:
Gary Swearingen (garys at opusnet.com) as a result of conversations on freebsd-questions at freebsd.org suggested the following:

Quote------------------------------------------------
    { { "BootMgr",	"Install the FreeBSD Boot Manager",
      { "Standard",	"Install a standard MBR (no boot manager)",
      { "None",		"Leave the Master Boot Record untouched",
(from src/release/sysinstall/menus.c)

That last one is clearly misleading, even if it is in the context of
picking a boot manager, because later "fdisk" operations are certainly
able to change the MBR's primary partition table, including the
"active" bits that gave you trouble.

I'll try to get the menu items changed to something like:
    { { "BootMgr",	"Install the FreeBSD interactive boot manager",
      { "Standard",	"Install the FreeBSD non-interactive boot manager",
      { "None",		"Don't Install any boot manager",

If you'd like, you could file a formal PR about this (and CC me,
please) and maybe someone will beat me to it.
Quote------------------------------------------------

He also noted that in the help file for sysinstall it states:

    If no slice is marked Active, you will need to either install a
    Boot Manager (the option for which will be presented later in the
    installation) or set one Active before leaving this screen.

I think there should be some warning before leaving the fdisk screen if neither partition is set as active.

Kristopher
>Release-Note:
>Audit-Trail:
>Unformatted: