what can i do with a 486?

[Kevin Kinsey]

deeptech71 at gmail.com wrote:
> Kevin Kinsey wrote:
>> deeptech71 at gmail.com wrote:
>>  > 8MB RAM
>>
>> That's likely the issue, although I don't remember if you've mentioned 
>> exactly when it fails.  The installer attempts to create a memory disk 
>> that's a good bit larger than 8MB; IIRC, with current FreeBSD versions 
>> you can't even install on a machine with 16MB RAM - you need 20+MB or 
>> so (which usually means 32MB must be installed).  It wouldn't get very 
>> far at all with 8 meg of RAM.
> 
> Yes that likely explains why the FreeBSD floppies dont work (but some 
> linux versions work). When I install FreeBSD on a machine with 512MB 
> RAM, then move the HDD, the BIOS boots with the "missing OS" error. 
> Supposedly the installation has set the some LBA things (which the newer 
> system perfectly supports). After the installation, how can I change 
> that, before moving the drive?

We're really over my head with that one; all that said, I don't think it 
could be done _after_ the installation.  If my understanding is even 
remotely correct (and I'm not at all certain it is), then the only 
logical path of action is to attempt to set the fast machine's BIOS to 
behave in a manner similar to the BIOS on the old machine (CHS ?) prior 
to partitioning and slicing and see if that fixes things.  Of course, 
then we have the issue of GEOM (<?>basically the fact that newer 
FreeBSDs do some kind of overriding of some BIOS stuff anyway in 
relation to disks<?>), which I know next-to-nothing about either and am 
guessing could also be a potential pitfall.

Sounds like you need really need more RAM chips, to see if you can do an 
install on the machine itself.  However, I definitely understand the 
dumpster's attraction at this point, and have consigned several of these 
old dinosaurs there myself rather than face the aggravation they might 
be likely to cause.  There are too many old Pentiums and K6's out there 
to mess around with a 486 anymore, at least from my current POV.  YMMV, 
#include <disclaimer.h>, etc.  ;-)

Kevin Kinsey
-- 
Age before beauty; and pearls before swine.
		-- Dorothy Parker