i386/154578: BTX Loader hangs > 1, 5 min after listing BIOS drives and before listing memory

[Harpal Singh]

>Number:         154578
>Category:       i386
>Synopsis:       BTX Loader hangs > 1,5 min after listing BIOS drives and before listing memory
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       critical
>Priority:       high
>Responsible:    freebsd-i386
>State:          open
>Quarter:        
>Keywords:       
>Date-Required:
>Class:          sw-bug
>Submitter-Id:   current-users
>Arrival-Date:   Mon Feb 07 19:10:08 UTC 2011
>Closed-Date:
>Last-Modified:
>Originator:     Harpal Singh
>Release:        FreeBSD 8.2-RC2 (PCBSD) and FreeBSD 8.2-RC3 (PCBSD)
>Organization:
>Environment:
FreeBSD pcbsd8dot2 8.2-RC3 FreeBSD 8.2-RC3 #6: Mon Jan 31 08:21:06 PST 2011     root at build8x32.pcbsd.org:/usr/obj/usr/local_storage/pcbsd-build82/fbsd-source/8.2/sys/PCBSD  i386
>Description:
Kris Moore (PC-BSD) suggested posting this here when i was asking about this on their forum site. Hardware: DELL Dimension 9150. BTX Loader first shows BIOS drives: 1 cd plus disk C: and D: (although i only have ONE hard disk). Then the process stops. The \|/-character stands still, the hard disk sounds rythmically asif something is reading /writing to it chunkwise. After >1,5 min the memory line showing the 640KB/3xxxx (3GB) -information is shown. Then the process goes on loading the modules. The hard disk is sounding as before whenever a module-line  appears on the screen.  This module loading process seems slow, too. Then comes Beastie and from there everythings works fine.

This is the case when booting from cd installation media and the hard disk.

Weird about this is that when i install FreeBSD from the PC-BSD-DVD everything is loading fast and fine although booting from the installation media has this problem, too. Booting the installed PC-BSD is the problem. 

I remember having had this problem with the BTX loader in the past too which was the reason why i found the system unusable. I read alot about hanging loaders and ahci and other stuff but nothing applied to my system since i cannot find a suitable SATA-mode in the Bios. The problem is all the same or even worse (the loader does not find any hard drive any more when RAID ON is activated).

The whole process of booting takes nearly 3 minutes. 

I just discovered that since i got a DVD in my DVD-drive while booting two boots ago the loader does not show the cd0-entry line any more, whether i boot with a disk in the drive or not!

Hoping this may be useful i will provide all information you ask for.


>How-To-Repeat:
If you have a Dimension 9150 from DELL you should have the same problem, i guess.
>Fix:
No idea.

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