Problems booting from FreeBSD install CD

Michael A. Alderete lists-2003 at alderete.com
Mon Sep 15 15:41:50 PDT 2003


I am trying to install FreeBSD 4.8 on a Compaq Proliant 5000R, and I cannot
get the machine to boot from the FreeBSD disk 1. The system goes through
the POST routine, initializes the Smart-2/P RAID array, and then, when it
should start booting from the CD-ROM drive, instead gives me the following
message:

   Non-System disk or disk error
   replace and strike any key when ready
   or <F9> to boot Quick Diags

The Smart-2/P RAID array is hooked up to its own PCI card, and the system
is set to boot from that first. There is nothing on the array, yet.

The CD-ROM is a 4x SCSI drive attached to the Proliant's internal SCSI
interface (not the RAID card).

The FreeBSD CD is the 4.8-RELEASE ISO image, downloaded to my system and
burned to CD-R using Toast. The CD is capable of being booted from on
another PC in the house. I have burned three CDs from the image, to make
sure it wasn't a burn error.

The Compaq *is* capable of booting from the CD-ROM drive. It has booted
from both the Compaq SmartStart CD and a Windows Server 2003 CD. So it
doesn't seem to be a boot configuration issue, or a bad CD-ROM drive.

The Compaq will not boot from my burned ISO images, nor from a Wind
River-published CD of FreeBSD 4.4, nor from my OpenBSD 3.2 CD, also
factory-stamped rather than CD-R. So it doesn't seem to be a CD vs. CD-R
issue.

For a variety of reasons, I haven't been able to create boot floppies. I
would prefer to solve the problem without floppies, since I'm not sure I
have a working floppy drive in the house!

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Michael
-- 

_____________________________________________________________
Michael A. Alderete           <mailto:lists-2003 at alderete.com>
                                     <http://www.alderete.com>


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