FreeBSD install on SCSI: Missing Operating System

[Jeremy Kister]

I'm installing FreeBSD on an Intel ISP2150 dual 450 server with a Seagate
ST39173LC 9GB SCA SCSI disk on an Adaptec AIC-7896 controller.  I have no
cd-rom, have created the two necessary floppies, and can install via FTP.

the whole installation process goes smooth, but upon reboot, I simply get
'Missing Operating System'.

I've googled for this, and searched the archives, but there is too much
garbage about other operating systems interfering.  I have found references
to the auto-detected logical geometry being wrong.  I see no user
configurable options about c/h/s in the adaptec bios.

FreeBSD's fdisk detects the geometry as: 8683 Cylinders/64 heads/32 sectors
for 17782784 sectors (8683MB)

I've tried making the root slice 250MB, 150MB, 100MB, and 90MB, each
yielding no meaningful difference.

Reading Charles Swiger's freebsd-questions post of 20040122, I have
installed Windows 2000 Server on this machine; it boots up and runs fine.

I'm simply stumped here and don't know what direction to head in.  any
advice?


Jeremy Kister
http://jeremy.kister.net/