I can not install FreeBSD 5.3 in an old Pentium 100 MHz

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org
> [mailto:owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org]On Behalf Of Ramiro Aceves
> Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2004 8:32 AM
> To: freebsd-questions at freebsd.org
> Subject: Re: I can not install FreeBSD 5.3 in an old Pentium 100 MHz
>

> am a boy that likes to solve the problems till the end. I do not like to
> abandon at the first attempt, so I said to me:" Ramiro, do not abandon
> and investigate it further!"  ;-) I was reading docs hard during 3 days,
> and my only oportunity was this mailing-list. I hoped that some gurus
> will solve my problem, mut only Ted answered.
>

Ramiro,

  Don't I qualify as a guru, I did after all write a book on it:

http://www.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com/

  Also, as for your problem with the CMD640, I myself have a dual-processor
P100 board with this same IDE controller on it, that is running FreeBSD.  I
have a SCSI controller installed in it, the IDE controller is disabled.
This
controller was unfortunately used a lot in Pentium 60/90/100 motherboards.

  To be honest the biggest problem with your post is that you didn't
identify the make and model of machine or at least motherboard that you
were working with.  If for example you had said the motherboard was a
"ASUS 123XYZABC456" then most anyone experienced here could have easily
looked up the specs for the motherboard, saw it was a CMD640 job, and
steered
you to the FreeBSD 3.xx series which has support for this controller.
(which by the way, supports it by basically destroying all the go-fast
disk code in the disk driver, leaving you with a usable, but dog-slow,
system)  In any case FreeBSD 3.x is obsolete now of course, so it's no
good exposed to the Internet (you can in fact, crash it by hitting it
with a stock nessus probe) but it is fine for pooting around with behind
your firewall.

>
> Thank you Brian, at least I know that there is people at the list, and
> If I have not received any answers apart from Ted's, I have only two
> ways of solving my problem:
>
> 1- install 4.10 and forget upgrading anymore.
> 2- throw the pentium away
> 3- install Debian again (it will mean that I have lost the fight)  :-( .
>

4) Disable the onboard IDE controller and install a SCSI controller and
disk, or even one of the caching IDE controllers.

By the way - if you are willing to pay shipping, many of us have basements
full of junk computers that we don't use anymore that are undoubtedly
better than your P100.

Ted