burning 5.3-RELEASE CDs

[Scott Bennett]

     Many thanks go to Dave Horsfall <dave at horsfall.org>, who wrote the
winning tip on Tue, 4 Jan 2005 17:14:24 +1100 (EST):

>On Mon, 3 Jan 2005, Scott Bennett wrote:
>
>> As root, I did the following (assuming I remember the Windows path
>> correctly:-):
>> 
>>  mount -t ntfs /dev/ad0s1 /mnt
>
>[...]
>
>Try copying the file to a local BSD file-system; the NTFS semantics could 
>be getting in the way.  Also try write-once media, if you can, as I've 
>occasionally had difficulties with rewriteable media.
>
     This appears to have been the ticket.  I tried it first with the bootonly
image, which made a bootable CD-RW.  After testing its bootability, I then
tried it with the disc1 image, which also worked and did boot okay.  So I now
have the disks I need as CD-RWs.
     However, I would prefer to have them as CD-Rs, but ran into a little
problem.  The bootonly image went onto a CD-R just fine, and the CD-R did
boot right.  However, at the very end of burning the disc1 image to a CD-R,
I got the following message.

	burncd: ioctl(CDRIOCFIXATE): Input/output error

I tried it again in case it were a fluke, but got the same result.  The CD-R
appears to boot okay, but I don't know whether the entire content of the CD-R
is intact.  Would I run into problems with files physically near the end of
the written part of the CD-R?  The disc2 image did the same thing.  If someone
can explain why both images went onto CD-RWs just fine, but got the error
during fixation on CD-Rs, I'd like to see it.
     Anyway, thanks to all who responded to my plea for help.  I can now move
forward another inch or two toward (I hope) a usable FreeBSD system.  It just
kills me to have this Inspiron XPS going mostly to waste so far, but maybe 5.3
will do what 5.2.1 couldn't. :-}


                                  Scott Bennett, Comm. ASMELG, CFIAG
**********************************************************************
* Internet:       bennett at cs.niu.edu                              *
*--------------------------------------------------------------------*
* "A well regulated and disciplined militia, is at all times a good  *
* objection to the introduction of that bane of all free governments *
* -- a standing army."                                               *
*    -- Gov. John Hancock, New York Journal, 28 January 1790         *
**********************************************************************