contrib/FAQ/FAQ-01



1.0 Installation
----------------

1.0.1:  I just installed my system and rebooted.  Now I can't find the
        extract or configure programs, where did they go?


These two commands are just shell builtins.  To get these back, either
create a account [adding a user] with /.profile as its profile or
boot FreeBSD with a '-s' at the boot prompt.


1.0.2:  I want to install FreeBSD unto a SCSI disk that has more than
        1024 cylinders.  How do I do it?

This depends.  If you don't have DOS (or another operating system) on the
system, you can just keep the drive in native mode and simply make sure that
your root partition is below 1024 so the bios can boot the kernel from it.
It you also have DOS/some other OS on the drive then your best bet is to find
out what parameters that it thinks you have before installing FreeBSD.  When
FreeBSD's installation procedure prompts you for these values, you should then
enter them rather than simply going with the defaults.

There is a freely available utility distributed with FreeBSD called `pfdisk'
(located in the tools/ subdirectory) which can be used for this purpose.


1.0.3:  When I boot FreeBSD it says "Missing Operating System".

See above (1.0.2).  This is classicaly a case of FreeBSD and DOS or some other
OS conflicting over their ideas of disk geometry.  You will have to reinstall
FreeBSD, but obeying the instructions given above will almost always get you
going.


1.0.4:  I have an IDE drive with lots of bad blocks on it and FreeBSD doesn't
        seem to install properly.

FreeBSD's bad block (bad144) handling is still not 100% (to put it charitably)
and it must unfortunately be said that if you've got an IDE or ESDI drive
with lots of bad blocks, then FreeBSD is probably not for you!  That said, it
does work on thousands of IDE based systems, so you'd do well to try it first
before simply iving up.


1.0.5:  I have 32MB of memory, should I expect any special problems?

If you have an IDE controller, no.  Likewise, if you have a full EISA system
with EISA disk controller or a working local bus controller (read further)
you'll have no problems. If you have an ISA system, or an EISA system with an
ISA disk controller then you will most certainly have problems with the upper
16MB of memory due to the ISA 24 bit DMA limitation (which ISA cards in EISA
systems will also exhibit).  If you have a local bus disk controller, and it's
NOT a Buslogic Bt445S with a revision less than `D' (BIOS 3.36 or earlier),
then you should be OK.  Never fear, however, as all is not lost.
FreeBSD-current (and the upcoming FreeBSD 1.2) have bounce-buffer support that
make all of the above scenarios work with a full 32MB of memory or more.  You
are therefore advised to simply pull 16MB of memory out, install, and then see
about upgrading to FreeBSD-current or FreeBSD 1.2 (when it comes out) so that
you can put it back.