> > If I understand correctly, the ffsv1 version is for UFS1, the standard FS
> > netbsd uses, and the ffsv2 version is for UFS2, which (unless this has
> > changed recently) you have to explicitly specify on the newfs command line.

bootxx_ffsv1 and bootxx_ufs are (basically) identical and almost certainly
the one you want.
Quite why the newfs man page talks about FFS and UFSV2 I don't know.
IMHO it show either say FFSv1 and FFSv2 or UFSv1 and UFSv2, mixing the
acronyms isn't helpful.

> The prompt I get from the first-stage (I assume) bootloader is
> 
> 1: <[A
> 
> where the < is actually a graphical left-pointing arrow.  Hitting
> space here produces "Error ?" or something similar; enter gets me
> to biosboot (again, I think).

That is the prompt from the mbr_bootselect code not the biosboot code.
I'm not sure how you've managed to get that installed with invalid
message strings.

Boot from CD or floppy and run fdisk on the disk.  A recent(ish) fdisk
will report something like (this is my disk):

    Disk: /dev/rwd0d
    NetBSD disklabel disk geometry:
    cylinders: 39714, heads: 16, sectors/track: 63 (1008 sectors/cylinder)
    total sectors: 40032696

    BIOS disk geometry:
    cylinders: 1023, heads: 255, sectors/track: 63 (16065 sectors/cylinder)
    total sectors: 40032696

    Partition table:
    0: NetBSD (sysid 169)
	bootmenu: net 1.5.
	start 4209030, size 8289540 (4048 MB, Cyls 262-778), Active
    1: Primary DOS with 32 bit FAT (sysid 11)
	bootmenu: win98
	start 63, size 4208967 (2055 MB, Cyls 0-262)
    2: NetBSD (sysid 169)
	bootmenu: current
	start 32515560, size 7517136 (3670 MB, Cyls 2024-2491/234/40)
    3: Ext. partition - LBA (sysid 15)
	start 12498570, size 20016990 (9774 MB, Cyls 778-2024)
    Extended partition table:
    E0: NetBSD (sysid 169)
	bootmenu: test 0
	start 12498633, size 12305727 (6009 MB, Cyls 778-1544)
    E1: NetBSD (sysid 169)
	bootmenu: test1
	start 24804423, size 4096512 (2000 MB, Cyls 1544-1799)
    E2: NetBSD (sysid 169)
	bootmenu: test2
	start 28900998, size 3614562 (1765 MB, Cyls 1799-2024)
    Bootselector enabled, infinite timeout.

Note that the bootselector menu texts are displayed if defined.

	David

-- 
David Laight: david@l8s.co.uk