Re: installboot: Old BPB too big, use -f (may invalidate file system)

[mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost (Michael van Elst)]

andrew.cagney%gmail.com@localhost (Andrew Cagney) writes:

>While trying to squeeze a NetBSD-7 snapshot into a newly created
>partition on a disk that already contains several other OSs, things
>died with:

>  installboot -o console=pc,speed=9600 /dev/rwd0a /usr/mdec/bootxx_ffsv2
>  Old BPB too bug, use -f (may invalidate file system)


This says that while installing a boot block, a (somewhat) valid
BIOS Parameter Block in that location was detected that cannot
be preserved because it is too large (the BPB is variably sized).
It is necessary to preserve a BPB in case the partition contains
a FAT or NTFS filesystem.

Unfortunately installboot cannot determine wether the BPB is really
needed or if the partition is or will be reformatted with something
(like FFS or ext3) that doesn't require it. Thus the warning.

You didn't say where wd0a is located, a wrong disklabel might cause
it to overlap some of your NTFS partitions. But if you are sure that
you don't accidentally overwrite some innocent valid bootblock, then
using installboot -f to clean the old BPB is the right thing to do.



-- 
-- 
                                Michael van Elst
Internet: mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost
                                "A potential Snark may lurk in every tree."