On Thu, Oct 25, 2001 at 12:43:54AM -0400, Perry E. Metzger wrote:
> 
> Steve Bellovin <smb@research.att.com> writes:
> > Because my BIOS doesn't seem to like the NetBSD disk (wd1 on an old 
> > 486), I need to boot via a floppy.  If I use the install floppy and 
> > interrupt the boot process, I can say
> > 
> > 	boot wd1a:netbsd
> > 
> > and all is cool.  But I'd rather the machine be able to boot unassisted.
> 
> My recommendation is to build new bootblocks. The bootblock mechanism
> isn't very hard to deal with.
> 
> /usr/src/sys/arch/i386/stand/biosboot/main.c could be easily
> hacked to do what you want. All you have to do is change the names[]
> array to specify what you want to boot, i.e. wd1a:netbsd, instead of
> the existing default.
> 
> Then put that boot block on the floppy and it will boot that by
> default instead.

Perry's is the 'right' answer. Another sometimes useful solution is to
use dosboot(8). Build an MS-Dos (or alternative PC-Dos, Freedos, DR-Dos)
boot floppy, copy the dosboot executable to it, and write a one-liner
autoexec.bat to boot the disk/kernel you want. (Instructions are in the
dosboot(8) manpage).

-- 
David Maxwell, david@vex.net|david@maxwell.net -->
All this stuff in twice the space would only look half as bad!
					      - me