Re: Help booting NetBSD 7.0.2 on IBM Workpad Z50

[Larry Stotler <larrystotler%gmail.com@localhost>]

On Tue, Nov 15, 2016 at 4:12 PM, David Walton <walton.david%sky.com@localhost> wrote:
> I have already installed NetBSD on CF using the guide but it wont boot. On powering on the Z50 you see dots scrolling during the POST and assumed it would pick up the bootable NetBSD installation on the CF card but it doesnt and just goes into Windows CE.
> Shouldn't the install create a boot file on the CF card directing it to the NETBSD install or do I need to do this?

FYI - Please bottom post to keep things orderly.......Thanx

Anyway, I have 2 Workpad Z50s.  Both have the 32MB upgrade.  It's good
to see you have managed to get yours to run 7.x.  I was never able to
get mine to run 6.x and have 5.2 installed.

To boot into the installed system, you have to have a copy of the
installed kernel on your flash drive(I assume) and the hpcboot or
psboot program and boot it.  The procedure is similar to running Linux
on old Mac systems using a program called BootX.  You basically boot
into the WinCE system and then reboot it into NetBSD.

I have my CF flash drive split into 2 parts.  A small 500MB FAT
partition that WinCE can read(and for me to save data to when I am in
WinCE, and the rest allocated to NetBSD.  The install kernel will only
boot it into the installer  You have to have a copy of the installed
kernel on the FAT partition to boot into NetBSD.  Then you have to
setup hpcboot or psboot to use that kernel.

I've researched them fairly extensively, and I do not think it's
possible to actually start the machine up in NetBSD.  When you boot
the Z50, it accesses the onboard flash chip, which reloads the WinCE
system.  Since it's not possible(well for mere mortals at least) to
properly edit the flash chip, there is no way to even put the hpc boot
loader in the Startup folder of the WinCE system.

IBM never released an updated CE version for the Z50.  When you boot
into NetBSD it wipes the RAM to reallocate it for NetBSD's usage(WinCE
splits it into a RAM Drive for data and uses the rest as RAM).  When
the Z50 is started of rebooted, it automatically loads WinCE.  You can
shortcut the boot up by holding the Shift key when the GUI starts
which will bypass the setup prompts and go straight to the desktop.

Good luck.