In a message dated Tue, 27 Mar 2001  9:16:55 PM Eastern Standard Time, Sridhar Ayengar <sridhar@ikickass.org> writes:

<< 
I tried two separate genuine DEC RRD42s.

> > > > would appreciate any help.  Thanks.
> > >
> > > Can you mount the CD and see if there is indeed a boot.pmax in the
> > > rootfs of the CD?  The first stage prints the "Can't load ..." message,
>>

After trying unsuccessfully to boot a pmax cdrom on 5 different machines and varoius cdrom drives, I have come to the conclusion that by far the easiest way to install netbsd on the pmax is to use the "helper disk" method.  It's quick, easy, and works every single time without any hassles.
-Linc Fessenden