So, we have four things to do:

* Make the boot program (both stages) use the BIOS extensions for
  large disks, if available, and query the current CHS translation if
  not.

* Incorporate the method I suggested of matching BIOS geometries to
  disks, so that the defaults we choose are right for almost everyone.

* Make sysinst know about all this crap:

  * Warn the user if the root partition is not in the first 1024
    cylinders.

  * Report in the default label whether we matched the geometry with a
    BIOS device, guessed at a match (i.e. picked from multiple
    matches), or didn't match, and present this information to the
    user in some fashion.

  * Provide some way for the user to review all the BIOS geometries we
    could find, and select one of them to use on a disk.

* Add some documentation about this in the installation manual
  (possibly using my rough draft).


Also, it occured to me:

If the boot program tells the kernel whether or not it was able to use
the `large disk' extensions in the BIOS, then we can inform the
installation program about this, and it can use the knowledge when
doing a `full disk' installation -- by automatically relaxing the
restriction about the root partition being within the first 1024
cylinders.

Given these changes, it should be possible for most users to do
completely turn-key installation.