Hi,

>   FWIW, the FreeBSD install system offers three options:
> standard MBR, custom FreeBSD one, or leave-it-alone-I-know-what-I'm-doing.
> They force the user to choose this, regardless of what is or
> isn't on the disk.  This might be a good route to take.  

Hmm, I'm not sure what the difference between "standard MBR" and "custom
FreeBSD one" is here.  Certainly they cannot install the mbr code that
M$'s fdisk would install, do they?

>   Maybe our default should be leave-alone, to match the current
> behavior?  Or here we could put the smarts so that if it appears
> there isn't a valid MBR, the default is NetBSD bootblocks if
> there are no other valid partitions, and the standard if there
> are other valid partitions; but if there is an existing valid
> MBR, the default is leave-alone...  :)  ... if you follow that!

Well, more or less we are doing something like this.  The current scheme
leaves the code alone if it appears to be valid, and installs the
NetBSD bootblocks if it doesn't.  There needs to be a user selectable
option though (which you are implying be the word "default" above).

Ciao,
Wolfgang
-- 
ws@TooLs.DE     (Wolfgang Solfrank, TooLs GmbH) 	+49-228-985800