Re: Help needed with a stubborn Gateway box!

[David Brownlee <abs%absd.org@localhost>]

On 28 March 2015 at 01:04, Paul Goyette <paul%vps1.whooppee.com@localhost> wrote:
> On Fri, 27 Mar 2015, gary%duzan.org@localhost wrote:
>
>>   You can always start with the NetBSD-{ver}-amd64-install.img.gz or
>> NetBSD-{ver}-amd64-live-sd0root.img.gz image, which boot off USB fine.
>
> Hmmm, I don't seem to find that file on nyftp's daily builds...
>
> FWIW, I just tried to boot a cleanly-burned FreeDOS 1.1 install image, and
> it fails to boot on the Gateway box, too.  It seems that when there is only
> one device with a (what the BIOS considers to be) "valid" boot block, you
> cannot even use F12 to request the Boot Device Menu; it just boots the only
> "valid" device.


>
> Also FWIW, this does not seem to be a UEFI machine.  The BIOS seems to work
> just like all the old BIOSs from before, with text windows and arrow-key
> cursor selections - no GUI, no mouse.

I've seem UEFI boot machines which do not appear to have anything
other than a text BIOS screen, so may be worth double checking for a
'legacy' or similar boot BIOS option...