>===== Original Message From sucho2 <sucho2@vt.edu> =====
Hmmm....

I have been using XFree86 4.2 since it came out and it's rock solid.  I've
tried both the binary packages from www.xfree86.org and now using the xsrc
version from NetBSD xsrc (version 4.2).  But then I recompiled everything with
XFree86 version 4.2.


Now, if you want to do a clean install, for 1.5ZA luckily, the floppy you get
from NetBSD 1.5ZA folder has an option of PRESERVING filesystem.  What I do
is, I repartition everything and for my /home partition, I set PRESERVE=YES
that way it doesn't get formatted.  And, rest is freshly installed.

Before you decide to reinstall anything from fresh, make sure to print out the
disk partition info that way you know exactly which sectors your previous
partitions start:

disklabel -r wd0

In my case, my /home starts at sector 8181810 and runs thru the end of the
disk.  The other partitions, I don't give squat when it gets erased.


More generic way of reinstalling everything from scratch is to do this way:

Make sure you know where your  /home partition is, (You don't wanna erase your
personal files!).

disklabel -r wd0

My /home starts at sector 81810 and runs thru end of disk

Reboot the computer with netbsd install floppy

during the section where sysinst asks you for partition slices,

you create /, /swap, /var, /usr etc.  Make sure you don't touch the sectors of
the disk containing your /home.  In my case, /home starts at 8181810s and ends
at the end of disk.  So my /usr will end at 8181809s.  I may create a parition
containing ( sector 8181810s to end of disk ) but would leave the filesystem
as  "unknown" that way sysinst won't format or do anything to it.

Now proceed to install binary packages etc....

Once you are done installing netbsd 1.5ZA.. and you've booted netbsd 1.5ZA,
it's time to create that  /home directory.

do

disklabel -e wd0

this will bring the vi to edit your partition table.  You'll note that at the
bottom, there is that unallocated slice you've left for /home which is marked
"unknown" or something like that

edit it, make it  /home  and etc.  Use the above lines for other partitions as
refrence.  When done, save the file and exit

in vi, ":w" will save the file

Now, the saved file will be called something like EdDk.xxxx and will be in
/tmp.

You now permanently write it to disk by doing:

disklabel -R wd0 /tmp/EdDk.xxx

to check it, do

disklabel -r wd0

and you'll note that /home is created.


Now edit the /etc/fstab file (add the newly created slice)... reboot the
computer.. or simply mount it using mount command, say, mount /home.

install you personal files saved in /home

you are done




Sung



>===== Original Message From Marshall Rose <mrose@dbc.mtview.ca.us> =====
>> >now, here's a more generic question: let's say that i'd really like to do
a
>> >clean install of 1.5ZA (necessary for my thinkpad/orinoco) and 4.1.0
>> >(necessary for my thinkpad).
>> >
>> >what is the best way of going about this? i can backup all my own files,
so
>> >i'd sort of like to do something like i did when i put 1.5.2 on the system
>> >(boot from a floppy, do a net install, etc.)  unfortunately, that's where
>> >i started two weeks ago.
>>
>> You could look in /usr/src/distrib/i386 (you'll have to unpack that source
>> set if you don't have it already, of course); in there you could build
>> a boot floppy and binary sets using your current sources; I think that
>> sounds like what you want, right?  (I'd advise you to test the boot floppy
>> before you blow everything away, of course :-) ).
>
>thanks, but i need another level of detail, i think.
>
>for example, it appears that XFree86 4.1.0 is less crashy-buggy than 4.2.0,
but that's not what you get from the src/ area.
>
>so, what i was looking for was some particular guidance in the form of: goto
this url to get XYZ or give this argument to cvs to get the version of XFree86
that doesn't crash-a-lot...
>
>but, maybe the thing to do is to just stick with what's more-or-less working
now and wait for the next netbsd release...
>
>thanks!
>
>/mtr