RE: impossible to boot after 'successful' install of 6.1.2 i386

["Thomas Mueller" <mueller6724%bellsouth.net@localhost>]

> I zeroed the ENTIRE hard disk before the install (using the
> shell on the install CD with `dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/wd0d bs=512',
> takes overnight), then rebooted the install CD, did the install and now
> machine booted NetBSD from hard disk correctly.  No other way for
> me to get this machine to work!  5.2.1 did not have this problem.

> Zeroing PART of the disk before install did not allow a successful
> installation.  Not sure how much needs to be zeroed.

> I can now do a successful re-install of 6.1.2 on the same disk, over
> and over, once one install worked.

> Not sure if I bump it down to 5.2.1 then up to 6.1.2 if have the same
> problem.  Experiment on this another day.

> Maybe some old disklabel is being carried over on the disk?

> Hope this helps debug the problem.

> John Refling

If NetBSD-6.1.2 fails to boot, you could try NetBSD-current.

If you don't want to build from source, you can download snapshots from 

http://nyftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD-daily/

see http://releng.netbsd.org/cgi-bin/builds.cgi

On a new computer with MSI Z77 MPOWER motherboard, NetBSD 6.1_STABLE hangs on 
boot, but NetBSD-current boots.

I haven't tried 5.2_STABLE on this computer.

I really need the ability to use NAME=.... in /etc/fstab because the NetBSD 
installations are on USB sticks, and I have other USB media too.

Tom