Re: Struggling to install

[Chris Gilbert <chris%dokein.co.uk@localhost>]

Anthony Hilton wrote:
> I am struggling to install NetBSD 4.0 from a CD onto an ARM610 RiscPC with
> 1Mb VRAM, 36Mb main RAM and RIS OS 4.39 in ROM.
>
> Following Chris Gilbert's post on 3 Feb I downloaded the BtNetBSD/spk and
> generic kernel and the other files but do not know what to do with them.
>
> During the install the screen is barely legible so I've had to accept
> defaults not being able to read the various options. Where the right side of
> the display wraps to the left of the screen it is fine, and at the left ofthe
> display it is OK but rappidly deteriorates towards the right and shows a lot
> of movement and apparent partial over-writing of text. 

Can you describe the illegability, are you getting some text, but 
missing the last bits on screen?  (or even a picture from a camera :) in 
theory an arm610 does write-through, normally the illegability is 
something that a strongarm does (or it did, I tweaked vidcvideo to 
improve strongarm output in -current to make it readable)

If you've got an SA I can do you a kernel that should be readable.  I 
probably should ask for pull-ups to the 4.0 branch for the next release.

> As far as I can tell it does somethin with the generic kernel - counting up
> to 100% and then moves on to acorn32/binaries/sets/base.tgz but hangs after a
> while, the percentage stalls and the other numbers stop changing. Once it got
> to 19% and I left it for over 20 minutes with no change to the screen before
> I re-booted the box.

Hmm, that implies that it stopped extracting the file.

> RISC OS is running 800x600x32K from the AKF60 MDF driving an Iiyama Pro 411 
> and I haven'tmodified the !BtNetBSD.!Run file from that supplied as I don't
> know what the effects might be.

It should display fine, it sounds like you're getting some text.

> My experience with *nix type systems is very limited but does include a
> successfull install of RiscBSD 1.6 onto a RiscPC and then getting an A3000
> connected as a terminal over serial.

I just about remember 1.6 :)  I'd like to think we've improved since 
then, but given my recent experiences with acorn32 I think it's 
bit-rotted oven recent months/years.  It's something I've been working.

Thanks,
Chris