Subject: Re: How to write NetBSD boot blocks to DOS disk?
To: John Maier <JohnAM@datastorm.com>
From: Michael L. VanLoon -- HeadCandy.com <michaelv@HeadCandy.com>
List: port-i386
Date: 03/28/1996 21:14:52
>1) Use either the DOS or NetBSD fdisk  to make the NetBSD partition the   
>primary (active) partition.
>2) Turn off the IDE drive in the BIOS
>3) Boot off the SCSI drive with NetBSD
>4) then do your disklabel
>
>disklabel works on the active partition of a drive.

That might explain it.  I was trying to do it while the DOS partition
was still the "active" one.  I don't understand why disklabel would
work this way, but I'll take your word for it and give it a shot.

>There is a NetBSD bootloader that I found, a long time ago, that will   
>allow you to boot into NetBSD from DOS!  As a matter of fact, you don't   
>even need to have a bootblock written to the NetBSD partition, though I   
>highly recommend having one there in case of trouble.  I don't know who   
>did it, but I love it.  If you and others are interested, I can make it   
>available, with instructions, via FTP.

Well, I won't often be dual booting (this is only a backup drive, and
I have a Pentium running Windows NT for real DOS/Windows work).  But,
I'll bet many others would find it useful.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Michael L. VanLoon                                 michaelv@HeadCandy.com
       --<  Free your mind and your machine -- NetBSD free un*x  >--
     NetBSD working ports: 386+PC, Mac 68k, Amiga, HP300, Sun3, Sun4,
                           DEC PMAX (MIPS), DEC Alpha, PC532
     NetBSD ports in progress: VAX, Atari 68k, others...
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