Have you tried using Mkfs to format the root partition only, then
installing NetBSD, booting it, and then using newfs on the usr and
var partitions?  I had similar problems with a disk larger than 1GB,
and this workaround got me past it.

There's a note somewhere in the README file discouraging people from
formatting disks larger than 1GB with Mkfs.  It seems to work okay
if you limit its access to partitions completely contained in the
lowest 1GB of any disk, however.

--- Forwarded mail from kmayson@viconet.com

>I have 4 NetBSD partitions (root,swap,usr,var) and 7 total partitions on =
>a 1.25GB disk.  It seems that I can make partitions correctly using FWB =
>Hard Disk Toolkit and Apple HD SC Setup, I can run Mkfs, change and =
>format these partitions, run install and build devices into /dev on =
>root, and the rest of the stuff (in short the apps definitely read and =
>can write to these partitions).  I can install the base.tgz files, but =
>when it gets to the tarball with the  /var files, I get an error saying:

>Error on SCSIRead(), # 5 -- this happens 6 times
>pos =3D 0, i =3D 27, fs =3D /var
>alloccgblk:  can't find blk in cyl

>I look at the various log files from Mkfs and Installer and they both =
>say that there is a certain number of sectors unallocated.  How do I =
>rectify this?

--- End of forwarded message from kmayson@viconet.com