>Number:         8887
>Category:       install
>Synopsis:       sysinst doesn't clobber mbr
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       non-critical
>Priority:       low
>Responsible:    install-manager (NetBSD system installation bug manager)
>State:          open
>Class:          sw-bug
>Submitter-Id:   net
>Arrival-Date:   Fri Nov 26 13:15:00 1999
>Last-Modified:
>Originator:     Joel N. Weber II
>Organization:
Basis Technology
>Release:        1.4.1/i386
>Environment:
1.4.1/i386

>Description:
I installed netbsd on a laptop where linux had previously been half installed,
(and due to apparent redhat and suse lossage, never actually ended up with
a working install, hence I wanted to replace it with a better OS),
with lilo on the master boot record.  After running sysinst, the machine
printed `LI' and hung when booted off its hard disk.  (lilo will print
`LI' if it gets part way through its attempt at booting linux and then fails.)

Finding a handy dos boot disk and running fdisk /mbr `fixed' the problem.

Some observations:

1) There may be a way of doing the equivalent of fdisk /mbr on netbsd, but
it has never been obvious to me what that is.

2) sysinst should perhaps make sure that the master boot record contains
something reasonable, especially when people want to install netbsd on
the entire disk.
>How-To-Repeat:
>Fix:
>Audit-Trail:
>Unformatted: