from Richard Rauch:

> Yes, I meant Peter's suggestion.

> Pleas also try booting single-user.  Since you can interact with the
> boot-loader, you might be able to interact with the kernel in single-user
> mdoe.  Please try this.

> Cross-compiling: Yes, I *do* mean compiling a NetBSD kernel/userland on
> another system.  The present release apparently is not so friendly to
> that, as I understand it.  I'm told that there is work under way (or
> completed?) in -current to allow you to cross-compile the kernel.  Since
> don't need or want to cross-compile NetBSD, I really can't tell you much
> more about the matter.


> I'd try the unplugging/replugging keyboard suggestion, first.  And I'd
> also try running single-user.  If the former works, you can at least use a
> more or less normal installation.  If the latter works, that knowledge may
> help someone fix the kernel so that it ``just works'' for you.

Are you sure it's safe to unplug and replug the keyboard while the computer is
on?  I don't want to fry anything and find I voided the warranty.  I tried
booting single user (boot -s), no good, the dreaded pckbc: command timeout.
I could try boot netbsdi.gz -a and see if I can run sh with the proper root
partition rather than a ramdisk, and see what I can do with dosboot.  I
downloaded some of the man pages from online, though I could also have untgzed
the man pages to a Linux directory, from within Linux.

Why do you say I don't want to cross-compile from Linux?  You must have
misunderstood.  It would be advantageous if I could cross-compile a NetBSD
kernel from Slackware 8 installation; I could even compile a custom kernel to
attempt to install NetBSD on the old computer (Cx486DX2-S at 66 MHz, 20 MB
RAM, Texel internal 2x CD-ROM on Trantor T130B SCSI), though that is a long
shot.