Hi,

If the suggestions that Colin and Henry gave do not work, here are a few
more to try. I had the exact same problems when first installing.

* Try increasing the RAM allocation for the Installer program. Set it as
high as your RAM will allow. Many times increasing the "Preferred RAM"
size will help this problem.

* If you just cannot get the large files like base.tgz to install, you can
do the following. You will need a copy of MacGzip and SunTar. They will
gunzip and untar files under MacOS.

1. Make a copy of the base.tgz file and work on the copy.

2. Use MacGzip to gunzip the base.tgz file.

3. Using SunTar, locate the /usr/bin/tar file and extract it.

4. Open the Installer and mount all your partitions. From "File" select
"Mini-shell". Execute the following commands:

cd /usr/bin
cpin tar tar
cd /
cpin base.tgz base.tgz
exit

5. Now, install as much of each tarfile as you can. However, you will get
enough of the files installed to be able to boot single-user. Basically,
follow the INSTALL instructions. Remember to "Build Devices" as well.

6. Boot single user. Run the following commands:

  fsck -f
  mount -a
  cd /
  tar --unlink -zxvpf base.tgz

7. When it is done, do 

  fsck -f
  exit

and you should go into multi-user mode.

I had some serious problems doing the initial install of the NetBSD files 
on my Centris 650 with 1.2GB HD. I also kept getting the "SCSI Read Error,
#5" message when trying to install the large files like "base" and "comp".
No matter how much I set the RAM to in the installer (30000K), I still get
the error. In the end, I was able to cpin the tar binary program, then
cpin the base and other files that would not install. I then installed
them by hand using tar. It was a pain in the butt, but I finally got all
the files installed. 

Mark

On Wed, 7 Jan 1998, Henning Loeser wrote:

> HI,
> I have been trying to install NetBSD 1.3 on my Quadra 700 but But I 
> allready failed to install even the base package. This is the reported 
> Problem during the installation process:
> #5 SCSI read
> #5 SCSI write
> (this a couple of times )
> and than someting like a cycle or block allocation error at /
> 
> I messed with the MKFS formating options and the only thing I managed was 
> that it will crush at a different point during the installation.
> My guess is that I need to use some more specific entries in the MKFS 
> dialog for it to accept my hard drive (a Quantum FB1280S).
> The only 'Error' message the MKFS gives me is a 'Warning 188 Sectors in 
> last cyl unallocated'
> (Messing with the parameters I can get the 188 to be a different number.)
> 
> I have partitioned the drive to hold a 850MB Mac-OS, 64MB Swap and a 
> 365MB root&USR partition.

Best wishes for the new year,

   Mark Andres               E-mail: mark@giganet.net
          Running NetBSD, 100% Microsoft Free!
   Me & NetBSD: http://www2.giganet.net/~mark/NetBSD/