The FreeBSD Diary

If you don't have time to do it now, you certainly won't have time to do it after the disaster.

[root@ns:/usr/home] # fdformat /dev/rfd0
[root@ns:/usr/home] # disklabel -w -r /dev/rfd0 fd1440
[root@ns:/usr/home] # newfs /dev/rfd0
Warning: Block size and bytes per inode restrict cylinders per 
                                                        group to 5.
Warning: 1216 sector(s) in last cylinder unallocated
/dev/rfd0:      2880 sectors in 1 cylinders of 1 tracks, 4096 sectors
        1.4MB in 1 cyl groups (5 c/g, 10.00MB/g, 4448 i/g)
super-block backups (for fsck -b #) at:
 32,
[root@ns:/cdrom/floppies] # mount /cdrom
[root@ns:/cdrom/floppies] # cd /cdrom/floppies
[root@ns:/cdrom/floppies] # dd if=boot.flp of=/dev/rfd0

insert a new floppy

[root@ns:/cdrom/floppies] # dd if=fixit.flp of=/dev/rfd0
[root@ns:/cdrom/floppies] # umount /cdrom

I urge you to do the above so that you have a bootable floppy in case you need it later.

The above procedures worked as I thought they would.  I tested rebooting with the boot floppy.  That worked.  When the configuration options appeared, chose the the visual interface.  Then I removed the interrupt conflicts, then exited.   Then I selected the fixit floppy.  That's when things went bad.  The box was unable to read the floppy.  However, I was able to use the other two options under FixIt: the holographic shell and the 2nd CD of the 4 CDs. 

If anyone has suggestions not covered by the above information and links, please contribute your comments.