You can generally go into bios and do it.  You may be able to just
get around it by doing fdisk /mbr in dos and than reinstalling 
freebsd?

~Deepak

On Mar 29 2001, at 20:56, keith@christianexchange.org was caught saying:
> I thought you could not do a low level format on an IDE because they were
> formatted at the factory.
> 
> Am I misinformed?
> 
> Thanks,
> Keith
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <proudhawk@uswestmail.net>
> To: <plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us>
> Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2001 8:46 PM
> Subject: Re: Common install problem
> 
> 
> > sounds like one of those problems I had.
> > I simply used an msdos low-level formatter, cleaned the drive
> > and re-installed... I think there is a setting in there that tells freeBSD
> to install a boot loader (which in this case, seems to have not been
> properly loaded).
> >
> > On Thu, 29 March 2001, "Trent Shipley" wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > I am trying to install a free *Nix OS on an ancient box that has a
> Pentium-I
> > > @ 125MHz, 32 Mbytes Ram and 10 GB IDE 33.
> > >
> > > All goes well until the reboot when I get the all-to-common little
> flashing
> > > cursor in the upper right hand corner of the screen.  I know this is a
> > > V-E-R-Y common install problem, but this is the first time I have had to
> > > cope with it.
> > >
> > > In the past the little box has successfully run Slackware 3.x, Debian
> > > Potato, and (briefly) Red Hat 6.2, even running X.  However attempts
> this
> > > week with:
> > >
> > > Walnut Creek FreeBSD 4.2,
> > > Slackware 7.1,
> > > and Redhat 6.2
> > >
> > > Just return the little un-responsive cursor.
> > >
> > >    (As this will be used at work, I have a license preference for
> FreeBSD.)
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Trent Shipley
> > >
> > > Work:
> > > (602) 522-7502
> > > mailto:tshipley@symbio-tech.com
> > > http://www.symbio-tech.com
> > >
> > >
> > > ________________________________________________
> > > See http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/navigator-mail.shtml if your mail doesn't
> post to the list quickly and you use Netscape to write mail.
> > >
> > > Plug-discuss mailing list  -  Plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us
> > > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
> >
> >
> > Signup for your free USWEST.mail Email account http://www.uswestmail.net
> >
> > ________________________________________________
> > See http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/navigator-mail.shtml if your mail doesn't
> post to the list quickly and you use Netscape to write mail.
> >
> > Plug-discuss mailing list  -  Plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us
> > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
> 
> 
> ________________________________________________
> See http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/navigator-mail.shtml if your mail doesn't post to the list quickly and you use Netscape to write mail.
> 
> Plug-discuss mailing list  -  Plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us
> http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss

-- 
Deepak Saxena - deepak@csociety.purdue.edu - phone://602.790.0500

Code Monkey, MontaVista Software, Inc. - THE Embedded Linux Experts

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