Acer Travelmate 8371 bricked by installing FreeBSD?

[Markus Hoenicka]

Uffe Jakobsen writes:
 > After FBSD install I could not boot or get into the bios and change the 
 > SATA emu-mode setting - that is where the removal of the disk is needed 
 > - since this will enable you to get past that hanging bios point and get 
 > into the bios setup again

Well, beastie finally came alive again :-) This was exactly the way to
go, and with Warren's hint about how the HDD lid is attached I managed
to sneak into the BIOS again. With the HDD set to IDE mode, FreeBSD
would boot without a hitch. Anyway, I reinstalled the system, this
time using the standard boot manager, to make sure this setting was
all it takes. The second install would also boot just fine, so now I'm
all set to work out the remaining issues. I'll probably have to tap
into your ingenuity again, but I'll do so in a separate thread.
 > 
 > I have no proof at this point - but I suspect the FBSD BootManager to be 
 > the one to blame when used in combination with the ahci sata emulation 
 > setting... but I'm by no means an expert in these things - and I did 
 > never get to the bottom of the problem...
 > 

I can't add much information here either. However, with the HDD mode
set to IDE it does not matter which boot loader you use. Both the
standard loader and the FreeBSD loader work fine.

To sum up this thread, this is the proper way to install FreeBSD on a
Travelmate 8371:

1) during the initial splash screen, hit F2 to enter BIOS setup

2) enable the boot menu

3) set the HDD mode from AHCI to IDE

4) reboot with a Clonezilla stick or CD to clone the HDD contents, in
  case you need to go back to the default state

5) reboot with your favourite FreeBSD install medium

And this is the proper way if you missed step 3):

1) turn the laptop upside down

2) loosen the two obvious screws of the HDD lid. They are secured by
retainers, so they won't come off entirely

3) use gentle force to lift up the lid, e.g. by means of a plastic
credit card. The lid is clipped in on three sides.

4) remove the HDD

5) switch on the box and hit F2 to enter BIOS setup

6) set the HDD mode from AHCI to IDE

7) switch off the box

8) put the HDD back into place and close the lid

9) switch on the box and, lo and behold, it is going to boot again

thanks again to all who provided their input.

regards,
Markus

-- 
Markus Hoenicka
http://www.mhoenicka.de
AQ score 38