Acer Travelmate 8371 bricked by installing FreeBSD?

[Mubeesh ali]

Hi,

very useful info. I now know what exactly happened with an acer  5745
on which  i gave up . would be nice to  add these details in bsd
laptop compatibility  list

http://laptop.bsdgroup.de/freebsd/

thx,
Mubeesh

On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 1:29 PM, Markus Hoenicka
<markus.hoenicka at mhoenicka.de> wrote:
> 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
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-- 
Best  Regards,

Mubeesh Ali.V.M