From: Tom Cosgrove (tom.cosgrovearches-consulting.com)
Date: Mon Sep 20 2004 - 14:07:35 CDT

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>>> Tero Ripattila 17-Sep-04 20:49 >>>
>
> Hello all,
>
> I installed a snapshot dated to 12.9. yesterday, but cannot get
> OpenBSD to load due to Err M -error.
>
> FAQ, http://www.openbsd.org/faq/faq14.html#InstBoot, is telling the
> following:
>
> "-- ERR M -- An invalid magic(5) number was read in the second-stage
> bootloader's header. This generally means whatever it was that
> was read in was NOT /boot, usually meaning installboot(8) was run
> incorrectly or the /boot file was altered. --"

This is correct: if you are seeing "ERR M", then the OpenBSD master boot
record was successfully loaded by your computer's BIOS.

> I have my booloader on wd0 disk.
>
> I tried to re-install the bootloader with following commands that
> were introduced in the FAQ:
>
> # fdisk -u wd0
> and
> # fdisk -u -f /usr/mdec/mbr wd0
> and

These first two shouldn't be needed, as they re-install the master
boot record (MBR), which is installed okay, since you see "ERR M" (which
comes only from the MBR).

> # mkdir /boot

Where does it say to do this? You should not do this.

> # cd /usr/mdec; ./installboot /boot biosboot wd0
>
> None of these commands were of no help. Any suggestions or pointers?

Yes. Run the following commands, and send us the output - use a serial
console if you don't want to have to type it all exactly :-)

   # cd /
   # rm -rf /boot
   # cp /usr/mdec/boot /boot
   # /usr/mdec/installboot -v /boot /usr/mdec/biosboot wd0

(Incidentally, the last two commands are pretty much straight from the
installboot(8) man page; the first is to undo the incorrect "mkdir
/boot".)

Thanks

Tom

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