Destroyed Linux/partitions On Sl-c3200, recovery/install help needed Options

[oniks]

A few days ago I had a new SL-C3200 delivered and tried my first openbsd installation on it. I should have probably practiced on an i386 box or something first, because when it came to the disk partitioning steps I got confused and ended up doing something nasty to it.

I can't really remember what I did, but basically I think I wiped out some crucial linux partition(s) leaving only what I think was an OpenBSD / and swap partitions. Knowing I'd probably messed up, I figured I'd try to continue with the install - I was hoping to retrieve the binaries using the Planex GW-CF11X 802.11b card which I bought with the Zaurus, but the installer didn't seem to know about it, so I aborted the install, thinking I'd be able to start it all over again.

But now when I boot up, following the white "SHARP" screen, I get

CODE

probing: cn0 com0 com1 com2
disk: hd0*
>> OpenBSD/zaurus BOOT 2.08
boot>
booting hd0a:/bsd: open hd0a:/bsd: No such file or directory
failed(2). will try /obsd
boot>
booting hd0a:/bsd: open hd0a:/bsd: No such file or directory
failed(2). will try /obsd

...

This goes on for a while and eventually stops with

CODE

Turning timeout off.
boot>

If I then type "reboot", I get

CODE

Rebooting...
mount: Mounting /dev/hda1 on /hdd1 failed: Invalid argument
HDD1 Error!!

So I've discovered the reliance on linux the hard way

Can anyone point me to instructions on how to get things back to a point where I can try installing OpenBSD again?

I've seen many references to a page which is said to have recovery instructions for SL-C3000 but the site doesn't seem to be working, and I cant find copies of it in archive.org or google's cache.

I'd be grateful for any help with this.

Cheers

[sambartle]

This seems like as good a place as any to ask this as a search didn't turn it up..

If i install OpenBSD and totally screw up my 3200.. i can recover it using the recovery tools that are on there (the japanese screen) as nothing can touch this as far as i can see? This seems to be what the OP here has done, and then used the HDD scripts to get the HDD back up..

Is the 3200 therefore practically un-killable in this sense since this menu cannot be overwritten no matter how much i destroy the rest of it?

If this is the case then OpenBSd is going on there ASAP as the linux ports all feel very very unfinished.

[mathemajikian]

I wouldnt say that the Z is unkillable. Where theres a will there is away. However, I cannot see anyway that you could put the Z in an unrepairable state by following the directions for installing ZBSD on your 3200. You will of course destroy the linux partitions on the internal hard drive but these are easly fixed using fdisk and the .sys files found at trisoft or on the cd's that come with your Z. I have formatted the internal hard drive and have erased everything off of /dev/mtdblock3 and /dev/mtdblock2 before and had no issues getting the Z back up and running. Infact, ZBSD only uses /dev/mtdblock2. I'm not sure if you can destroy the emergency linux installed on /dev/mtdblock1 since you cant really mount this device. So aslong as this area /dev/mtdblock1 remains intact you should be able to repair your Z to a usable state.

This seems like as good a place as any to ask this as a search didn't turn it up..

If i install OpenBSD and totally screw up my 3200.. i can recover it using the recovery tools that are on there (the japanese screen) as nothing can touch this as far as i can see? This seems to be what the OP here has done, and then used the HDD scripts to get the HDD back up..

Is the 3200 therefore practically un-killable in this sense since this menu cannot be overwritten no matter how much i destroy the rest of it?

If this is the case then OpenBSd is going on there ASAP as the linux ports all feel very very unfinished.