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22 posts
A method for classifying FreeBSD settings by lifecycle so boot tunables, runtime sysctls, service variables, and device hints live in the right file.
A systems-level explanation of Haiku launch_daemon jobs and services, demand activation, dependencies, readiness, configuration, and diagnosis.
A recovery-first Linux boot workflow for root-device failures covering identifiers, storage drivers, LUKS, LVM, Btrfs, regenerated initramfs, and rollback.
A non-destructive FreeDOS recovery sequence for imaging the disk, auditing partitions and active flags, repairing boot code, and verifying files.
What starts when the first Linux process launches in WSL 2, which configuration is read at each stage, and why a distro can fail before the shell even appears.
How to distinguish damaged GPT metadata from missing BIOS or EFI boot code, recover safely from the backup table, and verify every write.
How to measure FreeBSD boot delays with boottrace, inspect rcorder dependencies, isolate blocking services, and repair ordering safely.
How FreeBSD orders rc.d scripts, separates dependency order from enablement, and provides safe, testable service lifecycle hooks.
A stage-by-stage guide to Haiku boot, from BIOS or UEFI handoff through packages, kernel initialization, launch_daemon, and recovery.
Use Haiku Boot Loader Options as controlled tests for video, add-ons, packages, CPUs, interrupts, storage, and logs without blind changes.
Recovering a Linux system that panics or hangs during boot right after a kernel or driver update, using boot menu options that don't require external rescue media.
A Mac stuck on the Apple logo, or restarting in a loop, has a specific ordered set of causes — work through them from least to most invasive.
A kernel update leaves the system unable to boot into any menu entry — how to regenerate a working GRUB2 configuration from a rescue environment.
Windows blue-screens with INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE before the desktop loads — diagnose whether it's a driver, disk, or boot config problem from Recovery.
A forensic walkthrough of FreeDOS startup from BIOS, MBR and volume boot code through KERNEL.SYS, FDCONFIG.SYS, FreeCOM, FDAUTO.BAT, drivers, and recovery keys.
You edited CONFIG.SYS, rebooted, and now the system hangs or won't load drivers correctly. Here's how to get back to a bootable state without reinstalling.
A forensic walkthrough of FreeBSD startup from BIOS or UEFI firmware through loader, kernel initialization, init, and ordered rc services.
How to diagnose FreeBSD's mountroot prompt by separating missing storage, stale root specifications, filesystem damage, and ZFS boot issues.
Trace a modern Linux boot across firmware, boot manager, kernel, initramfs, real root, and PID 1 with safe diagnostics for each handoff.
Your machine boots straight into a minimal grub rescue prompt instead of Linux. Here's how to get back to a working bootloader without reinstalling the OS.
How Apple Silicon's secure boot chain differs from Intel Macs, and the stages both go through to reach the login window.
How a modern Windows machine goes from firmware to a running kernel, and where each stage's configuration actually lives.