5.3-BETA5-i386-disc1 bootstrap failures

I just downloaded and burned 5.3-BETA5-i386-disc1.iso and attempted to
start an installation.

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If I try the default boot (option #1), the system wedges after these
messages:

  ...
  pmtimer on isa0
  sc0: <System console> at flags 0x100 on isa0
  sc0: VGA <16 virtual consoles, flags = 0x300>
  vga0: <Generic ISA VGA> at port 0x3c0 - 0x3df iomem 0xa0000 - 0xbffff on isa0
  Timecounters tic every 10.000 msec
  md0: Preloaded image </boot/mfsroot> 4423680 bytes at 0xc09b68a4
  kernel trao 12 with interrupts disabled


  fatal trap 12: pague fault while in kernel mode
  cpuid = 0; apic id = 00
  fault virtual address   = 0x108
  fault code              = supervisor read, page not present
  instruction pointer     = 0x8:0xc06027a1
  stack pointer           = 0x10:0xe519db48
  frame pointer           = 0x10:0xe519db54
  code segment            = base 0x0, limit 0xfffff, type 0x1b
                          = DPL 0, pres 1, def32 1, gran 1
  processor eflags        = resume, IOPL = 0
  current process         = 2 (g_event)
  trap number             = 12
  panic: page fault
  cpuid = 0
  uptime: 1s

---------------------------

If I boot with ACPI disabled, the system gets a little farther and
then wedges after these messages:

  ...
  ATAPI_RESET time = 90us
  acd0: CDRW <SAMSUNG CDRW/DVD SM-352B/T806> at ata1-master UDMA33
  em0: Link is up 100 Mbps Full Duplex
  Interrupt storm detected on "irq18: em0 uhci2"; throttling interrupt source


I also get a bunch of error messages of the form:

  unknown: <PNP0303> can't assign resources (port)

and copies of this message:

  ahc3: No resources allocated.

(which is a little odd since there is no ahc3).

---------------------------

The system is a 2.8 GHz hyperthreaded P4 on a Gigabyte 8KNXP motherboard
(Intel 875/ICH5R support chips) and 1 GB of main memory.
Additional information about the system and its behavior under FreeBSD is
available on request, but you have to be specific about what you want.
Remember that since the system won't finish device configuration, I have
to manually copy the messages off the screen onto paper and then type
them back into my email program.

---------------------------

Summary: I am rather disturbed because I can't even get the generic
kernel to boot.  If 5.3 is declared "stable" under these circumstances,
I could end up Microsoft Creek without a paddle.

P.S. Release 4.10 works fine on my machine but doesn't support some
of the modern motherboard devices very well.  Release 5.1 seemed to
boot ok but my ps2 mouse randomly failed due to ACPI problems.
Release 5.2/5.2.1 would boot only with ACPI disabled and then failed
to configure the interrupt for my ethernet interface.  Now 5.3 BETA
won't boot at all.  Each new release of 5.x seems slightly more
problematic than the previous release.  Bummer ...

Dan Strick
strick_at_covad.net