Messages in this thread | | | Date | Wed, 08 Jan 1997 09:33:30 -0600 | From | Robert Wuest <> | Subject | Re: Confirmation requested |
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Wayne Johnston wrote: > > After trying in vain to get Linux running on my PC I have been advised that > it can't be done - at least, not if I want to maintain a DOS partition on > the same PC. I've been told that the boot sector hack that allows DOS to > recognize a hard drive over 512 MB is incompatible with Linux. Is there > really nothing I can do apart from investing in new hardware?
Were you told this by someone that knew anything about Linux or was it a dos weenie (I'd guess the latter)? Yes, you should be able to run Linux using loadlin (see below).
> > That's the basic question. Here are some of the details... > > I have my disk divided like this below. I use hda4 as a minimal boot > partition for diagnosing problems with hda2. There have been nothing but > problems. I have installed Linux (Slackware) three times but it keeps > getting scrambled. > > Boot Begin Start End Blocks ID > /dev/hda1 * 1 1 407 205096 6 Dos 16-bit >=32M > /dev/hda2 408 408 814 205128 83 Linux native > /dev/hda3 815 815 855 20664 82 Linux swap > /dev/hda4 856 856 1024 85176 83 Linux native > > My disk geometry is 1086 cylinders, 16 heads, 63 sectors, 547 MB. > > When my system boots, I see the following... > > >> SAMSUNG WideDisk BOOT DRIVER VERSION 1.01 > >> MASTER IDE DRIVE: SAMSUNG SHD-30560A (APRO-5) SSI > > This, I've been told, is the root of my problem. > > Wayne Johnston > 311 College Street > Kingston ON K7L 4M3 > (613) 544-5851 > waynej@kos.net
I have a similar problem with a Western Digital 2.5G IDE drive. I am surprised that you are having this problem with a 547M drive! However, here's what I did (pick paths on your DOS partition that are appropriate for you).
I installed loadlin in c:\sys\loadlin. I created a dir in there called linux-2.0 and when I build a new kernel, I copy zImage there and edit my loadlin parameter files. I have a little script in my /root/bin directory that will do the copy for me.
In config.sys (you'll probably want to pick different names for things):
-- Cut here -- [MENU] MENUITEM=4DOS,Normal / 4DOS / QEMM MENUITEM=NO_NET, Normal(^) without the Network MENUITEM=Linux,Linux Default Run Level MENUITEM=Linux_4,Linux Run Level 4 MENUITEM=MSDOS,Microsoft's Stuff MENUITEM=DV,Desqview MENUITEM=PURE MENUDEFAULT=Linux,5
>bunch of DOS / 4Dos / Qemm stuff <
[Linux] shell=c:\sys\loadlin\loadlin.exe @c:\sys\loadlin\linux-2.0\paramsd.def
[Linux_4] shell=c:\sys\loadlin\loadlin.exe @c:\sys\loadlin\linux-2.0\params4.def -- cut here --
C:\sys\loadlin\linux-2.0\paramsd.def looks like this (fix it for your zImage name and root partition):
-- cut here -- C:\sys\loadlin\linux-2.0\zimg2_0.27 root=/dev/hda4 ro vga=extended -ja -v -- cut here --
and C:\sys\loadlin\linux-2.0\params4.def looks like this (to boot up in run level 4 which will start mgetty and answer my phone, something I don't want happening during the day, but I do at night):
-- cut here -- C:\sys\loadlin\linux-2.0\zimg2_0.27 root=/dev/hda4 ro vga=extended 4 -ja -v -- cut here --
You can add other linux boot params to these files as needed.
Good luck.
Robert -- mailto:rwuest@ix.netcom.com Empowered by Linux.
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