User Feedback :: How low can you go?

I've just tried everything to get DSL installed on my old IBM 486 computer with 16Mb of RAM and 524Mb HDD, and I'm starting to think that, though I've almost finished, maybe I'll quit.

My PC doesn't have CD Drive so I copied the image of Knoppix via LL3 from my P4 PC to the IBM, I did create the Floppy Boot Image too, but this one refuses to boot, so I installed the Hard Disk in my P4 PC as Master and booted to DSL from my DVD, ran a failsafe boot and I used the Apps > Tools > Install to Hard Disk option and installed the LILO 22.5.7.2 Bot Menu.

When the system asked me to reboot, I turned off my PC and installed the HDD onto my IBM PC, tried to boot (just ENTER) but I got these 4 last lines:

kmod: failed to exec /sbin/modprobe -s -k block -major -22, errno = 2
VFS: Cannot open root device "1601" or 16:01
Please append a correct "root=" boot option
Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 16:01

Well, I have reinstalled DSL to the IBM's HDD on my P4 PC twice, one with Grub and the last with LILO.

LILO booted, but no matter what cheatcode I used, the DSL always halt on the same place.

The longest boot command line was:

dsl 1 vga=normal noatapicd noideraid nosound noapic acp=off noscsi noapm nousb nopcmcia nofirewire noagp nomce noddc fromhd=/dev/hda1 mem=16M expert failsafe lowram

As you can see, I just put all the meat on the grill.

I have tried every combination of commands and it's useless.

I noticed that I cannot use "expert" or "failsafe" command alone I have to write "dsl" first but this override the command and try to boot as normal.

Anyway, I'm a Linux newbie (on any flavor), but what I read on the last 4 lines make me think first in a memory frame problem (maybe) or with the HDD partition.

How can I partition the HDD before install the DSL inside DSL?

What I did was:

I booted with my Windows ME Disk 1 (in order to have CD drive access)
I used the Partition Magic 4 to delete the original Win98SE -FAT32- partition and made a Linux Ext2 Partition of 396Mb and a Linux Swap Partition of 128Mb
Then I booted with DSL in Failsafe mode and installed DSL to the HDD (When the install process ask me the target partition it didn't accept me "hda2" or "hda1" I have to write "hdc1". What do you think on that?)

By the way, I have made other 2 Live CD's. One with Knoppix and the other with Puppy Linux (which I couldn't configure to work with my DSL modem, which I did quickly with DSL and Knoppix)

Any idea?

I'm sorry, I wish I could help you, but I am lost on what you are trying to do without a CD ROM drive. Do you have any friends with a CD ROM drive laying around that you could try using to install DSL? I really think that without that drive you are climbing up too steep a mountain.:(

You have to consider that this IBM doesn't boot from a CD-ROM (BIOS options: FDD, HDD or Network). Even if it can (using a boot floppy), what difference it makes? The system it's already on the HDD, the first boot of DSL was on the IBM machine, so why do I need the CD for?

You can partition the disk from DSL with: cfdisk /dev/hdc (or /dev/hda)
I don't think you need a 128 MB swap partition, it should be ok with 64 (or maybe even 32).
You could try to boot with this: dsl root=/dev/hdc1 ro
BTW, /dev/hdc is the secondary master and when you put it into the ibm it will most likely be primary master (dev/hda) which may explain the error message.

Why a CD??? Hmmmm. I thought had replied to this, but don't see my reply, so here goes again. In my case, I had an IBM laptop that could not boot from the CD ROM either. It was also not a R/W drive. I ordered the CD ROM from DSL and booted up with the boot up floppy. I used the CD ROM to install DSL to the HD, which was cleaned of everything. No room for a dual boot setup on a HD only 800 megs in size. DSL, I think, is designed to work as a program from the CD ROM, or be installed from the CD ROM. I think just putting files on the HD may not result in a proper install. That's only my guess. For me, the install to the HD from the CD ROM disk went fine and it works.

Good luck.:)

Next Page...
original here.