HD Install :: cfdisk, don't know designation of the CF-card



Now another error when trying to start the frugal grub install:

"sfdisk: read error on /dev/hdc1 - cannot read sector 0
Sorry, system has not detected linux partition."

What I did differently, appearantly to get that error, is this:
I created one big EXT2 partition on another computer with the help of Acronis Disk Director Suite v10.
At first I still got that "Warning: start=63" error, but then I did "sudo mkfs.ext2 /dev/hdc1" followed by a reboot.
Then I got that new error.

Edit: ran sfdisk. It saw the EXT2 partition, let it write the partition table, followed by a reboot.

Now I get this:
"Warning: start=1 - ", rest is the same as before.
hmm, it sounds like something wrong with the CF card.

i always blank out the bootsector before a format;
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hdc bs=512 count=1

you know, can just use fdisk to format :
>sudo fdisk /dev/hdc
delete whatever partitions are there.
add a new primary partition (it defaults it to ext2)
write it.

use emelfm filemanager to see if you can mount it (right-click-mount)
copy some files to it just to see if it's ok.
unmount it

then do a frugal grub install on it (hdc1).

I have 2 Kingstons 2GB (they're really toshiba's, but you probably already know that). they're usually very reliable, so i'm quite surprised.

i just did a pendrive install on one of them just to see if it works and the only problem i had was that the installer could'nt find the linux24 or minirt24.gz,
but that's cos i boot the pen from freedos. i copied these 2 files to the boot/
directory of the kingston and grub boots okay.

as a last resort, you could try freedos instead of grub;
http://petepr.drivehq.com/dsl/guides/guides_idiots.html#Boot_LoadLin
you might need to use fdisk to switch on the boot flag.
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hmm, it sounds like something wrong with the CF card.

All three of them?
Have three identical 2GB Kingston's... (these)
All of them give those errors when I try a frugal install.

Also wanted to try the cdrom from the official DSL book, maybe that one works?, but can't.
The USB->PATA/SATA adapter I got, sit's partially in the way of the cdrom-power connector. Gonna try something else later.

Quote
i always blank out the bootsector before a format;
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hdc bs=512 count=1

Tried that couple of times...

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you know, can just use fdisk to format :
>sudo fdisk /dev/hdc
delete whatever partitions are there.
add a new primary partition (it defaults it to ext2)
write it.

fdisk? Wait, I've been using cfdisk, this evening sfdisk once (no clue how that one works, after pressing ENTER a few times it showed the EXT2 partition and 3 0MB ones?!?!, and wrote the partition table).
Gonna try fdisk when I wake up again. (almost 1:30AM now...)

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use emelfm filemanager to see if you can mount it (right-click-mount)
copy some files to it just to see if it's ok.
unmount it

then do a frugal grub install on it (hdc1).

Okay, gonna try that to.

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I have 2 Kingstons 2GB (they're really toshiba's, but you probably already know that). they're usually very reliable, so i'm quite surprised.

Ehh, didn't know that, I do now :P

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i just did a pendrive install on one of them just to see if it works and the only problem i had was that the installer could'nt find the linux24 or minirt24.gz,
but that's cos i boot the pen from freedos. i copied these 2 files to the boot/
directory of the kingston and grub boots okay.

Pendrive install... What's the difference with a frugal install if that happens to work over here?

Quote
as a last resort, you could try freedos instead of grub;
http://petepr.drivehq.com/dsl/guides/guides_idiots.html#Boot_LoadLin
you might need to use fdisk to switch on the boot flag.

Well, changing bootloader (or what's it called) won't help since I can't get DSL installed...
Anyway, someone recommended me to try installing Grub, just that, to check if the computer can boot it.
Well... Tried fdisk, then mounted it with that filemanager, copied the knoppix folder, that went without problems.
Unmounted it, that took a lot longer though than mounting it, and then started the installation again:......
""Warning: start=63 - etc..."

Installing grub:
Got it installed succesfully, so it seems, didn't get errors. (uses this method)
But after trying to boot from the CFcard, I get a blinking cursor, then "no bootable device detected".
Back in DSL I mounted the CFcard, no grub files/folders...
This is just...

Had an idea.
"MacGyver'd" an external cdrom player together -> disassembled a PATA-HDD USB case and used the USB->PATA converter pcb to connect an old cdrom player to the miniITX system.
Then downloaded the most recent DSL (4.4.10) and burned it on a cd to try it out.

1st attempt: no linux FS found (no errorcode or anything)
Ran cfdisk, which found an ext2 partition, wrote the partitiontable without changing anything.
2nd attempt: installation succesful! There are even files present, grub too, but cf-card is still not bootable. Grub won't load, no error, just no bootable device detected.
An yes, I did this...
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original here.