sda1 = "Irregular" = cdrom? Argh...
Forum: USB booting
Topic: sda1 = "Irregular" = cdrom? Argh...
started by: mvisconte
Posted by mvisconte on Feb. 13 2006,19:21
Got my old usb install working again, sort of. I had deleted the old KNOPPIX, and had too much (win) stuff installed that I couldn't afford to reformat. Installed to a diff't USB, and re-copied all install files over. I can now boot into DSL 2.2b, but once I do, it doesn't remember any of my previous changes... why? Because even tho' I can BOOT from the USB, I can't MOUNT the same one. Sigh.
The sda1 is listed as "irregular" in the mounting tool. If I try to mount it, I get the message that "This partition is already mounted at /cdrom/".
OK, what did I totally screw up? Is there a setting that will set this USB stick straight so I can continue booting from it and go on about my merry way SAVING to it?
For the record, it is a Memorx 512mb 2.0 device. I copied the files from a Dell 256mb 2.0 device -- that originally gave me fits because Dell shipped it w/ four (4) partitions and I couldn't manipulate it in Win. Had to delete the parts in Linux, then re-part in Win, format, etc. It still has heart burn.
Anyone? Anyone? Beuler?
Posted by mikshaw on Feb. 13 2006,20:06
Boot using the "toram" parameter to have KNOPPIX loaded into ram and sda1 umounted for future use.Boot using the "frugal" parameter to have sda1 remounted read-write on /cdrom while still using KNOPPIX on sda1.
Posted by mvisconte on Feb. 13 2006,21:00
Whoa, that was fast! Posted, took my son to the dentist, and voila, a reply.Thanks Mik
> Boot using the "toram" parameter to have KNOPPIX loaded
> into ram and sda1 umounted for future use.
This is the way that it boots now, but when I try to mount sda1, I get the "irregular" status. I can't mount it, period (the "already mounted as CDROM" message) - no "future use" to it.
> Boot using the "frugal" parameter to have sda1 remounted
> read-write on /cdrom while still using KNOPPIX on sda1.
I will try this... I haven't tried "Frugal", so I'll have to read up on it. I just don't understand why the USB memory stick would be mounted as CDROM. Would it be because I built the distro on it from a file (ISO image from the HD)?
I was hoping to build the MyDSL packages into the USB, and then rebuild another ISO from that. I will make mini-CDs from the result, but I don't want to make multiple intermediate copies if I don't have to. I'm still new to the "brewing your own" package scene.
Posted by mikshaw on Feb. 13 2006,21:46
I'm not sure why you'd have trouble mounting it if you are booting with the toram option. The drive *should* have been unmounted after loading KNOPPIX into ram...or at least that's the way i understand the process.
Posted by MakodFilu on Feb. 15 2006,13:07
I have the same issue. Even with toram it stays there mounted at the end of the boot process. At first I thought it was related to adding cheat codes in the usb-making proccess, but then I figured out it stays mounted for DSL to be able to store customizations you do while using the distro (like putting the bookmark items after the menu items and thus getting rid of the bookmark toolbar 
)Now I feel (almost) guilty for being too conformist
Posted by mvisconte on Feb. 16 2006,01:59
You can't be too conformist. Or, wait... non-conformist? Sigh.Anyway, once it loads, it's unmounted, and it stays that way. I figured out I can't use CDROM, because it's already in use (USB) and I can't use USB because it's irregular (and besides, it's mounted at /CDROM/).
Aw man... I just want to be able to boot from my USB and have my MyDSL set up. No, that's never enough... then, I'll want to burn a new distro once I have everything tweeked. But I can't do that because... CDROM can't be mounted bec... aw!
I'll keep looking. If anybody has any more ideas, please chime in!
Posted by Onyarian on Feb. 16 2006,07:48
Even the "/cdrom/" is mounted with the contents of the sda1, if you put a CD you can see it in "/mnt/cdrom".If you put another usb device, it creates a new mount point, like sdb1 in /mnt/.
So you are able to work with CD's and other devices in USB
I hope this help you.
Onyarian
Posted by roberts on Feb. 16 2006,17:20
As root copy over the extensions to /cdromIt is that easy. No further mounts are needed. So simple.
Then those extenions will auto load at boot time.
Posted by cbagger01 on Feb. 17 2006,03:17
IE:Choose "Emelfm as Super User" from the menu.
Posted by mvisconte on Feb. 18 2006,00:27
| Quote (roberts @ Feb. 16 2006,12:20) |
| As root copy over the extensions to /cdrom It is that easy. No further mounts are needed. So simple. Then those extenions will auto load at boot time. |
Well, I've got a half-way solution... I included some UCIs in the root of the USB stick, and they load into ram automatically when the system boots up.
I can't mount either the /cdrom/ or the /sda - mount just fails using the desktop mounter. I'll try it through console, but I think I tried that already and I don't remember it working -- but I didn't sudo it. That will be my next attempt, along w/ copying some MyDSL packages that I have on my HD. I'll boot up and see if I can see anything. Who knows, I may be back online w/ DSL in a few minutes.
Posted by jshaw on Mar. 04 2006,23:38
Actually, during the boot process, after DSL copies the contents toram, DSL says can't change to /cdrom2. It's not mounting the KNOPPIX image in ram, but rather still using what's on the usb drive. I've been having hell because of it.josh
Posted by vnb_tom on Mar. 05 2006,19:29
hi,I too have the same problem with the mounting tool but u can very well mount the pen drive using the mount command running on a terminal as root
Posted by roberts on Mar. 05 2006,23:44
irregular means that the device is already mounted!It is mounted under a different name than the typically used device name.
When booting from a pendrive sda1 is already mounted as /cdrom
Forcing an additional mount as root is not useful and may cause issues with other programs. You only need to have it mounted once.
Posted by jshaw on Mar. 06 2006,00:04
Ok, but why isn't it unmounting the drive during boot?
Posted by cbagger01 on Mar. 06 2006,03:05
I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that it's because you don't have enough RAM available for "toram" mode, and/or you booted with the "frugal" cheatcode even if you didn't know it (frugal is added to the list of automatic cheatcodes during a pendribe USB install process).The bottom line is:
If you are still using files on your USB drive, IE: /cdrom/KNOPPIX, then you will continue to be mounted for the entire time that you are up and running.
Posted by jshaw on Mar. 06 2006,04:25
| Quote |
| frugal is added to the list of automatic cheatcodes during a pendribe USB install process |
Well then, how do I stop that? I would like to be able to remove my pendrive.
And yes I have enough ram. 512MB. I've run DSL 0.8something through 1.0 on this pc from a frugal install and livecd, both with toram.
Posted by roberts on Mar. 06 2006,05:32
jshaw, you are talking about a different issue than the topic of this thread. That being usb booting with toram option. The results you are seeing is because of Linux type files residing on a VFAT filesystem. Whereas the KNOPPIX/KNOPPIX on VFAT becomes knoppix/knoppix
To accomodate your request would likely result in a specialized linuxrc inside minirt24.gz. This is quite frankly of not high on the TODO list. Having a specialized minirt24.gz would then dictate not being able to use a common image to deploy usb installation from the liveCD or frugal installs from pendrives, etc. It would most likely mean having to have a separate download of said specialized image. All because of using VFAT because that it, VFAT, is which is natively booted. Could we use something other than Syslinux / VFAT, maybe. But USB booting is difficult enough and the older hardware did not have very good standards. Seems like a pandora's box to me. Is the effort worth results and more so the inconvience? All of this hassle so you can remove the pendrive after to toram load.
Posted by cbagger01 on Mar. 06 2006,17:22
If you want to stop the USB pendrive frugal booting (allows "Write" access to your pendrive), the open the SYSLINUX.CFG file with a text editor and remove the word "frugal" from all of the various APPEND lines inside the file.But I am not sure if removing the word "frugal" is going to help with your problem. I am just suggesting that you give it a try and see what happens.
Posted by mvisconte on Mar. 06 2006,22:06
| Quote (cbagger01 @ Mar. 05 2006,22:05) |
| ... guess ... you don't have enough RAM available for "toram" mode, and/or you booted with the "frugal" cheatcode ... |
In my case, it's not ram... the laptop has two gig (more than *I'VE* ever had...). I will check the auto cheatcodes... I have stayed away from any that I don't fully understand (grin).
An additional update, while I don't remember WHAT I did, I DO have the USB updating even tho' the system thinks it's a CDROM. It's a minor irritation, as I can't save anything to it during a normal session, but any changes made to the system in TORAM mode ARE written back at shutdown.
Not optimal, but better than nothing.
Is there an easy way to tell if the system did a frugal install? I've got a 50M (ok, 48M) file "KNOPPIX" in a "KNOPPIX" directory on the USB.
The default linux24 entry in syslinux.cfg contains:
frugal restore=sda1 BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix
I take it that this is what it boots to if I let it timeout (usually while fetching something to drink while it's booting). does the lower-case "knoppix" matter against the upper-case directory/filename?
Posted by roberts on Mar. 07 2006,01:11
I decided to go in and take look at the vfat issue.Got it working and can now effectively use the toram option on the usb booted pendrives.
I was able to not to have a separate minirt24.gz but instead combine with the existing one. Thus everyone will benefit.
Look for this in v2.3.
Posted by jshaw on Mar. 07 2006,01:17
Cool Beans
Posted by JohnH on Mar. 09 2006,20:35
I'm running DSL 2.3 RC1I first booted on CD, then right clicked went to apps > tools> install to pendrive > hdd pendrive
Then I right clicked on the desktop again and went to apps > tools > make boot floppy > USB boot floppy
The system will come up, seems to work fine. The mount tool in the lower right hand corner says sda1 is mounted (not irregular)
I clicked on MyDSL and selected multimedia > audacity 1.2.2 > OK > DOWNLOAD
This put audacity in the ramdrive folder /tmp.
I clicked the Emelfm icon and started emelfm as root. Then I navigated to /mnt/sda1 and clicke Mkdir button, gave / optional as the name for the new directory. The directory showed up in the left pane.
I then navigated to the new directory in the right pane and then in the left pane navigated to /ramdisk/var/tmp and clicked on audacity 1.2.2.tar.gz. Then i clicked the move button hoping to put audacity on the 128Mb pendrive.
In the box at the bottom was this message:
mv Write error: no space left on drive
I removed the pen drive and plugged it into another machine. I then looked at "propertie"s for the pendrive. The report indicated 70+ MB of free space.
The pendrive is an Apacer handy Steno 1.1
The computer is a Gateway E-3200 350Mhz-PII upgraded to 450Mhz.
512Mb ram, no HD and I have removed the CDROM.
Pheonix BIOS 4
I'd like to have the machine boot up with audacity ready. What should I do?