DSL 2 Install Problem

Forum: HD Install
Topic: DSL 2 Install Problem
started by: sohkiak

Posted by sohkiak on Mar. 05 2006,09:09

I'm new to Linux. I have a DSL CD rom (which I got off a magazine), an old laptop (Twinhead, 64mb ram and 1G hdd), and no operating system on it. I can boot from CD rom no problems. But the first thing I get on bootting is this lack-lustre DSL screen with a DOS like interface and the command BOOT: I press F2 and then F3 for options, and typed in install. Things go fine, until DSL starts autoconfiguring devices and then it hangs. I've tried a series of options, including DSL Desktop, DSL2, etc... but it always hangs at autoconfiguring. I've got a floppy disk in the FDD and the CD in the CDrom drive, I'm even connected to the internet via a PCMCIA Ethernet cable card... What I want to know is: how to I install DSL on my hard disk and how to overcome this hanging at "autoconfig"?

I do not have any partitions apart from one mega partition

sohkiak

Posted by cbagger01 on Mar. 06 2006,02:20

Try typing

failsafe

at the boot prompt, or type

dsl nohwsetup

Posted by sohkiak on Mar. 06 2006,06:21

I have tried failsafe but it leads me to knoppix which the Livecd can't find... mind you, this is a legit cd from DSL.

Going through threads though, I've found a way to solve the AUTOCONFIGURATION problem.

Basically, I had to go into BIOS and change the settings for devices to AUTO and change LARGE DISK ACCESS mode to OTHER (not DOS)

This seems to solve the AUTOCONFIG. problem BUT...

Following the instructions on doing a hard disk install (standard and frugal )doesn't seem to work for me. I even used CFDISK to partition but no luck....

Each time I think I've completed my install, the CD is ejected and then nothing happens. So now I have an installation problem

But I also realised that if I do nothing at the BOOT prompt, I do eventually get into a nice graphical interface... but that's after waiting a long, long,long time... and my MOUSE doesn't work!

So I welcome all advice to help me do a HD install....

thanks

Posted by cbagger01 on Mar. 06 2006,17:27

Regarding the partitioning, did you FORMAT the partition after you created it in CFDISK?

CFDISK is used to define the partition type and partition size inside the hard drive's partition table. It does not actually format the newly created partition with a file system.

For example, for an IDE hard drive that is setup as your Primary Master drive, if you created partition #2 with a Linux partition and Partition #3 with a Linux Swap partition, you would format them with:

sudo su

mkfs -t ext2 /dev/hda2

and then for the swap:

mkswap /dev/hda3
swapon -a

As for the mouse problem, maybe your mouse thingie is not supported. You can search the forums for help. You also may be able to redirect the mouse location by booting with:

dsl xsetup

at the boot prompt.

Posted by sohkiak on Mar. 07 2006,00:13

I gave up trying to get into X. It took forever and then the computer just hung in there. So I tried to reinstall using dsl 2... and I did format my partitions using
mke2fs /dev/hda1 (the root)
mkswap /dev/hda2
swapon /dev/hda2

is that formatted?

I rebooted and installed without X and did a HD install to hda1 using Grub.

Rebooted with hard disk and then Grub opens up - followed the prompts and then eventually I get into the X .. but it is still painfully slow... and the mouse still doesn't work. Should I be editing the commands at Grub?

I've been trying to install DSL for days now... but I'm not going to give up.

thanks