Help newbie to DSL please.
Forum: HD Install
Topic: Help newbie to DSL please.
started by: erics
Posted by erics on Mar. 20 2006,02:02
Hi!I downloaded DSL, but am having trouble getting it to boot. My computer is an old Tyan Titan-VX motherboard with an Intel 133mhz processor and 32mb ram.
The motherboard does not support booting from the CD so I created a boot floppy.
I get to the first black and grey screen that allows me to hit enter f2 or f3. I have tried all options including: hitting return, hitting f2 and typing dsl tohd=/dev/hda1 (copy cd to hd partition and run), and hitting f3 and trying dsl minimal, lowram, and install to get the CD image onto my hd.
What am I doing wrong?
No matter which option I choose I always get to the "Welcome to DSL" screen with the penguin. Then in red it says "Can't find KNOPPIX filesystem, sorry. Dropping you to a (very limited) shell. Press reset button to quit."
The md5sum checked out OK.
Thanks for the help.
E
Posted by NewDude on Mar. 20 2006,04:50
You need to have a copy of KNOPPIX and BOOT directories from the CD on your C:...Make sure you have your partitions setup. Tell me more about your system?
Is it on a network? What are your partitions? I have 2 systems running DSL 2.2B with out a CD-ROM... It is fairly easy to get them running, but you need a network or maybe pull the HD with of that system and hook it up to another system that has a CD-ROM and copy it to the C:\, then put it back in your system without the CD-ROM
What I did was have a Windows 98 partitiion, I boot to windows 98, get it on my network, copy the KNOPPIX and BOOT directory to the C:\, use the boot floppy..
It should find DSL.
But before I would do that, you need to partition your HD.... use CFDISK, do a DSL 2 boot up after you copy the Knoppix and Boot directories. Run CFDISK from the command line. At least create a Linux swap partition type 82... then do the swapon /dev/hda* *= number of hda... if you don't get a swap partition, it will be will run to slow... with only 32mb, you need a swap...
Then reboot with the floppy.. do a regular boot, it will go find your KNOPPIX on then c: and bring up everything.... You can do that to test your hardware.
After that, do a search on HD install... I would go back to DSL 2 and run CFDISK and partition a LINUX partition type 83...
Do a search around in the forum.... you will find most of your answers you need...
Posted by erics on Mar. 20 2006,11:36
Thanks a lot for the help. Linux is a wonderful program!| Quote |
| You need to have a copy of KNOPPIX and BOOT directories from the CD on your C:... |
I don't recall seeing that KNOPPIX and the BOOT directories needed to be copied directly to the harddrive to get DSL running, but if this would help me work around the problems I am having I am willing to try it...
On the other hand this computer does have an old CD drive installed. And I have the burned 2.2b img in the drive. It was at this point--trying to load the CD onto the harddrive--that I ran into problems.
Since my computer can't boot from it's own CD drive I created the boot floppy to then load the CD. My problem is the boot floppy boots, but the CD don't load. This was the easiest way to install besides a direct boot from the CD correct?
So it is when the CD fails to load that I run into the error message: "Can't find KNOPPIX filesystem sorry...." CD light turns on when the computer boots.
| Quote |
| Make sure you have your partitions setup. Tell me more about your system? |
I don't have any partitions besides the current one. This computer currently has Windows 95 installed. However, I plan to completely write over all the information on my old harddrive and just have DSL exclusively.
Question: So when the CD loads DSL to the hardrive it will create all the necessary partitions on its own. Correct?
Is installing DSL from the CD not the easiest way to do this. That way I wouldn't have to mess with making partitions.
| Quote |
| Is it on a network? |
No, but I plan to install a network card and connect it to my network. I can do that now though if this would make things easier--this computer has never been networked to my knowledge.
I'll stop here and wait for suggestions.
Thanks again for the help.
E
Posted by NewDude on Mar. 20 2006,15:00
Ok Dude, check it out.Look at your DSL CD... Open it in Windows and look at it. It is either going to be a iso file on it, or you completely created the iso image and it created a directory structure on the CD. If you created it correctly, then it should have a KNOPPIX, BOOT, and LOST&FOUND directories. You need to copy the KNOPPIX and BOOT to your hard drive where Windows 95 is. Put them at the root of C: drive. Make sure they are both capitalized. Don't use file explorer to check captialization, use a DOS command line using DIR /p to scrool through the directories, make sure they are their and CAPTIALIZED.
If they are there, reboot your machine, use the floppy to boot, press enter at the Linux screen, it should go out and find your directory.
Once you boot it up, make sure everything works.
The boot floppy won't find your CD drive, you need to copy KNOPPIX AND BOOT directories to your root.
You are doing what they call a "Poorman's Install"
Do a search in the forum for more information on the poorman's install.
Also, DSL won't setup your partition automatically, you need to go to CFDISK and set them up.
After you get everything ready check out this link:
< documentation >
Get the FrugalHowto.pdf
Here is a link to the poormans install:
< Poormans install WIKI >
If you are sucessful to finally getting a frugal install, you can later repartition your drive and do a full HD INSTALL. But I would stick with one thing at a time. Do the poorman's first, then read other posts on here and do a little research. It is fairly easy once you get some practice. Don't get discouraged, just keep on going and you will figure it out.
If you really end up liking it, buy the DSL 2.1 book they advertize on here. It is pretty basic, but it did help me some, especially with the network part of it.
I am still learning this OS, so I am not an expert yet on it, but I am have had a bunch of practice do the 3 different installs (POORMANS, FRUGAL, and HD INSTALL)...
Have fun...
Posted by lovdsl on Mar. 22 2006,04:29
dsl will auto format the partition but you need to first create linux partitions before attempting an install..if the hd has windows then it has a fat partition..if you do not want windows on your box then first delete the fat partition. since you have 32 meg ram you must have a swap file..I started with two partitions, three are better...linux partitions are created with linux fdisk...althought this is included with dsl at run level 2 which you see when you hit f2 f3..if you have trouble getting it to load due to low ram..google basiclinux3..it is a two floppy disk set that has fdisk..this will allow you to create a swap file..make it at least 128 meg..but more may be better..the swap will allow you to basically run from ram..you can then choose install to hd from the right click menu ..to install to hd you need a boot partition..it should be at least 150meg..more for adding dsl extensions..if you have created a boot partition and a swap file and you still get the error..just try again..a bit frustrating perhaps but may be due to hardware..I just installed and got the error but after several tries it loaded to ram and then to hd..I am typeing via oepra8 from the test folder..will check back..not sure this is helpfull.
Posted by janrocks on Mar. 22 2006,19:26
lovdsl and guys..Yes that was very helpful!, I got mine running with that info after more than a week of pain....Best info? Fdisk at runlevel 2...Great..Thanks 
I also had the problem of loading faulty settings from somewhere on Hda3..Thought the easiest way was start again..
Total full install (and a root around) completed in 30 mins, on a P133....Didn't know this machine could be so fast..
Posted by NewDude on Mar. 22 2006,20:48
janrocks.... that is great... glad we could help..This weekend I will be putting DSL on another older P133 machine also, I will have 5 DSL machines then...
Yeah, running DSL at level 2 is a big help when installing... that is the only way to install... you will get a good clean install if you do it at level 2...
Posted by janrocks on Mar. 26 2006,01:17
Thanks guys...I did some investigating and found what was happening was at a certain point in the install the system does a reboot...Then it does the starting up stuff until it gets to a point where it reports something about "invalid such and such file ( something to do with screen resolution?)..restoring from hda3" that goes by a bit too fast, all I can say is what I managed to scrape off my retinas...Then some more ending with
"Entering run level5"...then everything stops with a blank screen..
Not a problem now..just thought you would find a report useful.
Jan
Posted by lovdsl on Mar. 26 2006,03:55
What I managed to scrape off my retinas...ok I can use that..hahahaGlad you found a solution..what was it? I had the messed up screen first time around and then typed dsl vga=normal to solve
Posted by janrocks on Mar. 26 2006,04:15
Hi.. It seems that the first failed install attempt left some files lurking on hda3..something to do with vga settings.Jhats what flashed before my eyes..Restoring somesuch from hda3 (persistence of vision is useful sometimes)After I re-partitioned the drive properly,with cfdisk.. I think I did?..not sure yet, it seems to work ok..too cold upstairs (I just formatted an ex redhat drive first time) the install went smoothly...Another old one to do tomorrow.. 486sx!..I'll keep a proper log so I know exactly what I did this time..seems like as the drive controller was going out on the previous mobo I tried there was something I wasn't expecting going on...possibly multiple failed installs and partial files..I like DSL..been using it on my xbox for about 10 months, better than gentoo and xebian..Not that theres anything wrong with them..Just take up too much space..
Posted by lovdsl on Mar. 26 2006,04:47
10 months, yer a pro...I have been at it a month..486sx..have fun ..sounds like command line to me..just finished the dx2..66..slow and basic with x..am going to try a laptop next myself..no cd/no floppy..could be interesting..best of luck then..oh..and thanks again for the line.
Posted by NewDude on Mar. 26 2006,15:11
I always like listening to people bringing back to life those old systems...I truely wish I would have never gotten rid of my 486's.. I could have put them to use around here...
Posted by NewDude on Mar. 26 2006,15:17
Jamrocks... I am curious about the xbox thing...Do you use the game controller to scroll through the letters to type stuff on the command line? Or can you hook up a keyboard to it?
So can you use it pretty much like a regular computer? I bet Microsoft never intended for people to run Linux on an xbox ... that is cool..