Newbie HD Installation - Part 2

Forum: HD Install
Topic: Newbie HD Installation - Part 2
started by: mmm

Posted by mmm on Jan. 25 2007,18:10

Hey group still having problems

Summary

I'm a newbie tryiing to install DSL onto an old Compaq 1130T laptop computer. It is a Windows 95a, pentium 120, 800x600 TFT screen 16 MB RAM.

I Installed the knoppix file to the folder C:\knoppix with floppies, the file size checks out.

Booting with standard boot floppy I press F2 & F3 and type "dsl 2"

I also tried "dsl 2 fromhd=/dev/hda1 mem=16m vga=normal no{apic|mce} legacy noicons" (Do I need all of these?)
I get slightly less errors listed below.

Scanning Hardisk partitions and creating /etc/fstab... Done
mount: can't find/ ramdisk in /etc/fstab or etc/mtab
Austomounter started for: floppy cdrom.
mkdir: Cannot create directory '/ramdisk/tmp': No such file or directory
chmod: /ramdisk/tmp/: No such file or directory
chgrp: /ramdisk/tmp/: No such file or directory
mkdir: Cannot create directory '/tmp/mydsl.menu': No such file or directory
chgrp: /tmp/mydsl.menu: No such file or directory
chmod: /tmp/mydsl.menu: No such file or directory
mkdir: Cannot create directory '/tmp/mydsl.icons': No such file or directory
chgrp: /tmp/mydsl.icons: No such file or directory
chmod: /tmp/mydsl.icons: No such file or directory
Checking for myDSL apps... ls: /tmp/mydsl.icons: No such file or directory
Done
INIT: Entering runlevel:
root@tty1[/]#

here I enter "mkdosswapfile"

mount: /dev/hda1 already mounted or /mnt/hda1 busy
mount: according to mtab, /dev/hda1 is mounted on /cdrom

When I try to mount hda1, I get the above message
When I try to change directory to hda1, I get No such file or directory
When I try to mount cdrom (which I don't have) I get "can't find mnt/cdrom in /etc/fstab or /etc/mtab
I can change directory to cdrom
When I "dir" cdrom I get the contents of C:
This is sort of confusing.

What can I do to successfully execute the mkdosswapfile. I currently see the problems as

mount: can't find/ ramdisk in /etc/fstab or etc/mtab
AND
mount: /dev/hda1 already mounted or /mnt/hda1 busy
mount: according to mtab, /dev/hda1 is mounted on /cdrom

When I copy the boot/isolinux directory to an isolinux folder and type
c:\isolinux isolinux @options.txt I get alot less errors and

mount: can't find/ ramdisk in /etc/fstab or etc/mtab

and after setting up keyboard and mouse the following

modprobe: modprobe: Can't locate module fb0
XIO: fatal IO error 104 (Connection reset by peer) on X server ":0.0"
after 0 requests (0 known processed) with 0 events remaining.
dsl@tty1[dsl]$

These errors keep coming up consistently. Help please, I'm getting closer, I think;).

Cheers,

mmm

Posted by roberts on Jan. 25 2007,19:02

Looks like you still need to get a dosswapfile setup.

Since you are closer with loadlin and the options.txt

Use that method but first use a skinny down options.txt
You need to have the option frugal to make a dosswapfile on the same device that you boot from.

I don't use loadin, I prefer linld as I can just type in the options similiar to the boot prompt. But lets not change that.

Anyway use at least these options

dsl 2 vga=normal legacy frugal mem=16M

The idea is to get to root prompt runlevel 2 and with no unionfs and frugal so that you can write back into the already mounted /dev/hda1

# mkdosswapfile

If you still get errors on trying to setup /ramdisk/tmp then
# mkdir /ramdisk/tmp
# mkdosswapfile

The shutdown and put back your original options file and be sure to include the dosswapfile boot option.

Posted by roberts on Jan. 26 2007,00:19

While looking into this issue for you, I have found a problem with the boot floppy. Please read the Release Candidate post on new boot floppy. This should clear up the missing /ramdisk/tmp errors and make is much easier as only the c:\knoppix\knoppix is needed.

You will still need the frugal boot option to allow write access for the creation of the dosswapfile.

Posted by mmm on Jan. 26 2007,19:25

Roberts and the group,

The addition of the frugal and legacy options did allow me to create a 60Mb dosswapfile. Is that a good size? The file is on C:\KNOPPIX.swp or hda1 but at the command line it is found (along with everthing else on the harddrive) in /dev/cdrom. Is the dosswapfile in the right place?

Roberts thankyou for the new floppy it sure makes this exercise MUCH easier.

The new floppy generated significantly less errors than the isolinux or syslinux boot floppies (tried both), the same as loadlin, but it allows me to positive enter boot options and avoid DOS (I have to press F8 at just the right time) so I prefer it. I don't know if editing the options.txt for loadlin really works, for example entering a line with "2" on it doesn't open dsl at the root prompt.

Using the new floppy

At boot F2 I entered
boot: dsl 2 vga=normal mem=16m frugal legacy

mount: can't find/ ramdisk in /etc/fstab or etc/mtab
Automounter started for: floppy cdrom.
chgcp: /cdrom: Operation not permitted
INIT: Entering runlevel 2
root@tty1[/]#

OPTIONAL INFO - START
# cd /cdrom
# dir

knoppix.swp is in cdrom directory.

cd\

# swapon /dev/hda1
swapon: /dev/hda1: Device or resource busy
# swapon /dev/cdrom
swapon: cannot stat /dev/cdrom: No such file or directory
OPTIONAL INFO - END

shutdown -r now

Could not umount /KNOPPIX - trying /dev/cloop instead
/dev/root umounted

At boot F2 I entered
boot: dsl vga=normal mem=16m frugal legacy dosswapfile

mount: can't find/ ramdisk in /etc/fstab or etc/mtab
Automounter started for: floppy cdrom.
Unable to find swap-space signature
swapon: /cdrom/knoppix.swp: Invalid Arguement
chgcp: /cdrom: Operation not permitted
INIT: Entering runlevel 5
DSL X Setup
Xfbdev (Ok), USB mouse (No), IMPS/2 mouse (No), ps2 port (Ok), 2 buttons (Ok), screen resolution 800x600 (Ok), 16 bit (Ok), Choose dpi (No), keyboard us (Ok)

Then it worked once (loaded the black and white background and the HD was working hard) and then it crashed. Other times I got this.

modprobe: modprobe: Can't locate module fb0
XIO: fatal IO error 104 (Connection reset by peer) on X server ":0.0"
after 0 requests (0 known processed) with 0 events remaining.
dsl@tty1[dsl]$

I don't think the dosswapfile is working (cdrom/hda1 confusion). Any ideas?

Also when I do get this to work anyone have a procedure to install is permanently.

Cheers,

mmm

Posted by roberts on Jan. 26 2007,21:53

The mem option should be 16M and not 16m

With the dosswapfile on the same device as the booting device means you don't need it as a boot option.

Type free and see that swap has a value. Use of swapon not needed.

I am not sure if your machine requires xvesa or framebuffer for video. That is what you should determine next.

Why did you select Xfbdev during setup? What happens if you select Xvesa and then 800x600?

What happens when you boot the floppy with

boot: fb800x600 mem=16M legacy frugal

Then during xsetup select Xfbdev?

You will most likely not want to run poormans in 16MB.
You will have to partition the drive into at least 3 partitions.
1. one for your dos containing the boot knoppix folder
2. one for Linux/DSL swap type 82
3. one for DSL installation type 83

Partitioning should be done before you attemp to do a traditional hard drive installation.

boot: dsl 2 vga=normal mem=16M frugal legacy
at the root prompt type dsl-hdinstall

# dsl-hdinstall

Posted by mmm on Jan. 27 2007,00:53

Roberts and the group,

SUCCESS!

Thank you very much for all of your help. A big thankyou for the bootfloppy.img, that made it much easier.

At the boot prompt
# dsl 2 vga=normal mem=16M legacy frugal
I tried fb800x600 it worked but the computer froze at the black and white background, I needed to make a dosswapfile, they seem to disappear.

I still got "mount: can't find/ ramdisk in /etc/fstab or etc/mtab" and
"chgcp: /cdrom: Operation not permitted".

Then at the command line I typed "free".

swap was 0 bytes

#mkdosswapfile
made it 128M this time
# sudo su
# shutdown -r now

F2 at boot

# dsl vga=normal mem=16M legacy frugal

I omitted dosswapfile, previously I thought this was neccesary.

I still got "mount: can't find/ ramdisk in /etc/fstab or etc/mtab" and
"chgcp: /cdrom: Operation not permitted".

At X setup, xvesa this time, 800x 600 etc.
I originally chose xfbdev as the computer is circa 1995. I did try it once before but you know the story.

Slowly got black and white background, cursor then grey desktop etc.

Now I don't know what to do. I don't want to turn it off ;). I hope I can replicate what I did. I think I'll delete Windows, it wasn't much use during this process.

A couple of questions.

Is the dosswapfile the same as Linux/DSL swap type 82?

If not (I think they might be) what size should I make them/it for 16M RAM?

How big should the following be?

1. one for your dos containing the boot knoppix folder (Big enough for Dos and 50M Knoppix file i.e 60Mb?)
2. one for Linux/DSL swap type 82 (twice RAM i.e. 32 Mb?)
3. one for DSL installation type 83 (the balance i.e 900Mb, 1Gb harddrive?)

Last question, are sugggesting that I do Debian type install or frugal. I guess it doesn't matter I'll just do this

"You will most likely not want to run poormans in 16MB.
You will have to partition the drive into at least 3 partitions.
1. one for your dos containing the boot knoppix folder
2. one for Linux/DSL swap type 82
3. one for DSL installation type 83

Partitioning should be done before you attemp to do a traditional hard drive installation.

boot: dsl 2 vga=normal mem=16M frugal legacy
at the root prompt type dsl-hdinstall

# dsl-hdinstall"

Last Last question: Do you think I should write a procedure and post it? Or is no one silly enough to do this. Again thankyou for your help, you helped a senior (My Dad) use a senior computer.

Regards,

mmm aka Marcus