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Topic: 0.8.1.1 booting problems., list of machines involved.

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Rapidweather Offline

Group: Members
Posts: 375
Joined: Jan. 2004

Posted: Oct. 02 2004,15:01

Dell Demension 4600, P4 HT, 833 bus, 1GB ram:
---
I'm using a 128MB agp graphics card, not the Intel on-the-motherboard graphics. I can run DSL 0.6.2 perfectly, with no problems. All I have to do is boot: vga=normal, and everything works, no lockups, etc.
---
Big problems with 0.8.2, however. I get only two penguins at startup, probably because of the P4 HT processor. In DSL 0.8.1.1, however, I get as far as this:
"Uncompressing linux... Ok, booting the kernel."
Then the Dell Demension 4600 locks up. It did start with only one penguin, however, not two as in 0.8.2.
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The machine has a GB of ram, and really does an outstanding job of running DSL 0.6.2, and my remaster of that DSL version as well.
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I did place a /KNOPPIX folder in the hard drive, and tried to boot that
with a floppy, but on a Dell, the partitions are /dev/hde2 for winXP, and
/dev/hde1 for the Dell Restore. There is no /dev/hda1 that KNOPPIX can locate, so you can' t boot DSL 0.6.2 from an installed /KNOPPIX foller like you can on machines that have normal /dev/hda1 motherboard setups. But, one can run from the CDROM, and the "toram" option works just fine, especially when you have 1 GB of ram!
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I'm going to try and make a usb pen drive install of 0.8.2 and see what the Dell does with that, but I would bet that although it can boot off a usb stick, DSL 0.8.2 (on a stick) won't work either. Won't run off the CD, so I doubt it will run off the stick.
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You know, the boot setup is completely changed in the 8x DSL's, from the older setup, and that may be the problem. I cannot run DSL 8x on three of my four machines, that could run DSL 6x just fine.

--------------
Rapidweather Remaster of DSL:
http://www.angelfire.com/ms/telegram/getting_started.html
Rapidweather Remaster of Knoppix Linux:
http://www.geocities.com/rapidweather/getting_started.html
Screenshots:
http://www.rapidweather.com/linuxcdsales.html

Aiku

Group: Members
Posts: 21
Joined: May 2004

Posted: Oct. 02 2004,15:41

How many threads are you going to start with this

I count three so far.

If you would read before posting you would know that 0.8.x is using isolinux versus the prior syslinux.

Have you even tried the download boot floppy so that you would be using syslinux

Since you always post about your remaster, why don't you remaster with the boot-0.8.img. Others have and you would know that if you would read the forums.

Maybe you should search before posting and please post only once. We have enough to read without triplicate posts.

Rapidweather Offline

Group: Members
Posts: 375
Joined: Jan. 2004

Posted: Oct. 02 2004,16:50

(This is going to be long, so settle back in your favorite chair with your favorite beverage handy)
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I could try that, using syslinux instead of isolinux. All I am trying to point out is that the stock 0.8.2, (not remastered in any way) has booting problems on three out of four of my machines that I use to test with.
This, then, is a wider problem, that might well affect a lot of folks trying out
DSL.
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I was not aware that one could use syslinux, but one learns something new every day, especially on these very informative forums.
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I would think then that a return to syslinux would be a choice that the DSL developers would have to address, regardless of whether or not I create a CD that uses it, and successfully boots on all of my test machines.
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While I am waiting on that, and that's John's call, I decided to remaster
0.8.2 with Firefox, Opera and Wvdial. I'm using it now on my Dual Pentium Pro machine. It's just for fun, and an exercise, since I do need the DSL developers to see if they will address the booting problems.
Surely I am not the only one with booting problems, and I would ask any and all to test 0.8.2 on various machines, to see if they too have any problems not seen before with the DSL's that they have been using.
Where the boot process stops needs to be reported, as well as the hardware being used.
---
DSL is so useful, really, that I gave a copy to a friend that had been using tomsrtbt and BootE Linux floppies, and he's been using it when he works on machines. I just want to get on a soapbox as necessary to
bring my testing results to all interested in such things.
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I had been used to seeing DSL work on almost all machines, that had a
decent amount of RAM. I was more than a little taken aback when I ran into the "booting problems".
---
Giving something back:
I realize that when someone comes to this forum asking for assistance and help with DSL, that we all take some time to give an answer, as best we can. Those of us that have played with DSL for a while have that obligation. I do spend a little time looking at the posts, when I have it to spare, and I try and respond when no one else has yet been able to help the newbies, I know they appreciate it. Problems need to be put on the table for all to see and think about, and the dialog that results should help the overall DSL community.
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The big picture here is the problems Microsoft has with XP. Lots of
users are in need of an alternative, and I would like to think that would
be DSL. Although I like to talk about it, I have not released my remaster for download. It may very well be that the remastering bunch here at DSL caused the Developers to come up with the DSL extensions idea,
still able to offer a small download, but providing a way to expand without the "complicated remastering process".
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cbagger01

Group: Members
Posts: 4264
Joined: Oct. 2003

Posted: Oct. 02 2004,17:02

Rapidweather,

The main problem that both Knoppix and DSL have with SYSLINUX is that is limits the size of the kernel + modules that can be included into the livecd. And the size of the newer DSL/Knoppix kernels are now exceeding this limit.

SYSLINUX works with a fake floppy-disk style booting so it is limited to the size of the floppy disk media.

ISOLINUX, while incompatible with some computers, does not have this limitation.

So while it is possible to get into DSL with a SYSLINUX/floppy boot process, you are then booting with a kernel that does not offer the full support that the default knoppix/dsl ISOLINUX kernel has.

So the best answer is to do whatever works best for you, but the DSL team needed to resolve this issue in the best way that they could.

Any providing the flexibility of a full ISOLINUX CD bootup + a SYSLINUX based floppy boot disk seems like a good compromise to me.

Regards,

-CB

ke4nt1

Group: Members
Posts: 2329
Joined: Oct. 2003

Posted: Oct. 02 2004,22:00

And the suggestion of trying the USBkey may not be so far fetched,
as the USB-floppy disk image and the frugal_usb script
( the one that installs a bootable copy of DSL onto a USBstick )
both use the syslinux loader in the bootusb-0.8.img ..
So give it a try, and feedback to us on the booting of your boxes with that ..

73
ke4nt

14 replies since Sep. 30 2004,22:58

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