I am trying to install linux on a laptop that cannot boot from cdrom.
I got a stripped-down kernel to boot from floppy, ran lspci to get
the hardware information.
I then reconfigured and rebuilt the kernel for the image.
I built this kernel from stock 2.6.10 from http://www.kernel.org.
This is the configuration file. I then installed it on a floppy disk
with syslinux, then tried to boot it.
boot: vmlinuz root=/dev/fd0 load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=1
(my ramdisk is the next flooppy, this kernel is 1.3mb)
Did not load the ramdisk.
I got an error about unable to open root on "<NULL>" or device 22,6.
Hmm. So, I ran rdev to set the kernel default root to /dev/fd0 and booted.
Result: loaded the ramdisk, then complained about lack of a valid
filesystem on /dev/fd0
Hmm. I've never seen anything like this before.
On Sun, 2005-02-20 at 15:22 -0800, Joshua Hudson wrote:
> I am trying to install linux on a laptop that cannot boot from cdrom.
I handled this by putting smart-boot http://btmgr.webframe.org/ in the
hard drive MBR from a dos floppy, smart-boot can boot from a cdrom.
Then as long as you don't wipe out your MBR you can still boot from a
cdrom.
--
Brian Beattie LFS12947 | "Honor isn't about making the right choices.
[email protected] | It's about dealing with the consequences."
http://www.beattie-home.net | -- Midori Koto
On Sun, 20 Feb 2005, Brian Beattie wrote:
> On Sun, 2005-02-20 at 15:22 -0800, Joshua Hudson wrote:
> > I am trying to install linux on a laptop that cannot boot from cdrom.
> I handled this by putting smart-boot http://btmgr.webframe.org/ in the
> hard drive MBR from a dos floppy, smart-boot can boot from a cdrom.
> Then as long as you don't wipe out your MBR you can still boot from a
> cdrom.
>
Ah yes, that crashes. Spotted it in Slackware 10 install CD, but it
doesn't work on this system. Too bad.
> --
> Brian Beattie LFS12947 | "Honor isn't about making the right choices.
> [email protected] | It's about dealing with the consequences."
> http://www.beattie-home.net | -- Midori Koto
>
>
>
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Joshua Hudson wrote:
| I am trying to install linux on a laptop that cannot boot from cdrom.
| I got a stripped-down kernel to boot from floppy, ran lspci to get
| the hardware information.
|
| I then reconfigured and rebuilt the kernel for the image.
|
| I built this kernel from stock 2.6.10 from http://www.kernel.org.
| This is the configuration file. I then installed it on a floppy disk
| with syslinux, then tried to boot it.
|
| boot: vmlinuz root=/dev/fd0 load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=1
| (my ramdisk is the next flooppy, this kernel is 1.3mb)
| Did not load the ramdisk.
| I got an error about unable to open root on "<NULL>" or device 22,6.
| Hmm. So, I ran rdev to set the kernel default root to /dev/fd0 and booted.
|
| Result: loaded the ramdisk, then complained about lack of a valid
| filesystem on /dev/fd0
you want to load your root filesystem into a ramdisk and use it from there.
your kernel command line is wrong. it should have root=/dev/rd/0 or
root=/dev/ram0 instead of root=/dev/fd0.
after loading the initrd, your root filesystem is on a ramdisk.
regards,
pedro venda.
- --
Pedro Jo?o Lopes Venda
email: pjvenda < at > arrakis.dhis.org
http://arrakis.dhis.org
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Thinks for trying. I finally found the problem myself.
There is some incompatability between syslinux 2.10 and kernel 2.6.10
Using lilo on the first floppy fixed the problem
Oh, and no I am *not* using an initrd. I am using the old paramiters
that cause the kernel to load the ramdisk after it boots.