Baslinux mailing list

[Hal MacArgle <halinux AT kvinet.com>]

On 04-30, Sindi Keesan wrote:
> 
> Maybe not booting linux is an early sign of other problems to come.  
> Has anyone else noticed this?
> 

        The linux-newbie list at vger.kernel.org discussed this at
one time and came to the general conclusion that both Dos and Windoze
are more forgiving of border line hardware, perhaps for a good
reason. 

        Personally I've run into that several times so can second
their conclusion.. Many other anomolies like that as I have a
"perfectly" good 4gB HD that installs Win98SE and/or DRDos or FreeDos
but wont fly with any version of Slackware Linux I try.. Also
interesting in that the drive has the S.M.A.R.T. feature which passes
nicely yet the Maxtor diag program gives the drive a F minus... Maybe
thats merely the sales department though, as it's a short time after
warranty expiry..<g>

        As far as booting and not really knowing, I suspect that
Linux uses more bytes in the boot sector than Dos, so if the ones Dos
uses are OK and the ones used by Linux are broke or stuck.........

    Hal - in Terra Alta, WV - Slackware GNU/Linux 9.0   (2.4.20)
           
             Anyone can pile complexity upon complexity;
                  only a genius can truly simplify..
.