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  • From: sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>
  • To: sheldonisaac AT MyRealBox.com, baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Cc:
  • Subject: Re: [BL] Re: My computers have gone crazy
  • Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2004 02:18:56 +0000 (UTC)

On Thu, 25 Nov 2004, Sheldon Isaac wrote:

Hello, Sindi:

Much of what you do is more complex than I can follow.
I can't really follow either.


I have two computers, a DFI and an ASUS P5A-B (both PI socket7, Intel and
AMD-K6-2).

Any suggestions

No, just a little info:

This computer is an ASUS P5A (board rev 1.03) from 1998. The BIOS had been
updated with the AFLASH utility to the latest, I think 1.09? Socket 7, AMD
K6-2-300

Yours and mine use the same BIOS, I think. I was considering updating it but I think they suggest that only for using larger hard drives.

A couple of weeks ago I finally removed BL2 from the ext2 partition of this
computer, and did the install-to-hd of the existing loop type ver 3.32
Basic Linux.

(Not sure what was going on, nor why that might be better than the kind
where it's in fs.img)

However, it works fine, boots whenever I ask it to.

Using LOADLIN from the DOS that comes with Windows 98.

Would this loadlin be on the Win98 CD? It is not installed as part of Win98.

Thanks,

Sheldon Isaac



My DFI about 80% of the time boots any linux but zipslack, the rest of the time 'not an image file' and it crashes. But it boots ALL the time if you first boot with Win98 DOS and then use loadlin from DR-DOS. OR, if you boot from DR-DOS and then put zimage on a floppy disk formatted with Win98 DOS and use that zimage to boot. Are you saying that WIN98 DOS loadlin works to boot linux on your board after you boot into some DOS other than Win98 DOS?

It would not boot zipslack at all without Win98 DOS (even 1/6 of the time). Once it got past the kernel image, it would boot fine.

I have three DFIs with this problem, nearly identical motherboards.

I moved over my two drives from the DFI (4 DOS partitions on master, 2 linux ext2 partitions on slave) to the ASUS. It had no trouble finding the kernel image that day, and I could boot to RAMdisk BL2, loop BL3, or zipslack. But not to ext2 linux - it would get stuck at the same line every time. I could Alt-Ctrl-Del to reboot. (Could not in 'not a kernel image' cases).

So I figured the ASUS had some odd problem and was learning how to chroot.

Then for a lark I put the drives back into the DFI. The DFI booted RAMdisk linux ten times in a row without problems. (But later it did do 'not a kernel image' once in a while) . But not it will NOT boot to ext 2 linux, same as on the ASUS.

Using two more drives and a third motherboard, I think I have determined that the no-boot-to-ext2 problem is related to the hard drive, where it seems to have developed the instant I moved it from DFI to ASUS>

I then put these two drives back again into the ASUS. Now every time I boot any linux I get 'not a kernel image'. I would suspect a virus but linux does not get viruses, and these drives worked in a third board. Somehow the ASUS went from 100% good (for RAMdisk linux, anyway) to 100% bad (for any linux) unless I first boot with Win98 DOS in which case I get past the first problem to the second. This new problem developed the instant I put the two original drives in for the SECOND time.

As I said, my computers have gone crazy. I am seriously considering putting Win98 DOS on the ASUS. I think I need Win98 as well in order to defrag. Only 200MB wasted space.

I hope copying the linux drive to a new drive fixes it. It replaced one that went bad in the DFI, and now it went bad in the ASUS, I think.

Tried another motherboard and it will not work with MGA card.

This is all on the topic of linux on old computers. Old computers have hardware problems.

Will your ASUS boot linux from DR-DOS or MS-DOS or Free-DOS with loadlin from Steven or even with loadlin from Win98 DOS (but booting with some other DOS before using loadlin)? I am curious if some models always act like this. Except mine was fine one day and bad the next. Same for the drive.

We could not find loadlin in Win98 installation or on the CD. SE.

Thanks for your input.

Sindi Keesan




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