Baslinux mailing list

[sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>]

I have one keyboard that works in DOS but on at least one computer it 
works in DOS but in BL2 nothing happens when you press any key.  So I was 
going to try it with another linux, in this case DamnSmallLinux on 
bootable CD-ROM.  Even with CMOS set to boot from CD-ROM, A, C it goes 
into DOS on the hard drive instead of booting.  I can look at files on the 
CD.  Maybe the list member who gave us this CD-ROM did not make it 
bootable as promised.

In the Knoppix directory of it is a boot.img file.  How would I use BL2 or 
BL3 to write this to a floppy disk and then what to I do with it, assuming 
it is possible to boot from this boot disk to DSL afterwards?    The batch 
file to make floppy boot disk uses rawrite so I could get that for DOS but 
I would like to learn to do this in linux.    Do I use dd somehow?

I could not find any mention of my keyboard problem - other people only 
had problems after running certain software, or in X.  There was mention 
of 'faulty hardware' and someone lost their USB keyboard and mouse at the 
same time.  I cannot 'check if mouse works' because I don't have gpm 
mouse.  I suppose I could put something in rc.S to load links -g to test 
the svga mouse.  (Using a different keyboard to type the change).
Other suggestions were to type stty echo or reset - don't know if this 
would accomplish anything if the keyboard is not sending characters.

All three green keyboard lights go on when I boot linux.

I don't need this keyboard, just curious what is happening.  Also, this 
computer is our only one so far that won't boot with FreeDOS.  Might it 
have a problem of some sort in the BIOS?

The FreeDOS emm386 of Feb 20 lets us loadlin, the one from Feb 7 just 
gives a long and complex error message about no load buffer.  They are 
getting closer to full usability.  But the computer that won't boot with 
FreeDOS is the one I first set up linux on, and it compiled and ran X.
(It did at some point stop compiling when I tried to downgrade libc but I 
suspect the downgrade caused the problem.  I put a new linux on and that 
seems to work properly).

I am used to linux not working quite right on all hardware: so far three 
computers won't work with loadlin except from MS DOS 7.1 (kernel on MS-DOS 
7.1 formatted HD or FD), two won't play stereo wav files, two won't boot 
loop linux, and now this odd keyboard problem, and one 386 laptop won't 
boot linux of any sort.  I am certain nobody tested this keyboard with 
linux when it was made (in the mid 80s).

Does anyone else on the list besides vijay (modem) have hardware that 
won't work with BL but will work with other linuxes?  I have found the 
opposite to be true.


keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org SDF Public Access UNIX System 
- http://sdf.lonestar.org