Baslinux mailing list

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

I tried the DSL boot CD-ROM that would not boot in my one computer (which 
also would not boot with FreeDOS) to another computer and it DOES boot 
there.  (I could not find any way to get back out of X but you can avoid 
going into it by default if you tell DSL you have framebuffer when you 
don't - of course there is no second vt either, and I could not find any 
way to be root or set up to dial without being root, but it was 
interesting to look at the programs in there.  The earlier version let me 
exit X and I was also able to set up wvdial).  I noticed there were four 
720K fd0s and five 360K fd0s but no way to mount a fd with mount /dev/fd0 
/fd since I was not root.  There was something about automounting fds but 
I have no idea how to use this.

We have one 1.44 floppy drive that won't read 720K floppies with BL2 (did 
not check BL3) on one computer, tho the disk worked fine elsewhere in BL2 
and I had made the 720K fd0 device the same way.  I don't know if the 
drive or the computer are the problem. The drive reads 1.44's fine.  Did 
not check 720s in DOS yet.

Then I remembered the reason for trying DSL was to test the keyboard which 
would not work with BL2 in that computer where the CD-ROM would not boot, 
and it DID work with DSL in this other computer.  So I tried it with loop 
BL3 and HD BL3 and it worked.  With ramdisk BL2 and HD BL2 it does not 
work at all (nothing happens when you type, can't even reboot).

This is very odd.  What difference between BL3 and BL2 might be 
responsible for the keyboard not working in BL2?  I have them both set up 
to boot with mdacon in rc.S.  BL3 and BL2 have similar kernels (2.2.16) - 
but would it help to try the BL3 kernel in BL2?  (I was using plain zimage 
that came with BL2 on this computer, don't recall what I used on the 
other, possibly one I compiled myself).

This is an 84-key Z-NIX (XT style keys but designed to work only with an 
AT, not switchable).  Better built than most newer keyboards and it even 
clicks.  The lights are behaving properly in DOS.

On Tue, 8 Mar 2005, David Moberg wrote:

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "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.
>
> Or maybe your BIOS doesn't think it's a CDROM drive? You may need to
> adjust settings to autodetect or hardcode in the fact that it's a CD
> drive.
>
> > 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?
>
> Assuming a low-level formatted floppy is in a drive at /dev/fd0, and
> it's formatted to the proper size (e.g. 1440K) you just do dd if=file
> of=/dev/fd0. If it's not formatted right you need to use fdformat. All
> the rest should be handled automatically if the CD is in a standard
> drive.
>
> > 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 BL2 FAQ appears have a similar problem listed--apparently you
> need some extra kernel parameter(s)?
>
> > 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.
>
> None of my new hardware works (duh) but my ISA PnP modem doesn't like
> 2.2.x kernels so I compiled a new one.
>
> David
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keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org
SDF Public Access UNIX System - http://sdf.lonestar.org