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  • From: sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>
  • To: baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [BL] BL3 and XP
  • Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2005 14:52:32 +0000 (UTC)

Turns out we could have used some boot disk that can access this computer, because it has a USB keyboard and our DOS and linux disks were not helpful.

What is the chance of compiling a SW81 kernel that supports USB keyboard and mouse, for BL3 or BL2, to fit on the 2-floppy boot set?

We ended up using both the Win98 CD-ROM and the Universal Boot Disk (with BL3 on it, which can access FAT32).

As it turned out, there were no files left on the hard drive to access. The 3 bad caps that we replaced apparently wiped out the hard drive entirely. (Also the onboard modem). Windows on a different hard drive which had been in there was badly messed up so we had to repartition and reformat and reinstall. Win98 fdisk only found 48GB of the 120GB so we are offering to put some linux on the rest of the drive, but it HAS to support USB. That is another reason I would like a BL-style smaller kernel that includes at least USB mouse and keyboard and modem support.
Some USB modems have linux drivers provided by the company.

Would the SW91 kernel be a better place to start?

This is a five year old computer. Are there any plans to keep BL updated to support anything that new, at least via alternate kernels (that will also work with later libraries)?

On Thu, 3 Nov 2005, James Miller wrote:

On Thu, 3 Nov 2005, sindi keesan wrote:

Will 2-FD BL3 access an XP hard drive?
If not, is there a small kernel I can use that will fit into the 2-FD
system (assuming I can figure out how to change it and there is space)?
Or will DamnSmallLinux work?

If the drive is formatted FAT 32, any of the BL's should be able to read
it. But most "factory" (or OEM) Win XP installs are NTFS. Linux has
developed ways of reading--and even writing--to NTFS partitions. On older
versions of the kernel such as will be found in BL, the least you'd need
to do is probably insert a module for NTFS support. I've never tried it
myself, but I would think you could get NTFS read ability that way. But
I'd say the ideal solution to this problem would be to use a newer
bootable Linux CD: DSL is an option, but Mepis and Knoppix would also be
good choices if there is sufficient RAM (256MB or >). If you get newer
versions of any of these, they will have all the latest greatest NTFS
capabilities. They will also include CD burning programs to transfer files
to CD, if the machine has a separate burner. They will also have Parted or
QTParted, which might help straighten out, or at least identify, boot
sector problems. If the drive is simply unresponsive, you might try the
primitive-Pete approach--said to actually work--of sticking the drive in
the freezer for a few hours, then trying it out again after "thawing."

A friend is hoping to at least get the files off his hard drive in a
computer which stopped booting and has Windows on it. Best Buy repair
people gave up on it. We don't have an XP boot disk - should we try to
get one from a friend or don't they use boot disks any more.

You can download XP bootdisk images form the 'net (www.bootdisk.com). Then
there's BartPE, using which you create a CD that boots you into a Windows
environment for repair and so forth. It can be rather involved creating
that CD though, and requires using a newer Windows machine with, of
course, a CD burner.

James
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