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

I have been unable to get loop BL3 to boot on a Compaq Deskpro despite 
remodelling initfs.gz to mount /dev/sda1, and making that device.

No matter whether I boot with or without bypassing startup files:

Uncompressing linux...Ok, booting the kernel.

And then I have to power off and on again to use the computer.


This is my custom 2.4.31 scsi kernel.  The 2.2.26 .big kernel does not 
support any scsi controllers except as modules and I don't know how to 
boot with modules in initrd yet.

The computer boots the 2FD BL3.40 and runs Xvesa perfectly.
----------------------------


We have a Compaq Presario (was 400 now 500MHz) that also runs 2FD BL3.40 
with Xvesa perfectly.   I tried it with loop BL3 and ext BL3 using kernels 
2.2.26 and 2.4.31, with some unexpected results.

Loop BL3 with kernel 2.2.26 - works fine, but Xvesa 'illegal instruction', 
which is fixed by booting with F5 to bypass system files.

This is all as expected (except that most computers work with our DOS 7.1 
without bypassing startup files).

Now it gets more interesting:

Loop BL3 with kernel 2.4.31 (framebuffer kernel) and vga=791 boots into 
132 column text mode (framebuffer works) but Xvesa:
TransSocketCreateListener......
(does not work, but not 'illegal instruction')

So I tried the same solution as with kernel 2.2.26 in loop BL3:

If I hit F5 while booting to DOS and 2.4.31 kernel, the Xvesa problem is 
NOT FIXED - I get a black screen instead if I specify vga=791, and if I 
don't specify vga= I get 'Uncompressing Linux...Ok, booting the kernel'.

This is the same message I got on the Deskpro with or without bypassing 
system files, with kernel 2.4.31 and loop linux and no vga specified.


Ext2 BL3:
kernel 2.4.31 without F5 boots (with or without framebuffer vga=791), but 
Xvesa 'Illegal instruction'  This is expected.

Kernel 2.4.31 with F5 and vga=791 (or 788) > black screen, without vga=791 
'Uncompressing Linux,... Ok, booting the kernel'.

kernel 2.2.26 acts the same way.

So the only BL3 which boots and runs Xvesa is Floppy or loop BL2 with 
kernel 2.2.26.   Loop BL3 with 2.4.31, or ext2 BL3 with either kernel, 
will not run Xvesa if I don't bypass startup files, and if I DO bypass 
them it won't boot at all.

The Deskpro acts as if I am bypassing startup files even when I am not, 
(it is even worse than the Presario) and I don't have a choice of kernels 
for it.

Would anyone like to hazard a guess as to what is going on here?

Possible solutions for the Presario, which boots if you don't bypass 
startup files, but won't run Xvesa in ext2 or in loop with 2.4.31:

1.  Use an ATI Rage Pro LT suitable X server instead of Xvesa
(but Xvesa works nicely in FD BL3 and 2.2.26 loop BL3 without config.sys).

2.  Try a boot menu instead of hitting F5 (does it do anything 
different?).  My 1999 SuSe book explains how to do this and how to set DOS 
or linux as the default after 5 seconds.  For linux you boot with nothing 
in config.sys.  Or try Smart Boot Manager.

3.  Learn to use LILO, since that appears to work correctly with Xvesa (at 
least for kernel 2.2.26, don't know about 2.4.31).

4.  Make a very large loop and run BL3 from that with 2.2.26 and Xvesa, 
and don't use the USB camera or zip drive in linux.  They work in DOS.


The SCSI DESKPRO won't even boot loop linux with 2.4.31 kernel and the 
2.2.26 kernel does not support the scsi controller.  So I will proceed to 
ext2 linux directly, by temporarily putting in IDE and SCSI drives 
(from my computer where the SCSI controller failed) and using them 
to transfer BL to the scsi drive.  This is assuming this Compaq computer 
will accept IDE drives and that it will boot BL using 2.4.31 kernel.
Then try to boot to ext2 with loadlin, which probably won't work any 
better than on the Presario in which case LILO, and use FD BL3 for 
repairs.

Any other ideas?  How would bypassing system files prevent booting?  Would 
SBM or a boot menu act differently?

I would appreciate help with LILO on the Presario:

/dev/hda1 and /dev/hda2 Windows and DOS.  We boot Windows from DOS.
DOS as default after 5 seconds.
/dev/hda3 = BL3
/dev/hda4 = BL2

Kernel is bzimagsm.431

If we give up on the Compaqs there are two more computers with no ISA 
slots in which we can use the two lucent linmodems and Timidity with 
non-AWE cards.

Is anyone else running BL3 ext2 on a Compaq?  We had no such problems on 
another model Presario with SiS video.  These both have onboard ATI video 
- could it be causing the boot problems somehow?  We could disable the 
onboard AGP video but we don't have PCI cards that do framebuffer.

Another ATI video in the EMachine caused assorted crashes.   Yet another 
ATI video (AGP card) worked perfectly.