patrickhinckle
asked on
Bootloader problem
Installing linux in new system. I successfully used fips to make a partition. The problem is that it gives me errors installing the bootloader. The problem is that i need to install it on a cylinder below 1023. But linux partition starts at cylinder 1883. I dont want to mess with the windows partition at all. Is there any way to fix this without having to boot from floppy all the time to use linux?
Well you could always use a floppy boot, or you could use loadlin. There's a howto for it, http://www.redhat.com/mirrors/LDP/HOWTO/mini/Loadlin+Win95.html#toc1
ASKER
Ok, I can use loadlin. Now for the new problem. After i had the trouble i deleted the partition and started over. Now it wont let me make the / partition with disk druid. everytime i try it says /boot partition too big. I aint trying to make a boot partition i am not trying to make a /boot partition. I am trying to make a / partition. I have 6002mb of free space thats assigned no file system. Linux wont pick it up. I try workstation install and it just says not enough free space. thats bologne I know it installs in less then 6002mb..Can anyone help me. I have 41 more points or i would make it more. I can always format it with dos and make a logical drive d: but i want linux installed. I should have never deleted it after i had it in there. I just thought i could get loadlin in there. Duhhh, dont i feel stupid now. hehe
When you say you deleted the partition, do you mean the linux partition in disk druid or the extended dos partition with fdisk? Are you trying to make one giant root (/) partition out of the 6Gb?
ASKER
I deleted the partition in fdisk. there is nothing but empty space. I go to disk druid i see the empty space there. I make a 66mb swap partition and try to make the rest a / partition. I cant make a /boot partition cause my drive is too large, and i am above the 1023 cylinder. i will use loadlin for that. for some reason it wont let me make the / partition. it always says boot partition to large. I cant continue with install..if i could make the / partition (which is the root partition so it says) then it would let me continue. I have installed this before on my old system and i didnt have this trouble. I guess with the larger drive its troublesome. I know my message is confusing with all these forward slashes. but thats what it tells me i need. I have done this before. The weird thing is that it thinks / is the boot partition. I want it to be only the root partition. not the boot...i will deal with boot later..i just want it to install...Damn its confusing but i am trying to explain it the best i can. Hope you can understand..
Use fdisk that comes with the distribution. It is more flexible than disk druid. Create the relevant partitions, and later assign / partition to the one you want. It will give you a warning that lilo will not work so you better create a rescue disk. Once you reboot, boot linux with your rescue disk otherwise your computer will hang. Then install loadlin.
Trying to make one giant partition is likely to be the problem, and there's a number of reasons why you really don't want to do that.
Id suggest trying something along the lines of:
/ 2000Mb
/var 200Mb
/opt 1000Mb
/home rest of disk
That should give you gobs of space for stuff that goes on /, /usr, /usr/local. I always make a /opt filesystem for things that don't have to be re-installed if I re-install or upgrate the OS (StarOffice, Netscape, Acrobat Reader, etc.)./home is where the user home dirs go. Having /var as a separated filesystem is just a safety factor. During normal use the contents of / don't change very often, but the contents of /var are constantly changing. If something untoward happens, power outage, system crash, etc. the root file system (that seldome changes) is likely to suffer no damage and the system will boot. Even if the changeable data in /var is messed up, that's something that I can fix w/o re-installing.
Id suggest trying something along the lines of:
/ 2000Mb
/var 200Mb
/opt 1000Mb
/home rest of disk
That should give you gobs of space for stuff that goes on /, /usr, /usr/local. I always make a /opt filesystem for things that don't have to be re-installed if I re-install or upgrate the OS (StarOffice, Netscape, Acrobat Reader, etc.)./home is where the user home dirs go. Having /var as a separated filesystem is just a safety factor. During normal use the contents of / don't change very often, but the contents of /var are constantly changing. If something untoward happens, power outage, system crash, etc. the root file system (that seldome changes) is likely to suffer no damage and the system will boot. Even if the changeable data in /var is messed up, that's something that I can fix w/o re-installing.
Wow... I can't seem to type tonight, sorry about the typo's
ASKER
I will try that partition info you gave me thanks. I wish i understood what all of it means though, like var, opt and home. I only had / and swap on my last system and the boot loader installed on my root partition. I am still learning it. Now i have alot more space to get some stuff for it. Last time i only dedicated 1 gig to linux. Now i am giving it alot more. Although i am very new to it i like it and want to learn more about it...Thanks for the info
ASKER
Do you think making all those partitions is a bit much for me. I am only a beginner and i dont know if i can keep track of them. Is it easy. Plus i have not tried your last suggestion yet...its late i will try it in the morning..thanks..
why don't you try partitioning with partition magic it's more safe using partition by it.
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ASKER
Geezzz, I fixed it weeks ago! I forgot all about the question lingering on experts exchange. Sorry for the delay! Thanks for all the answers.