February 2004 - WLUG - wlug.mailman3.com

Re: Wlug Digest, Vol 4, Issue 1

by Arturo Sedo

There is also another option. If you have another computer you can burn a copy of knopix. Once you create the cd, you insert it into the CDROM drive, boot from CDROM to a nice KDE GUI and all partitions are automatically mounted. Click on the partition that has the needed info and you are good to go. It may sound complicated but Knopix has a really fine User Interface. (If you don't have a CDROM you can do the same thing with Tomsrbtb from a floppy) Then when you want to create a boot disk you can open a command window, mount the root partition and then do "chroot /mnt/rootPartition". From there you can run lilo or mkbootdisk. Good luck. Arturo On Mon, 2004-02-02 at 12:00, wlug-request(a)mail.wlug.org wrote: > Send Wlug mailing list submissions to > wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > wlug-request(a)mail.wlug.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > wlug-owner(a)mail.wlug.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Wlug digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. RedHat 7.1 boot floppy (Norm Legare) > 2. Re: RedHat 7.1 boot floppy (James Baldassari) > 3. RE: RedHat 7.1 boot floppy (Moti Abramovich) > 4. RE: RedHat 7.1 boot floppy (Adam Keck) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Sun, 1 Feb 2004 12:56:51 -0800 (PST) > From: Norm Legare <normlegare(a)yahoo.com> > Subject: [Wlug] RedHat 7.1 boot floppy > To: wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > Message-ID: <20040201205651.14333.qmail(a)web13425.mail.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > Hi All, > > My desktop has 2 hard drives, one with Windows, one with Linux. By > inserting the floppy, it boots Linux. Unfortunately, the floppy just > stopped working (I get the Linux prompt, but then booting reports disk > failure) for some reason. I need to retrieve several files on the > Linux hard drive. I have RedHat 7.1 on cd. Can a new boot floppy > be made while preserving the existing Linux installation? > > Thanks, > Norm > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free web site building tool. Try it! > http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/ > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Sun, 1 Feb 2004 16:18:53 -0500 (EST) > From: James Baldassari <jdb(a)WPI.EDU> > Subject: Re: [Wlug] RedHat 7.1 boot floppy > To: Worcester Linux Users Group <wlug(a)mail.wlug.org> > Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.58.0402011615590.17100(a)ccc3.WPI.EDU> > Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII > > Hi Norm. You can probably find a Red Hat boot disk image somewhere (just > google it), and there are Windows utilities for writing images to > floppies. I think one of them is called rwfloppy, which I can send to you > if you can't find it. You will probably have to edit the boot disk once > it's created so that it points to your linux drive. When you get your > system back up and running I would recommend installing LILO so that you > don't run into this problem again. The newer versions of Windows also > have built-in support for booting multiple OSes. > -James > > On Sun, 1 Feb 2004, Norm Legare wrote: > > > Hi All, > > > > My desktop has 2 hard drives, one with Windows, one with Linux. By > > inserting the floppy, it boots Linux. Unfortunately, the floppy just > > stopped working (I get the Linux prompt, but then booting reports disk > > failure) for some reason. I need to retrieve several files on the > > Linux hard drive. I have RedHat 7.1 on cd. Can a new boot floppy > > be made while preserving the existing Linux installation? > > > > Thanks, > > Norm > > > > __________________________________ > > Do you Yahoo!? > > Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free web site building tool. Try it! > > http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/ > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Wlug mailing list > > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 06:12:24 -0500 > From: "Moti Abramovich" <motia(a)comcast.net> > Subject: RE: [Wlug] RedHat 7.1 boot floppy > To: "'Worcester Linux Users Group'" <wlug(a)mail.wlug.org> > Message-ID: <000701c3e97d$6fbfa400$0200a8c0@laptop1> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > Norm. > It depends what version of windows you have, but your best bet would be to > set up your windows for "dual boot" so when you boot your system, a menu > will come up and ask you which operating system you want to boot to - > Windows or Linux. > Moti > > -----Original Message----- > From: wlug-bounces(a)mail.wlug.org [mailto:wlug-bounces@mail.wlug.org] On > Behalf Of Norm Legare > Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2004 3:57 PM > To: wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > Subject: [Wlug] RedHat 7.1 boot floppy > > Hi All, > > My desktop has 2 hard drives, one with Windows, one with Linux. By > inserting the floppy, it boots Linux. Unfortunately, the floppy just > stopped working (I get the Linux prompt, but then booting reports disk > failure) for some reason. I need to retrieve several files on the > Linux hard drive. I have RedHat 7.1 on cd. Can a new boot floppy > be made while preserving the existing Linux installation? > > Thanks, > Norm > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free web site building tool. Try it! > http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/ > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: 02 Feb 2004 09:28:46 -0500 > From: Adam Keck <ghostis(a)mac.com> > Subject: RE: [Wlug] RedHat 7.1 boot floppy > To: Worcester Linux Users Group <wlug(a)mail.wlug.org> > Cc: Adam Keck <ghostis(a)mac.com> > Message-ID: <1075732127.4990.17.camel@alfred> > Content-Type: text/plain > > > inserting the floppy, it boots Linux. Unfortunately, the floppy just > > stopped working (I get the Linux prompt, but then booting reports disk > > failure) for some reason. I need to retrieve several files on the > > Linux hard drive. I have RedHat 7.1 on cd. Can a new boot floppy > > be made while preserving the existing Linux installation? > > Norm, > This is no big deal if you know what hardware you have. You will need > a second linux machine to solve this so perhaps someone will agree to > drop by the next meeting with a laptop. > > 1. Get a machine with mtools, superformat and syslinux installed and a > kernel source tree. > 2. Recompile a non-modular kernel with support for your hardware and > filesystems and nothing else. > 3. Insert a floppy and then run: superformat /dev/hd0 > 4. When that's done run: syslinux /dev/fd0 > 5. Mcopy the new kernel from /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot to the > floppy: mcopy /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage a:\kernel.img > 6. Open a text file called syslinux.cfg in your favorite editor. > 7. Put the following in syslinux.cfg (with the appropriate value for > your root parition filled in): > > DEFAULT LINUX > LABEL LINUX > KERNEL kernel.img > APPEND root=/dev/{your root partition device here} > > 8. Save that file then mcopy it to the floppy: mcopy syslinux.cfg a: > 9. Reboot your machine from the floppy. > > There are other ways to do this that may be more elegant. For example > you may be able to so this on your machine by booting the rescue kernel > with the first RedHat CD and then chrooting to your environment. This > how I do it, though ;-). > > > -Adam > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > > End of Wlug Digest, Vol 4, Issue 1 > **********************************

Feb. 3, 2004

Re: [Wlug] RedHat 7.1 boot floppy

by Gregory Avedissian

Is it the floppy disk or the hard drive that failed? Can you boot the installed system from the cd? Or from windows with loadlin? Greg Norm Legare wrote: > Hi All, > > My desktop has 2 hard drives, one with Windows, one with Linux. By > inserting the floppy, it boots Linux. Unfortunately, the floppy just > stopped working (I get the Linux prompt, but then booting reports disk > failure) for some reason. I need to retrieve several files on the > Linux hard drive. I have RedHat 7.1 on cd. Can a new boot floppy > be made while preserving the existing Linux installation? > > Thanks, > Norm > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free web site building tool. Try it! > http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/ > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > >

Feb. 2, 2004

RE: [Wlug] RedHat 7.1 boot floppy

by Adam Keck

> inserting the floppy, it boots Linux. Unfortunately, the floppy just > stopped working (I get the Linux prompt, but then booting reports disk > failure) for some reason. I need to retrieve several files on the > Linux hard drive. I have RedHat 7.1 on cd. Can a new boot floppy > be made while preserving the existing Linux installation? Norm, This is no big deal if you know what hardware you have. You will need a second linux machine to solve this so perhaps someone will agree to drop by the next meeting with a laptop. 1. Get a machine with mtools, superformat and syslinux installed and a kernel source tree. 2. Recompile a non-modular kernel with support for your hardware and filesystems and nothing else. 3. Insert a floppy and then run: superformat /dev/hd0 4. When that's done run: syslinux /dev/fd0 5. Mcopy the new kernel from /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot to the floppy: mcopy /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage a:\kernel.img 6. Open a text file called syslinux.cfg in your favorite editor. 7. Put the following in syslinux.cfg (with the appropriate value for your root parition filled in): DEFAULT LINUX LABEL LINUX KERNEL kernel.img APPEND root=/dev/{your root partition device here} 8. Save that file then mcopy it to the floppy: mcopy syslinux.cfg a: 9. Reboot your machine from the floppy. There are other ways to do this that may be more elegant. For example you may be able to so this on your machine by booting the rescue kernel with the first RedHat CD and then chrooting to your environment. This how I do it, though ;-). -Adam

Feb. 2, 2004

RE: [Wlug] RedHat 7.1 boot floppy

by Moti Abramovich

Norm. It depends what version of windows you have, but your best bet would be to set up your windows for "dual boot" so when you boot your system, a menu will come up and ask you which operating system you want to boot to - Windows or Linux. Moti -----Original Message----- From: wlug-bounces(a)mail.wlug.org [mailto:wlug-bounces@mail.wlug.org] On Behalf Of Norm Legare Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2004 3:57 PM To: wlug(a)mail.wlug.org Subject: [Wlug] RedHat 7.1 boot floppy Hi All, My desktop has 2 hard drives, one with Windows, one with Linux. By inserting the floppy, it boots Linux. Unfortunately, the floppy just stopped working (I get the Linux prompt, but then booting reports disk failure) for some reason. I need to retrieve several files on the Linux hard drive. I have RedHat 7.1 on cd. Can a new boot floppy be made while preserving the existing Linux installation? Thanks, Norm __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free web site building tool. Try it! http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/ _______________________________________________ Wlug mailing list Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug

Feb. 2, 2004

Re: [Wlug] RedHat 7.1 boot floppy

by James Baldassari

Hi Norm. You can probably find a Red Hat boot disk image somewhere (just google it), and there are Windows utilities for writing images to floppies. I think one of them is called rwfloppy, which I can send to you if you can't find it. You will probably have to edit the boot disk once it's created so that it points to your linux drive. When you get your system back up and running I would recommend installing LILO so that you don't run into this problem again. The newer versions of Windows also have built-in support for booting multiple OSes. -James On Sun, 1 Feb 2004, Norm Legare wrote: > Hi All, > > My desktop has 2 hard drives, one with Windows, one with Linux. By > inserting the floppy, it boots Linux. Unfortunately, the floppy just > stopped working (I get the Linux prompt, but then booting reports disk > failure) for some reason. I need to retrieve several files on the > Linux hard drive. I have RedHat 7.1 on cd. Can a new boot floppy > be made while preserving the existing Linux installation? > > Thanks, > Norm > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free web site building tool. Try it! > http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/ > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > >

Feb. 1, 2004

RedHat 7.1 boot floppy

by Norm Legare

Hi All, My desktop has 2 hard drives, one with Windows, one with Linux. By inserting the floppy, it boots Linux. Unfortunately, the floppy just stopped working (I get the Linux prompt, but then booting reports disk failure) for some reason. I need to retrieve several files on the Linux hard drive. I have RedHat 7.1 on cd. Can a new boot floppy be made while preserving the existing Linux installation? Thanks, Norm __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free web site building tool. Try it! http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/

Feb. 1, 2004