Need some help in resolving Partition issues 2

[ifxtechie]

Hi,
I need some help.
I installed Mandrake Linux on a machine which is having Win-98. I did the partitioning using Partition-Magic. Now I wanted more space and grabbed from Windows partition and made it as ext2 partition. But when I do this and try to boot my linux it says that incorrect root partition and will not boot.
[ Windows in 1,2 partions,
Linux in 3, 4,5 partitions.
grabbed space from partition 2 so that new partition is 3.]
Can anybody suggest me how to resolve this
Thanks in advance.
Partha
Parthasarathy, Hassan
Parthasarathy, Hassan

 

[ifxtechie]

It says the version as 21. Is there anyway of upgrading lilo. I searched in the internet, it says upgrading Kernel [building...]


[oracle@phost oracle]$ /sbin/lilo -V
LILO version 21
[oracle@phost oracle]$

Thanks all for your timely useful help
Regards
Partha Parthasarathy, Hassan

 

[ifxtechie]

Hi,
Fortunately I found the new bios and upgraded the bios also.Even then, I am getting the messages as before and I am unable to boot linux without the floppy. The following is the message that I got :

[root@phost /root]# /sbin/lilo -V -l
LILO version 21
[root@phost /root]# /sbin/lilo -v -l
LILO version 21, Copyright 1992-1998 Werner Almesberger

Reading boot sector from /dev/hda
Merging with /boot/boot.b
Warning: device 0x0306 exceeds 1024 cylinder limit
Warning: device 0x0306 exceeds 1024 cylinder limit
Mapping message file /boot/message
Warning: device 0x0306 exceeds 1024 cylinder limit
Boot other: /dev/hda1, on /dev/hda, loader /boot/chain.b
Added windows *
Boot other: /dev/fd0, loader /boot/chain.b
Added floppy
Boot image: /boot/vmlinuz
Warning: device 0x0306 exceeds 1024 cylinder limit
Added linux
/boot/boot.0300 exists - no backup copy made.
Writing boot sector.
[root@phost /root]# /sbin/lilo -v -L
usage: lilo [ -C config_file ] -q [ -m map_file ] [ -v ... ]
lilo [ -C config_file ] [ -b boot_device ] [ -c ] [ -l ]
[ -i boot_sector ] [ -m map_file ] [ -d delay ]
[ -v ... ] [ -t ] [ -s save_file | -S save_file ]
[ -P fix | -P ignore ] [ -r root_dir ] [ -w ]
lilo [ -C config_file ] [ -m map_file ] -R [ word ... ]
lilo [ -C config_file ] -I name [ options ]
lilo [ -C config_file ] [ -s save_file ] -u | -U [ boot_device ]
lilo -V


Pls review my prev message and can you pls throw some light on this.
Thanks again
Regards
Partha Parthasarathy, Hassan

 

[ifincham]

Hi,



The important question here is whether the bios can access cylinders on the disk > 1024. Lilo did not use to be able to do this but was modified so that it could providing that the system bios itself is capable of reaching beyond that limit. If, as now seems the case, you are using a slightly older than average PC then it is quite possible that your original bios did not support extended int 13h and I would not assume that an updated bios would necessarily overcome this. The point is that if the bios can't reach then nothing can. If you post the link where you got the bios update then someone may be able to be more definitive on this.



What can you do if the bios is limited and can't be upgraded ? Well two obvious things :



1) Get an add-on ATA controller card like the promise ultra66 -->

http://www.promise.com/Products/Default.htm

. These are very cheap really and have their own onboard bios. However, I haven't used one of these for some time and I seem to recall it was difficult to install onto (you had to install connected to motherboard ide controllers and then move to promise controllers and rdev the root partition because the devices change (e.g. /dev/hda moved to a promise card would be /dev/hde) See -->

http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/mini/Ultra-DMA.html

.



2) As said earlier, using partition magic or simliar make space to create a linux boot partition under the 1024 cyl limit.



Hope this helps

 

[marsd]

the boot partition sometimes works sometimes doesn't..
I used a 1996 award bios with a vx board, a wintergreen
upgrade processor and an ata-66 controller with 25gig WD
hard drive. I had to boot from a floppy. i assume that if the people I set it up for are still using it, they are still using a floppy.
In short : as ifincham said: if you have upgraded the
bios and that didn't work, you could repartition possibly
adding a lower than 1024 boot partition. It may or may not work.
I know that if I flashed a bios with the newest version and reconfigured/reinstalled the boot loader with the end
result of it still not working, a floppy would be looking good;-)

Good Luck

 

[ifxtechie]

Hi All, Thanks for the help you rendered. I would prefer to go on the floppy as you suggested. I will try partitioning windows pri partition for another partition where I can put the linux boot image.
sincere Thanks for the help
Partha Parthasarathy, Hassan