unusual install with errors booting (lilo?)

[gnuoob]

ok i have a toshiba laptop that had the cdrom die in it

so i wanted to install xandros on it and had to get creative with doing it

i pulled out the hd and plugged it into my tower with a pin converter($5 item) to run the install from on the tower.

the hd 40g is split up in two partitions
16g xp
20g xandros(this was split into a swap as well)

now it intalled fine on the tower and ran fine on the tower. it even ran the customization welcome stuff about preferences etc... But now when i boot it on the laptop the menu(loader/lilo???)choice prompt comes up allowing me to choose my OS. xp loads fine and i have no problems with it. xandros gives me an error of...
this is what is see
----------------------------
ls: /sys/block/*/*/: No such file or directory
Suspend2 2.2: Missing or invalid storage locaiton (resume2= parameter). Please correct and rerun lilo (or equivalent) before suspending.

loading....
Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unalbe to mount root fs on unknown-block(3,2)
----------------------------

any ideas on how to correct via the windows partition or using my usb floppy that came with the laptop(which yes it can boot from).

toms root and boot??? what do i need to modify in lilo and where is it located???

[gnuoob]

ok i downloaded tomsrtbt and am making a floppy now :eek:

im still trying to figure out which stuff to edit????????????????????

[gnuoob]

ok the tomsfloppy does not boot :confused:

my laptop from toshiba has some proprietory boot screen that does not have alot of options on it

yes i did it twice because my first floppy was bad so thats not it

[asiB4]

just an idea for you, if you have a (128mb minimum) usb thumbdrive can you download and setup Damn Small Linux on the thumbdrive...boot to the thumbdrive drive, fire off a terminal and from chrooted environment mount the partitions and edit your lilo.conf? Something else I am wondering is if you installed your o/s with an adapter, was it recognized as an ide drive, and once it is back in the laptop should be sata, causing the Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(3,2) error? I've never messed with xanadros, so not sure how the install works. Did you compile your own kernel. What I mean is if you installed on one machine, and put the drive in another, even after rebooting and verifying the install was successful, whatever kernel options were originally setup are going to be or at least I would think they would be totally different for the laptop. I would think that would create all sorts of problems. The only way I could see that working out, is to know exactly what kernel options you are going to need for your laptop, use those and skip the options for your desktop and immediatly install the drive back into the laptop before rebooting it. Not 100% positive though, weirder crap has happened. :D

[gnuoob]

i will try the DSL stick thing in the morning

no i didnt do my own kernel = me stoopid and GNUoob at linux

thanks :)

[Parcival]

Something else I am wondering is if you installed your o/s with an adapter, was it recognized as an ide drive, and once it is back in the laptop should be sata, causing the Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(3,2) error?

Yes, I guess this is the problem, too. I have never attempted such an operation, but I would try to boot a live-distribution on the laptop and then modify /etc/fstab on the harddisc according to the live-system's values to have it point to the correct root again.

[gnuoob]

...I would try to boot a live-distribution on the laptop and then modify /etc/fstab on the harddisc according to the live-system's values to have it point to the correct root again.

can i boot to one with the cdrom being dead on the laptop and how?????

[Parcival]

If I am not mistaken, there are also live-distros that run from a usb pen.

[gnuoob]

If I am not mistaken, there are also live-distros that run from a usb pen.

yeah the laptop doesnt boot off of usb :(

any windows programs out there that allow me to modify the lilo from the xp partition?

[shadebug]

what you need is a boot floppy. Not sure what your best bet is for that these days.

If the usb floppy drive isn't booting check the bios to make sure it's booting the floppy or usb before the hdd.

[gnuoob]

the laptop came with a external floppy which does not seem to boot.
the bios is some weird toshiba special and not a typical one im used to seeing

anyway...

ok i downloaded DSL in windows

http://www.tuxs.org/dslwin.htm

gonna give this a try but im still need help with...

what do i need to modify with lilo??

[gnuoob]

ok i got DSL up and running but im still lost on what to modify within lilo

[saikee]

The Lilo configuration file is always stored in the /etc/lilo.conf of that Linux you put it into the MBR.

The Lilo configuration file can be edited by booting up any Linux, say using a Live CD like DSL in your case. It needs root privilege though.

Lilo also require a validation process by running the command "lilo" in terminal mode every time its /etc/lilo.conf has been amended, otherwise the changes would not be implemented.

To do this you boot up DSL, become the superuser (by command "su" in order to obtain the root privilege), make a temp directory in /mnt of DSL, mount the partition where its /etc/lilo.conf requires the modification, change root into it, edit its /etc/lilo.conf, save the file, issue "lilo" command and the next boot up the Lilo will executed the changed setting.

[asiB4]

ok i got DSL up and running but im still lost on what to modify within lilo

That's cool...never knew DSL could run through windows...if I had a windows box I'd give it a shot, just for the fun of it. Below is a linky to explain what you need to be doing to your lilo.conf. Good Luck! :cool:

Configuring LILO (http://www.control-escape.com/linux/lilo-cfg.html)

[gnuoob]

when i install linux can i do so on a fat32 partition? does it have to be ext2/3?

xp will install on a 32 then you can convert it one way to NTFS. can linux do the same so i can modify the files via the xp partion to get it up and running?

[saikee]

I believe some special Linux like Puppy may be OK in a fat partition but I think a standard Linux prefers Ext2/3 partition.

In general it is far more efficient to modify a Linux by a Live CD. XP doesn't support Linux and would noy mount its partitions. You need a special software to see a Linux partition in MS Windows.

You can boot up any Live Cd, mount the Linux partition and amend its Lilo configuration any way you please. Save the file and it will do exactly it is told.

Remember you can hoop from a Live CD Linux into any installed Linux in distress by change root to it. Therefore you are effectively inside the Linux you want to modify.

[asiB4]

was you unable to get dsl to run from within windows? If you can get dsl to run...using the method described on the link you had, you should be able to fire off a terminal, chroot in and edit your lilo.conf and run /sbin/lilo. From what I have read, running dsl on windows like that is essentially the same as running a livecd...only slower.

[gnuoob]

again as i stated in my original post

"the cdrom is dead"

but thanks anyway



im looking for a creative solution here :)

[gnuoob]

was you unable to get dsl to run from within windows? If you can get dsl to run...using the method described on the link you had, you should be able to fire off a terminal, chroot in and edit your lilo.conf and run /sbin/lilo. From what I have read, running dsl on windows like that is essentially the same as running a livecd...only slower.

you posted this as i was posting my above response

yes embedded DSL worked for me

ive realized that the error is a kernel error now and not a lilo one

so is it possible to modify/rebuild the kernel from DSL embedded for the xandros distro???

[asiB4]

not sure how Xandros is setup to compile kernels, but I would think you should be able to just as from a livecd. from a chrooted environment cd to /usr/src/linux...#make menuconfig, select the correct kernel options, #make && make modules_install...or something of that nature. Check with the Xandros doc's for the exact method of configuring and recompiling the kernel, though.

[gnuoob]

oh my F'ing god i got it working :)

http://sourceforge.net/projects/instlux/

i was able to install linux on my laptop with a dead cdrom/missing floppy from a windows partition

woooo-hhoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!