Re: Problem instaling Debian on a Large IDE

[Bruce Perens <bruce@Pixar.com>]

I think if you first boot the installation disk with "linux 
hdb=cyls,heads,sects" cfdisk will get the geometry right. If not,
drop into the shell from the installation menu and run the "fdisk" command
instead of "cfdisk". Use the "x" (for expert) option to get to the expert
menu. Set the cylinders, sectors, tracks using that menu. It should then see
the DOS partition. Make sure to use
the "w" command in the main menu to write out the partition table when you
are done.

Then, you will have to boot using the installation root disk. You will need
a parameter like "linux root=hdb2 hdb=cyls,heads,sects to tell the kernel about
the disk geometry. It might not be "hda2", depending on your local
configuration - the disks are lettered a-z, the partitions on the disks 
numbered
1-8. The installation root disk will understand this command line,
but the one created during installation will not. Once you have the system
up, install the "lilo" package, and its documentation will tell you how to
configure it to boot your hard disk using your selected disk parameters sp that
you don't need a floppy all the time.

    Thanks

    Bruce

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