re: installation boot fails with standard bootdisk on 486SX/33

[Michael_Laing@Harvard.edu]

I previously wrote:

> Installation fails on this old machine shortly after hitting return at the
> 'Boot Parameters' prompt using the standard bootdisk. Linux 1.2.13 runs fine.

Additional info: after hitting return I get from 3 to 6 dots and then a 'bad
disk' message.

The disk is not bad, however.

I divine from the messages I have seen that this is a problem with the boot
loader on the boot disk, not linux. Also, that disabling cache may work to get
by this problem.

Unfortunately, disabling cache did not work.

This machine is old but useful. I am helping a school district in Maine which
has many such old machines and will likely be donated a lot more. We are trying
to standardize on Debian so that the 20 to 50 people involved in support across
the 10 buildings and 200 square miles of the district will have a common
approach.

The easy thing to do would be to upgrade the motherboard. Anyone have any other
suggestions?

Thanks,
Michael Laing