Install Problems
I recently tried to install the Debian OS(Linux) on a 25MHz 486 based (EISA
bus)system. It has an NEC disk drive(EIDE;2GB; new, no os installed.), and an
SIIG serial/floppy/EIDE ISA controller with its own BIOS.
I initially tried to install to a 500MB partition. When it tried to find bad
blocks in the partition(read-only) it would hang up and need to be rebooted.
Eventually, it passed this test, but, when the install tried to copy to this
partition it failed with numerous references to freelist size problems(fext2
type file system).
I cut the partition down to 50MB. The file system was created and the base os
was successfully installed on the 2nd try. The system now boots the os and
appears to be stable.
I don't know for sure what went wrong here; if anyone can explain this please
do(kernel/hardware mismatch?).
I suspect that the hard drive needs to be low-level formatted. Is there a Linux
utility or "package" that can do this type of format?
When the os boots, it displays two indentical error messages. One is from
eata-dma the other is from eata-???(Sorry about the lack of detail. I'm doing
this from memory.). The messages complain that the BIOS does not have the DOS32
extensions that these drivers "still" need.
Questions: Can someone explain what functionality I am losing by not having
these DOS32 extensions? Will this, eventually, be a problem? and What, if
anything, can I do about it?
Thanks in Advance,
Al Votolato
My comments are my own, not those of my employer.
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