Re: Trying to install Linux on machine that refueses *every* OS but XP...
Hello
pbrooks@pdx.edu (<pbrooks@pdx.edu>) wrote:
> My brother recently built a new computer:
> Albatron 865PE motherboard
> 1 Gig DDR400
> Radeon 9200
> 40GB HDD, 120GB HDD
> P4 2.8Ghz
>
> I've been trying for the last two days to install Linux on it, and
> with two distributions. Slackware has an error when it attempts to
> install LILO to either drive's MBR or to the superblock. Debian has
> no error, but nothing is installed (I get the "INSERT SYSTEM BOOT DISK
> AND PRESS SPACEBAR" message, not a nice one). I don't think that the
> motherboard has anti-MBR-writing features (it rejects win2k installs,
> BTW) but it could be. Anyone have any advice?
Maybe there is a BIOS protection that prevents the MBR from being
written to. If the installation was successful otherwise, you can try
to boot from the first Debian CD. I you installed using the standard
kernel, type
rescue root=/dev/yourrootpartitionhere
If you installed using the bf2.4-Kernel, type
rescbf24 root/dev/...
(You can use any of the two Kernels if you want, but this way you use
the kernel that you chose to install, which may make things easier).
If you can successfully boot, try to execute lilo to write the boot
loader to your disk. If it still doesn't work, write it to a floppy
disk:
lilo -b /dev/fd0
This way you can load everything from hard disk, including the kernel.
Only the boot loader is on the floppy disk. It is not perfect, but a
good solution until you can find out what the problem really is.
best regards
Andreas Janssen
--
Andreas Janssen
andreas.janssen@bigfoot.com
PGP-Key-ID: 0xDC801674
Registered Linux User #267976
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