I've installed a couple of Linux systems before, but on newer hardware. I'm now working on a P133MHz, 64MB RAM, WD 1.5 GB HD. To start off, I have no partitions allocated on the disk and when I go to boot to the floppy....it starts to load linux but then conks out after initializing the HD. I get "Kernel Panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 03:05"

Any ideas to get me through this one?

Thanks,
Jeremy

Wich distribution are you trying to install and wich floppy image are you using?

DUH!
 

How dumb of me, I guess these would be nice things for you guys to know...I've tried RedHat 6.2 and 7.0 -- They give the same result. As for the floppy image, I made it from the 6.2 CDs. I have recently acquired Mandrake 7.2....could this be a solution....or is my fault in the floppy image?

Thanks,
Jeremy

question
 

What do you mean by "initializing the harddrive"?

You are booting to the install floppy.. but you have the CD in the CDROM? Can you boot to the CDROM instead?

I suppose it comes up to the inital "boot:" prompt that lets you choose "text" or "rescue" and you are just hitting <ENTER>, right?

Then it should try to load a RAM disk and go through the intall process. Or are you completing the install process and then having trouble after you reboot?

The system says that it is able to boot directly to the CD. But when evertyhing is set up for that, it hangs and never gets to booting the CD. So I tried booting from the floppy. This is the floppy that was made during an install awhile ago. After I hit <ENTER> at the LILO boot prompt, it scrolls a whole bunch of commands, loading drivers and such....and then halts at that error....I never get to the installation program.

I hope this everything up

Thanks

Jeremy

HAHAHA!!!

I figured everything out....Call me a Newbie, I deserve it. I guess there's a difference between a "boot disk" and an "install disk." I think its more that I need to make the disk on the machine that I'm installing to....I think. Am I right? Cuz I made the disk on that machine, and BAM! I'm in the install menu...needless to say, I let out a "boisterious cheer." I'm happy for now....until I run into another newbie problem....

What a great forum,
I'll be back...

Jeremy