Hi all

Simple Problem: Unable to boot into Linux

Long description: Toshiba Portege running Mandrake with Windows XP,
dual boot.
I changed the boot loader (duh!) and couldn't get in.
So i booted by hand using grub if i remember correctly and out of desperation reset lilo to boot straight from windows (i have to work unfortunately...).

Ok, so windows is running, not sure if it's a good thing

Now, the Toshiba has NO CD reader yet i am able to boot from a sd card (tG for debian).
The sd card is loaded with a 1.4mb floppy image and the problem here seems to be that i'm locked in on the floppy image only, i'm unable to find (or mount) the hard drive or other greater "partition" on the sd card.
Can anybody help here pls?
Please tell me how I should mount the hardrive and also reset the bootloader from lilo back to the original grub.

Ok, so not being happy with only one solution let me add that there is also a fully functional Dell p4 with only Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), no windows.
This machine DOES HAVE A CD reader.
It is possible to network with the toshiba but still mulling through netbooting with pxeboot. Eish!
Any tips or ideas here?

There's a new external USB hardrive too which may also be of use, this is picked up by windows on the toshiba yet i have not attempted with dell p4 / Linux yet.
Also how do i load windows on this HD?

More? Why sure, there's also the usb memory stick, i tried this extensively (BIOS etc...) and think that the toshiba requires an external power source for the supposed "usb disk".
Why do i say this? The usb stick's light does not illuminate at all no matter how it's configured.

For all intents and purposes any solution will do though i must admit i'm particularly curious about the sd card route.

Thanks in advance
G

If you can boot to a shell with the memory card then:
1) Find your root partition "fdisk -l"
2) Mount it with "mount /dev/hdxN /mnt"
3) Make that your root dir "chroot /mnt"
4) Edit lilo.conf or menu.lst to be correct for your system
5) Reinstall your chosen bootloader with "grub-install /dev/hdx" or "lilo -m /dev/hdx mbr"

Thanks dude but as Murphy would have it i wiped
the partitions last night and installed RHEL 3.

I am going to try what you say though from my Debian boot disk.

Thanks again
G

No luck (

If i boot using the debian floppy.img i'm able to configure network etc but fdisk returns nix.
Also there is no hd* under '/dev'. The only files under '/dev' that may relate is directories 'disc', 'ide' and 'scsi'.

Any suggestions?

How about a better boot image?
Maybe a larger / better image with more features or are we restricted to 1.44mb?
The sd card is 128mb and can go up to 1gb...

Cheers
G

How about giving feather a go:
http://iso.linuxquestions.org/distro.php?distro=9