redhat v.7.3 re-install quit B4 finish- cannot get back in2 Windoz or Linux
Many thanks in advance...........
HDWARE: old PC Box w/Pentium 166 128 Mb Ram CD Rom, 2 floppy drives HDs= C (dev/hda1) 1276MB windoz vfat32 D (dev/hdc/1) 9766MB windoz vfat32 (dev/hdc/2) 50MB Linux /boot Ext3 (dev/hdc/3) 476MB Linux / Ext3 (dev/hdc/4) remainderMB Linux extended ---(dev/hdc/5) 256MB Linux SWAP Situation: I had been running win98/Linux 7.0 in a dual boot environment using lilo as bootloader, booting linux from a floopy, in order to start to get to know more about linux. (I bought the PC @ a garage sale, stuck in the max RAM, CD, and the 2nd drive in order to learn RedhatLinux--I'm a mac user also dual booting yellowdog Linux/mac) The PC would only boot linux install CD from the DOS prompt, then I got a problem free graphical install of redhat 7.0 which I ran for a few weeks. Last weekend I decided to put redhat 7.3 on the system to replace RH 7.0, also got a problem free install, but during the week I screwed something up as ROOT and RH7.3 began acting REALLY odd. SOOOO this weekend I attempted to reinstall RH7.3 BUT... the installer reported an error during the 2nd disk and aborted. CURRENT SITUATION/ PROBLEM: I now have GRUB as bootloader, partial install or screwed up linux, and can't get to windows in order to go to DOS mode to access the CD to re-install linux. I start the machine and get a grub prompt but have NO IDEA what commands to give to boot Windoz. Both my rescue floppy and boot floppy will start the Linux install but cannot access the CD. QUESTION: What commands do I give GRUB to boot win/DOS or how do I edit the MBR in this situation? I don't want to lose or screw up the Win98 and I want the linux back. Thanks again |
What I would try is this:
Put in boot floppy or CD used to install And try to boot Linux it usally something like this: boot: mount root=/dev/hda1 (or what ever you root part is). Then run liloconfig and create a "lilo boot floppy" add partitons for DOS and Linux. Then reboot using the lilo boot floppy. |
Thanks for the reply, but the problem is that I cannot do that. The response is: "Could not find kernel image:mount."
That using either boot or rescue floppy. At the GRUB prompt the response is:"Unrrecognized command". With the installation sequence outlined in my original post, upon installing RH 7.3 I also installed GRUB as the bootloader not LILO. Since I was trying to re-install the same setup and the install failed with a hardware error msg, Linux will not boot. Drive/ Partitions were formatted, install aborted. Boot disk/rescue disk cannot find the CD-rom and there is not a complete Linux system to boot to. I am trying to use the GRUB prompt (since it is written to the MBR [master boot record] on the drive that DOS/Win resides on), to boot into DOS so that I can access the CD-rom, in order to re-install Linux. So in short, what I am asking is either: a. help with the correct command sequence/code that GRUB will understand, to boot into DOS/Win, or b. some other non-destructive way to edit the MBR with the correct code that will start Dos/Win. My problem is that I am new the the command prompt and I have no idea what command/syntax/perameters/etc GRUB understands, even with the minimal help that it offers. Seems I HAVE to go back to what I don't REALLY want (WIN/DOS) in order to get to where I DO want (Linux).... Thanks again....... |
At the grub prompt, try:
rootnoverify (hd0,0) makeactive chainloader +1 boot You can remove grub from the mbr of your windows drive by running the msdos command fdisk /mbr. Then it should boot into windows instead of grub. Quote:
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I think linuxcool maybe onto to something here? I got 7.2
under a gig but I'm don't have X installed or emacs, or Kernel source |
Linuxcool,
YESS!!!!! YIPPPPEEEEEEE!!!!!! THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!! In a matter of seconds, literally, it's back :)) This is one more bit of info that goes into the big fix file!!!! Thaanks again.... As to your astute comment re: size of root partition, what would be a suitable size? I was roughly going by the guidelines outlined in the RH docs, on the conservative side. There is after all half of the disk set aside for extra Win/Dos and the other half set aside for Linux. IOWs 20Gig and 20gig. Also on the topic, is ext3 for all partitions good or should one or any of the Linux partitions be ext2 for some reason? Once again thanks v much :)) |
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Thanks again,
Very concise, better than the info that came in the RH box install manual, (or I missed it there). I'll start to re-install RH7.3 this AM as, ironicaly, it is applicable do so on this day, July 4, for what Linux represents. Happy 4th to all, and thanks......... |
You're welcome and have a happy 4th. :)
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