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.

Your root partition ( /dev/hdc3 ) is very small. You should give linux more room. Red Hat 7.3 might not be able to install on that partition.

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 :))

You're welcome. :)

If you're doing a workstation install, I would make the root ' / ' partition about 3gig. As for the file system type, according to Red Hat the default is ext3. So, I say go with ext3. You can read this page and this page. I got my information there. Good luck.

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. :)