Trying to dual boot Win98 and Ubuntu and unsure of code for config.sys
 

Hello all,
I have been trying to dual boot Win98 (original OS) and Ubuntu. I first tried the Wubi installer and just got a CRC error (launchpad bug# 269215). I then tried to manually install using these instructions as I don't have a functioning disc burner: http://www.instantfundas.com/2007/08...ctly-from.html The problem is that this was written for XP. I have everything installed the way it says (and assumed that wubi has previously created the partition), but there is no boot.ini file in Win98. I looked at the config.sys file and wubi.exe is all over the place. Does anyone know what should be written in the config.sys file to allow a dual boot Win98/Ubuntu? I have searched high and low for answers, but as you can see my situation is a little odd. The system I am running is as follows:

Compaq Presario
Intel Celeron
64MB total system memory
11 GB memory (5.5 GB free)
56k modem

Thank you in advance for even reading this...

Why don't you install Grub bootloader to the MBR and it should setup a dual boot? Sorry, I'm not familar with the Wubi installer.

I suggest using grub as your bootloader, though I am admittedly completely ignorant about wubi. Note that the win98 boot loader has nothing to do with the xp one, because to start with, 98 isn't even a proper OS, but a GUI on top of DOS, just like 95 and 3.11.

config.sys is not a boot loader config file, it's a plain text file which instructs DOS to load some drivers at startup and a few other things, so, it's parsed after an OS has been selected to boot, thus, after the bootloader has been closed. So, there's nothing that you can put in config.sys that will influence the behavior of the bootloader.

If I am not mistaken, 98 uses the same loader -or very similar- then DOS did, and I don't think you can use it to load linux (or any other OS that's not DOS/Win). As said, I'd just use grub to do everything, since it can do that and much more.

Note that

I would recommend using grub but

It is possible to load linux from DOS using loadlin. I used it in the dim and distant days when I first started dual-booting Windows 98 and linux. 64MB might be too little memory for Ubuntu. I would look into a distribution that requires less resources.

Well, that has nothing to do with my statement, loadlin is not the DOS native bootloader. It relates to DOS as much as grub does.

However I agree that ubuntu is not going to perform ok on 64 mb of ram (if at all).

With 64 MB of RAM no Ubuntu will work. That's a case for a seriously stripped-down Linux such as Puppy Linux or Damn Small Linux. And Windows 98 does not have any boot loader which will allow another OS to boot, using grub or lilo is the only option.

Robin

The first part of the statement might be true but grub or lilo are not the only option.

Ok, here's a dumb question: with win98 not supported anymore and insecure and buggy as hell, why haven't you moved your winblows stuff over to wine and just do a single-boot installation? Yes, I know, but I think it has to be asked.

Mike

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I looked at the config.sys file and wubi.exe is all over the place. Does anyone know what should be written in the config.sys file to allow a dual boot Win98/Ubuntu? I have searched high and low for answers, but as you can see my situation is a little odd.
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mountev:

All advices given above are true. To wit:

a) config.sys is not a booting file although it loads some drivers;
b) wubi is not comfortable under your current hardware specs;
c) grub, loadlin, lilo are good choices for bootloaders.

Therefore config.sys is not the solution.

Further, with a 64mb ram you must choose a minimalist linux distro other than the heavy weight Ubuntu.

Furthermore, currently the standard capable linux bootloaders are Grub and Lilo.

Having these all admitted, allow me to suggest this solution:

Try Absolute Linux (earlier versions can go better for your current RAM size). This minimalist distro is based on Slackware. Absolute Linux came out with the purpose of running old hardware platforms and is known to run even on a 32mb ram. (I have only tried it on a 128mb and it really went very fast above my expectations.)

You can get this distro from the homepage:

www.absolutelinux.org/download.shtml

It uses Lilo bootloader as it is in Slackware. Backup your master boot record before running this linux installer.

Then install Lilo on the MBR. With this you can configure Lilo to chainload Windows 98 so you can boot either of the two OS's.

Hope this helps.

Goodluck.