I too am having probs with the Linux install dual booting win 98 and no one appears to know what the problem is.., i too have had countless Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 21:05 bleh bleh bleh...
All i have learnt is that from (trying to)installing it on various machines and various configs is the following
bear in mind i am NO linux guru
*****Check your hardware...,
I believe Mandrake home page has a hardware checker but doesnt have links to drivers!!!!!!!! and it told me my cam wasnt supported and NEVER WOULD BE!!! wow what a way to make an OS popular heh.
my monitor isnt supported
and i have to deal with packages dropping probably (not proven tho) due to cdrom speed been too fast for my HD to write it to , so even if i get it installed Xserver goes to (*^* on me cause it wont recognise my best monitor but it will recognise crappier ones i have on other machines! (btw its a IBM2122)
fdisk/MBR is a VERY HANDY command for recovering windows when lilo goes to &^%$ŁK without having to reformat.., i learnt that the hard way.
And yes check see if the CD's are clean!! .., my cd's install on someone elses box but not mine! an our systems are almost identicle apart from monitors
Is your Graphics good enough? or is it 1337 enough for linux to include?? lol
agp S3 8mb card wont do but if you have a crappier S3PCI 8mb card now that will do .., (go figure)
Only other thing i can think of in my machine is the processor an bus speed?? its 733,133hgz, is it too fast for linux ??? lol
Also i belive Linux got some UDMA issues?? sheesh mine is a UDMA33 4.3 gig smart capable an i have tried it as a master and slave both primary and secondary
dual boot on same drive and seperate ones too.., btw i belive that linux doesnt like CDROMS on a slave connection?? could be that answer to someones problem..., not mine tho :0[
Damn good job i copied my orignial distros as the originals are now sŁ$"d with so much use an i have no receipt damn!.
i have been at this 3 months now an no one appears to know the answer .., ho hum guess one more that wont be installin M 8..., guess i will jus have to junk win an go to mac.., i hear its free BSD!.. ho well.
unhappy frazzy