Hey y'all, I'm now a Slacker... ....I just installed 8.0 on my new home built system and so far everything is going pretty good.

There is a few problems though, I'm having problems using kernel 2.4.5 so I'm using 2.2.19.

I get this error message when using the 2.4.x kernel:
EXT2-FS: Unable to Read Superblock
Fat bread failed
isofs_read_super: bread failed, dev=03:08, iso_blknum=16, block=32
Read superblock: Unable to read superblock on dev 03:08
Kernel Panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 03:08
So I will try compiling the 2.4.18 kernel next.

I need to get the Lucent modem configured and get the AC97 via chipset onboard sound going.

Any suggestions on these?

Thnx.

System specs? One hard drive or two (assuming you use Winblows)?

This is a 40gb Maxtor HD on a Shuttle Mobo AK31A, AMD XP1700, and 256mb ddr ram, VIA 266 chipset, AC97 onboard sound.

Win98=hda1=Fat32
WinXP=hda5=NTFS
DATA=hda6=Fat32
Swap=hda7
Root=hda8=Ext2
Home=hda9=Ext2

I can boot using the 2.2.19 Kernel but can't boot using the 2.4.5 kernel. I also tried installing Libranet 1.9.1 with kernel version 2.4.5 kernel and got the same kernel error.

Thnx.

Anybody have a clue as to what could be wrong here?

I have no idea, but why don't you try compiling the 2.4.18 kernel. I just did and it went great. My onboard VIA AC97 audio works perfect!

Ok, I would like to update the kernel to 2.4.18 but have a couple of questions.

1) When I download it, where should I unpack the kernel to, /home/normal user folder?

2) And if I'm using a boot floppy disk to boot Slackware, how do I put the new kernel on the floppy disk, so when I use the floppy to boot, it will boot using the new kernel?

Hope this make sense, thnx.

1) When I download it, where should I unpack the kernel to, /home/normal user folder?

Anywhere you want. It's your system.

By default, Slackware puts the kernel source in /usr/src/linux-x.y.z (/usr/src/linux-2.4.18, for example). There is a /usr/src/linux link which points to the current kernel source. If you untar the downloaded kernel source to /usr/src, you'll want to remove this link first, as it untars to /usr/src/linux, and will overwrite the existing source tree, which is probably not what you want. Once you've untarred it, simply rename it to linux-2.4.18, then recreate the link.

2) And if I'm using a boot floppy disk to boot Slackware, how do I put the new kernel on the floppy disk, so when I use the floppy to boot, it will boot using the new kernel?

The new kernels are to big to fit on a floppy, so you don't.
Instead you create a lilo boot disk which boot you current kernel from the hard drive. You can do this by running the Slackware setup utility and choosing the Configuration option, one step of which is to create a boot disk, or you can look at the /usr/lib/setup/SeTconfig script and see how Patrick does it, then try to do so yourself.

James Dixon

Thnx...I'll give it a try!

You can compile a kernel small enough to fit on a floppy. My 2.4.18 is small enough to fit on a floppy.

Thnx for all the help...I've got the latest kernel installed, 2.4.18 and made sure the VIA AC'97 chipset for sound is compiled and I've taken out the SMP info so I can compile my Lucent LT modem.

But I'm getting error message about th header files not found or something similar, but they should be there.

Any ideas about this?

Please be more specific

Thanks,
Dan

The message I'm getting is telling me that the Lucent LT modem drivers can't seem to find the kernel header files when I try to compile the modem drivers.

I don't know if the link is pointing to the old (2.2.19) kernel or to the new kernel (2.4.18)...but I thought it should have been pointing to the new kernel. I will have to check when I get home!

it is a good pratice to make a soft link to point to your current one, it is easily achieve so that you won't mess up the current and the old config