Usb and me...
 

This would be my second post. So, trying to leave windows xp in the dust and figure out linux. I've got Live CDs of DSL 3.4.7 and Fedora 8. I'm not code, abreviation, or acronym savey. I am an educated person...just not in the art of computer mastery. Now, I'm running an Emachine D3024 that I've added hardware to. It has an AMD Sempron +3000 with 512mb of ddr sdram, an ATI Radeon 9250 (256 visual ram), and integrated Nvidia sound card, an 80 gig and 60 gig hd, with aol dial-up.

Here are some problems I've having. Windows xp can't resize partitions naturally...and the only smaller than 5mb partitioning tools I've found can't do NTFS...which is what both drives are in. DSL offers a solution to this by making it possible to install to a usb thumb drive. Right on!...or so I thought. It sounds simple and it is just some clicking and typing...but it's not as easy as it sounds. I have a 2 gig toshiba thumb drive all set to a single partition in FAT. When I try to install DSL 3.4.7 to my usb device through the live cd it fails, saying that install from the live cd isn't possible. That's okay though, I have an iso file. So, I have it install through the iso file on my hda1 (My C:)...it says it has problems moving and creating things that are already there while it installs...but eventually it says it's done and complete. So, I reboot to my thumb drive and get a boot message about a missing kernal...wonderful.

I try to trick it and do a hard drive install to sdb1 (my thumb drive). It seems happy and finishes..but when I boot from it my computer tells me that it's missing an OS....See, not so easy.

I've downloaded newer versions of syslinux..whatever that really is..and I've seen other people having similar 'can't find the kernal' boot messages...but they've solved these by doing some funky code dance. One of them had something to do with a chmod (program?) and changing permissions. I fiddled with it and came up with nothing.

I'm utterly new and really want to make my linux experience a good one. Any help that doesn't involve downloading something huge (5mbs or more since I'm on dial-up..) would thuroughly be appreciated. I look forward to a reply.

Thank you,
Nalec

Look into ntfsresize. Not sure if it is part of the Fedora disc anymore. There are a few Live cds with it. Not sure off the top of my head. would have to use Google to find.

Brian

My fedora live cd is another problem in iteself. Anyway, I've tinkered a little more and I think I have the usb drive set at a good launching point for a solution. After doing, what I think, a good usb pendrive install through dsl I boot from it and get "Could not find kernel image: linux". After that it refers me to that ussual 'boot:' prompt-ness. Nothing I've entered worked in helping it find the kernel image. Am I able to basically give it this missing image some how?