What command do I use to format a hard disk under Linux console? I already have it partitioned.

For a linux ext2 filesystem use this command

hd?? = your partition

the first partition on the primary master ide will be hda1
the second will be hda2
the first partition on the primary slave will be hdb1
the first partition on the secondary master will be hdc1
the first partition on the secondary slave will be hdd1
and so on

note that extended partitions will be assigned a partition number and will change the sequence for logical drives depending on where the extended partition is.

To view partitions use fdisk -l

example

fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hda: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 7296 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 1 141 1132551 a0 IBM Thinkpad hibernation
/dev/hda2 * 142 5878 46082452+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda3 5879 6009 1052257+ 82 Linux swap
/dev/hda4 6010 7296 10337827+ f Win95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hda5 6010 7296 10337796 83 Linux



to convert it to ext3 use this command

So go mke2fs /dev/hda1 huh?

if it's the primary master first partition, yes

OK, I got it formatted. What's the best way to transfer Linux to my hard disk? ...or will that take an install. I bet it will take an install that I'll do later.

Is it a running linux system?

If you can boot into the system with a root/boot disk it will be best. If not then you want to skip copying the /proc folder. If you have devfs then also exclude the /dev/folder on your running system


I would use tar


mkdir newdrive

mount /dev/hda1 /newdrive

cd /
tar -cv . --exclude ./proc --exclude ./newdrive | (cd /newdrive; tar -xv)


mkdir /newdrive/proc

/newdrive/etc/fstab will need to be setup correctly

/newdrive/etc/lilo.conf will need to be setup correctly

you will need to install lilo using the new systems lilo.conf

use caution here, know what your doing
chroot /newdrive; lilo

...now to start transferring the system. I have no folder that you mentioned though. I have a boot.b, a rc.custom.gz, a settings.s, and a zImage. I also have a file or something named map.

Anyone know how to transfer the system from floppy to hard disk?

What DavidPhillips is trying to explain is how to take an existing linux system and transfer it to another drive. newdrive is a directory you create to mount your new drive.

Are you looking at the boot floppy you created during the install? The purpose is just to boot from the disk not to transfer files from.
The files you are going to transfer are all from the existing hard drive install.

also if you boot into the floppy and mount your existing linux filesystem the mount point will need to be used instead of / in the above examples.

/ will be used if you are copying an existing, running linux filesystem

I'm a big Linux dummie, but I didn't see any of the folders you mentioned. I was telling you what folders I had. I know this Linux I'm messin' with unpacks upon boot up, if that makes a diference.

you must be looking at the floppy. If you boot the floppy you should have a linux system that is running in ram, this will contain the linux filesystem like I mentioned. You can't just put image files on a hard drive.

Of course I have no idea what's on the floppy(s) you are talking about, I am just guessing it's a linux system on floppy. If not you are doing something that's not possible.


Let us know what you have and what you are trying to do.

After this Linux boots off the floppy and unpacks, I log in and go ls, and I did not see any folders you talked about. I would like to stick that Linux system on my hard disk somehow. What tool do I use? The original RPM or something?

I'm not sure I can help, generally, but I think I see the communication breakdown. Like if it was a DOS boot floppy, you'd be running DOS in RAM and if you wanted to transfer *just* the floppy's system from the diskette to the hard drive, you'd 'sys c:' from the prompt (and maybe 'copy *.*' after that) and it would let you boot a copy of the floppy system from the hard drive. And you want to know how to do that in Linux, right? That I don't know. Do you have the boot and root images on floppy? Would swapping them in and 'dd'ing them work? Probably not, but I don't know.

Why not just install a regular system, though?