DSL doesn't start, freezes

Artaudo · 01-11-2009, 07:23 PM

Hello all. I was starting to wave my linux banner, when I began the project of booting DSL from a CD. I have a dated, but not antiquated lap top. Descent RAM and ROM. The person who gave it to me lost the passwords for the XP Pro installed. So, I'm a developer without a laptop ...until DSL, or so I thought. I finally burned the .iso image the right way, but wander if I am missing something.

The program begins to run, searches everything out o.k., auto configures devises ...as far as I can tell that is unusual - until:

modprobe:can't locate module block-major-2
modprobe:modprobe: can't locate module block-major-2, done

and then at the very end:

Scanning for Harddisk partitions and creating /etc/fstab

...and this is where it freezes. An hour later it is still telling me this. Now, I wander if I don't have all the files I am supposed to on this cd I've burned, that obviously gets me to a point.

What is it searching for?
I do not have a partition?

I'd also be quite Happy to wipe the whole harddrive and install Debian if that is easier. All I really need my friends is the ability to install XAMPP and have a Browser to develop in. I would also really love to have open office ...I think, the Microsoft Office equiv. Nevertheless, I'm ready with my own version of a Betsy Ross to get started on that flag. Please Help.[/FONT]

camorri · 01-11-2009, 08:45 PM

Your XP install probably has NTFS as a file system. DSL runs older 2.4 kernels, and I suspect they don't include NTFS support. That may well explain the problems reading the HDD.

If you have no interest in XP, delete the partition(s). Pick the distro you want to run (Debain?). Set the CD as the first boot device, boot up, and install.

I have used DSL on old hardware, with less than 128 meg of ram. Most of the newer ones will run on 128 meg, but more is better. OO and Xampp should be available through package management. I'vd never used Debain, so I can not say for sure.

Hope this helps.

Artaudo · 01-12-2009, 11:45 AM

Thanks for your timely response. I'll get Betsy on her task again. I am looking at UBUNTU dist. now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by camorri

Your XP install probably has NTFS as a file system. DSL runs older 2.4 kernels, and I suspect they don't include NTFS support. That may well explain the problems reading the HDD.

If you have no interest in XP, delete the partition(s). Pick the distro you want to run (Debain?). Set the CD as the first boot device, boot up, and install.

I have used DSL on old hardware, with less than 128 meg of ram. Most of the newer ones will run on 128 meg, but more is better. OO and Xampp should be available through package management. I'vd never used Debain, so I can not say for sure.

Hope this helps.