Zipslack
 

Well, maybe thistime a stupid question??
I am trying to install Zipslack 3.9 because I am playing around with Freesco
(linux router/file-printserver) because I want to gain some knowledge about Linux. The problem is..when I download Zipslack and I browse within the Zipfile I already see the 8.3 problem. I discover filenames like:

getoptpr.{1t* domainna.{1u* ypdomain.{1v*

When I unzip the files there is no change with the naming, and off course
Zipslack isn't startingup

So I guess there is something about the longfilenames. Is that a known problem or " just my problem " ??

I've downloaded the file with Winxp/winzip 9.0 and I have given it a try
with Knoppix.

I have no idea to solve my "problem" (or Challenge)

Please advise

Regards


Wallie

Zipslack is made for installation on a FAT filesystem. That is why the 8.3 filenames.
Since you do not list any troubleshooting steps besides "off course Zipslack isn't startingup" I will start with the Zipslack FAQ.
Have you edited LINUX.BAT to point to the correct partition (/dev/hda1 ?) for your Zipslack?

Yes, changed the linux.bat but It just didn't start up.
What I meant with the 8.3 files. the extension i.e.

getoptpr.{1t* domainna.{1u* ypdomain.{1v*

These kind of filenames aren't just gonna work I guess..
If I for instance give " more getoptpr.{1t*" it says that the file doesn't exists...
I would love to do some troubleshooting but I don't know were to begin. Question is: Is it gonna work when using winxp for downloading. If I must use win95 or 98 than the answer is given..

hope this is the answer to your question ??

R.

wallie

The weird filenames you are seeing are normal.
They will not be weird when you start Zipslack.
It probably does not hurt to download the Zipslack file with XP but Zipslack works on a FAT partition, not NTFS as far as I know.
Using the Zipslack bootdisk is also an option to get it started.

Putting all the ducks in a row...
Put the Zipslack zip file in the root directory of a FAT partition.
Unzip it. There should be a LINUX directory showing in the C:/ drive, not in another folder.
Edit the LINUX.BAT to point to the correct partition to boot Zipslack.
The Loadlin program is a DOS program. It may not work in XP. Don't really know this.
Usually from a DOS prompt type "CD LINUX", "LINUX".
Try the bootdisk if Zipslack is in the correct location, on a FAT filesystem and still not working.

Ok many thanks for advise. gonna give it a try. It takes quite a while to have the complete stuff installed. I am downloading it on my winxp machine and then unzipping
it to the bootdev (hda1) on my Freesco-box. but transferring from one to another
machine is taking forever...but I will keep u informed.


R.

Wallie

Hopefully my previous post helped some. Zipslack is a little different. It is a very nice command line version of Linux.
Do ask any other questions you have, or news of your sucess.

Ok, I will try to be as detailed as I can.
I have downloaded the file on my winxp machine. Because of the long time it takes to unzip it straight to my Freesco machine (ex win95) I unzip it on the winxp machine and after that I copy the whole bunch to the freesco machine.

When I look in windows xp via SAMBA at the file at /hda1 I see a LINUX.BAT and other stuff correctly. I can open the.bat file and with notepad I am able to change thet bat file to read ....../hda1

When I switch to the WIN95 machine in DOS. I get the
LINUX_{_2 notation instead of LINUX.BAT

But whatever.... I just start it up with loadlin vmlinuz root = /dev/hda1 rw and to my surprise it begins to start up...

until the next line :

"Activating pseudo root /linux
VFS: mounted root (umsdos filesystem)"


I get no linux prompt whatsoever.... somewhere down the line there is something going wrong. Do I for instance have to use
HIMEM or something like that....

And of course after all my playing around the machine turned into "read only" so I first had to SCANDISK it again...


Maybe you can do something with this info ???


R.

Wally

In addition I've tried to prepare a bootdisk and a rescue disc as mentioned on http://slackware.mirrors.pair.com/sl...-3.9/zipslack/
in the FAQ.TXT under Q5 .
Both discs should be downloadable at ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/linux/slackw...sks.144/bare.i an d
ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/linux/slackw...dsks/rescue.gz

But that doesn't exists anymore

so I tried the "bootdisk.img" also athttp://slackware.mirrors.pair.com/sl...-3.9/zipslack/
But I don't know how to put an .img on a floppy.
(Is it just downloading direct on a floppy? nothing happenend when I tried
to boot from the flop....

You see there are a lot of questions on my side

Wally

We'll start with the easy one.
In Windows use the Rawrite utility. There are a couple versions. I believe NTRawrite is the correct version for Windows XP and I do not see it in the Zipslack download directory. You should be able to find it and some decent instructions with a Googlle search.
In Linux you use the "dd" utility. "dd if=myimage.img of=/dev/fd0".
How much RAM does the Zipslack PC have?
Give the boot floppy a try.

I am convinced I do something very wrong, but what??

Even with the boot.img disk it starts up until the previous mentioned lines.
I found the bootdisk and rescue.gz and gave that also a try. The bootdisks ran ok
but when I inserted the rescue.gz flop I received a faultmessage 303. And according to the documentation should it be starting up after the bootflop was initiated.

My machine is a pentium 75 with 40 mb memory. on the root drive there is the orig.
win95 DOS with linuxsoftware for Freesco, so it is on the C:\ drive, and I think that would be the /dve/hda1 partition??


I am starting it up with loadlin vmlinux root=/dev/hda1 rw.
As mentioned earlier it says that root is found but after the last line it just stops..
No prompt..nothing. So my guess is that the original startup is ok, but when the program is looking for /dev/hda1 there goes something wrong. I've also tried /dev/hda2 but then I get a "Kernel panic" message.
I have also installed MC on the freesco box and have reinstalled " zipslack" with the build in unzip of MC. but......nojoy


Wallie

That should be fine for Zipslack. I have it on a 486 with 32MB RAM.
I wonder if this is what is causing your errors. Maybe unzipping to a filesystem with one set of parameters and copying to another messes up the filenames.
The LINUX.BAT file should still be a LINUX.BAT file. Some others will have the strange names you have noted.

I just edited my last post, I didn't expect you were answering that fast... HI..

As I said I reinstalled zipslack with unzip from Midnight Commander. but I got the same
"Strange" filenames. I think I first clear the whole disk and than start all over again
from scratch. And again the strange thing is... it is starting up with no problems unitl
the earlies mentioned lines. I hear the harddisk burping a bit and after that it is quiet.
Maybe of interest....I have to give the box a hard reboot after that, because it hangs itself

Wallie

I've tried something in addition:
downloaded bootdsks.1.44/bare.i
unpacked it with NTRawrite (it is also working with xp)
downloaded rescue.gz

Booted the system with the bootdisk (no problem)
And than according to the manual inserted the rescue.gz disc (it should be loaded automatically)
it started with the message: " loading ramdisk"
and after that: Error 0x01
so no auto loading and no prompt.......

What is it that I am doing wrong???

In looking over your posts I see another thing I had not paid attention to, the version of Zipslack you are using. Why not try a newer version? I managed to install Zipslack 7.1 on a 486 with 4MB RAM (using the special low memory stuff) and have 10.0 on my current 486.
I have zero experience with Zipslack versions under 7.1.

Are the bare.i and rescue disk also from an older version of Slack?

Another quick check. Will Tom's RTBT boot?

The reason is why I am trying to use 3.9 is that I am working and playing around with Freesco. And if you want to make a pkg for Freesco you have to use 3.9 but on the other hand I would like to see if I am able to get a working config on the machine, so I think I will give your proposal a try. The boot and resue discs I also downloaded it from the 3.9

For info on Freesco: www.freesco.org

But I will thank you very much for your patience and advice up to now. I will give your prposal a try, but not today. In the Netherlands we are celebrating the queen's anniversary today so most of us are dressed in orange (Royal family's colours). You'll hear from me in short time....tks for now

Wallie