I am trying to install Slack 14.1 (64-bit) on an Intel single board computer with a 4GB SSD (mmc). I can boot off the DVD. When I run fdisk /dev/mmcblk0, it says GPT partition is detected and directs me to use parted or gdisk. If I ignore that warning and proceed anyway, I am able to create two partitions /dev/mmcblk0p1 (ext4) and /dev/mmcblk0p2 (swap). The install goes fine, but lilo fails to write to the MBR and the machine won't boot. However, I am able to boot off the DVD and chroot to /dev/mmcblk0p1. Obviously that is not a long term solution because I would like to boot without the install DVD.

Instead, I can use gdisk to create the ext4 and swap partitions. I don't know what these partitions are called under /dev/ because gdisk does not say so. However, slackware setup program identifies the partitions as /dev/mmcblk01 and /dev/mmcblk02 (notice these are without the 'p'). However, I see no evidence under /dev/ that these partitions actually exist. But setup proceeds normally, but it still fails when it comes to lilo. If I try to mount /dev/mmcblk01, it says there is no such partition. So, I don't know where setup actually installed everything. Also, I don't know where /dev/mmcblk01 came from when nothing like that actually exists under /dev/

I am an old veteran of slackware, but this one got me stumped. Admittedly I am unfamiliar with GPT. Please help.

See Installing Slackware Using GPT with a BIOS motherboard to know your options.

Bad idea (to ignore the warning). I have just found out that Win10 (preview) does this silently and it messes with all the Linux tools. They see the EFI header and don't look for partitions in sector zero (the MBR) as that is supposed to be protected (and hence unused) in gpt.
Why are you using gpt ?. Simplest solution would be to just format it to MBR; unless you have UEFI of course.

This is a SSD drive (/dev/mmcblk0) with three partitions /dev/mmcblk0p1 /dev/mmcblk0p2, /dev/mmcblk0p3. These are GPT partitions and were created with gdisk.

The installation of slackware 14.1 goes fine, but lilo to MBR fails with "Sorry, don't know how to handle device 0xb300". Lilo to the partition instead of the MBR also fails with the same error, except it says "0xb301".
I saw a post that suggested including "bios=0x80 max-partitions=7" in the global section of the lilo.conf but that gave me an error "Fatal: open /tmp/dev.0: No such device or address".

Any help would be appreciated.

Could you please explain what you mean by 'format it to MBR'?

can't help on the specifics. I kinda thought lilo had aged into the past and we all used grub. grub or grub2 which I think is latest may not fail when dealing with that hardware.

How managed your SSD to behave like a SD-CARD aka /dev/mmcblk0 ?

In other hand, I seriously doubt that LILO support the GPT partitioning...

I suggest you to go GRUB.

Read this.

PS I am also puzzled that your SSD behave like a SD card.

To make sure, please restart the installer and as soon as logged in as root type:and post the results.

OK, after my curiosity started about that NUC's SSD who believe to be SD-CARD, I managed to find a friend which is a NUC user too, and I can do some details...

Well, that SSD do not behave like a SD-CARD, it is really a SD-CARD. More precise, we talk about a EMMC chip on motherboard, which practically behave like a fast SD, but have also all SD-CARD disavantages. AS not being a reliable device for Linux partitions and wear fast on huge amount of data written. My friend claim to have 3 NUCs, and two of them have the built-in SD-CARD nuked by his experiments.

So, in few words, anything else that FAT32, specially any journaled filesystem, will be equivalent with fast killing of EMMC. Also, that this EMMC need, for a properly work, a special geometry format, similar with a real SD-CARD.

Then, installing the Linux OS in this built-in sd-card should be made similar with the methods used in live-systems on FAT32. I.e. SYSLINUX, a squashfs file which include an ex2fs file, mounted via UNIONFS RW. While interesting as project, I'm afraid that these advanced installation methods aren't for beginners like you, as you ask in another thread what is MBR partitioning.

In other hand, that 4G EMMC is supposed to be used for an embedded operating system, i.e. Android or a LTS Client, etc...

The good news is that your NUC have a SATA port, and you can mount a SATA 2.5" hard drive in the NUC, huge enough to install Slackware and much much more reliable for Linux partitions.

If you insist to use this 4GB EMMC, my friend say that the only compatible bootloader is SYSLINUX and to be prepared to see this device to die fast, if you do not use a method like a live-system. Maybe a SLAX installation can help you? A suggestion can be to go on the SLAX forums and ask how to install their live-system in a SD-CARD.

Finally, to note that a full install of Slackware Linux needs around of 8GB, and if you want to have some space for your data, an 10GB device is required. Also, be warned that Slackware is not supposed and designed to be installed in a 4GB SD-CARD.

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There are those of us who prefer LILO over any version of grub and I am one of them. Also until I see a clear advantage to UEFI and GPT, I will continue to set to Legacy BIOS Compatibility and if an when that disappears I will hopefully be able to use eLILO. I have one installation on my main box with grub (I've had a few over the years) and two with grub2. During installation I always install a bootloader to "/" so that in any even just "pointing to" the root partition will boot that system. Slackware has LILO installed both to root and mbr. I like redundancy. It is better to have a bootloader and not need it than to need one and not have it

run parted on the disk and use "mklabel msdos" then quit. gdisk has similar in the expert menu, but it tries to convert from gpt to MBR - I have never used that feature.

Edit: looks like (at least) 2 threads have been merged. This post is in response to what is now post #5.

Thanks. That suggestion helped me get rid of GPT and turn this SDcard into a MBR. However, I am still getting "Sorry, don't know how to handle device 0xb300" when lilo runs. The device is /dev/mmcblk0.

BECAUSE LILO does not support SD-CARDS. You read my post? If you insist to use this sd-card, you can use only SYSLINUX as bootloader. However, second time I will warn you that: with installing Linux in THIS SD-CARD you will KILL IT FAST, from wearing. In few words: YOU ARE GOING TO DESTROY THIS SD-CARD and it can't be replaced because is soldered in motherboard.

I suggest you to just install a 2.5" hard drive in your NUC and close the story. Also, an SATA hard drive present the huge avantage to have plenty of space to install Slackware and for your data.

Or you suggest that while you payed $300 for this toy-computer, you do no have $10 for buying a cheappo second-hand 40GB SATA hard drive?

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Apparently this is not quite accurate. The below linked thread shows other wise and is consistent with the error message OP is receiving - namely a partition alignment problem usually caused by creating the partition incorrectly or with a less than optimum application. For example fdisk is superior to cfdisk in this creation process. Different versions of parted may vary. It seems like the best option is to partition the disk or at least create the Linux partition with fdisk. This will result in a proper device listing for partition type which is what Lilo is complaining about when partitions are created with something else.

Here's the link - SSD w/ Lilo on Slackware

You are mixing things. A SSD has nothing to do with a SD card. Furthermore Darth Vader mainly advised the OP against usage of _this_ device to host Linux, regardless of the software used to install a boot loader.