Slackware install iso where is the 64bit for BIOS
 

Installed 32 bit 14.2 on my desktop but have trouble putting it on my 64 bit laptop where Ugh! Fedora28 resides.
This is 2 problems so will create a second query for the UEFI later.
PS Installing from DVD and yes Fedora still works.
Downloaded 64 Slack ISO but saw no designation whether it was for BIOS or UEFI until I finished putting sdb2 on partition 2. It then asks me to setup EFI on partition 1 where I installed SWAP. How can I determine which iso is 64 bit and BIOS as I intend to turn off EFI and use BIOS because of problems I had with UEFI in the install (something about moving /EFI/boot... and renaming it on the EFI partition but that is the other problem).
I think I turned off the UEFI when attempting the BIOS version install. Anyway
it seems to be a problem with the downloaded BIOS version of 64bits. How can I tell which to download?

Slackware install iso where is the 64bit for BIOS
 

There is only one Slackware64.

Efi or not is the way you will boot. Check if you have efi only or legacy only or both configured.

If legacy, use lilo.
If efi I would go with grub.

Both are part of full Slackware install.

If you need help to install, try to write what you need to do clearly.

As Tonus mentioned, there is only one Slackware64. It supports both BIOS (legacy) and EFI booting. Now, it will only present you lilo or elilo options in the installer based on how you boot it, and this is different depending on your firmware. For my two UEFI systems I've used, when I go to select the boot items, it will present me with two Slackware options, UEFI and legacy, and I can choose which one I want to boot. But this is only if I enable the CSM (compatibility support module) option, which is basically enabling the legacy (BIOS) booting ability. I've heard that some systems will only present you the EFI option if CSM is disabled and only the BIOS option if it is enabled.

If you boot it in legacy mode, it will only present you the option to install lilo. If you boot it in UEFI mode, it will ask if you want to use elilo.

As for it asking you to set up the EFI partition on your swap partition... it suggests partitions based on partition types. If it presented partition 1 to be your EFI partition, then the partition type was probably marked as an EFI partition (or possibly formatted as FAT32... I don't remember exactly how the installer determines that). You would want to use fdisk and change the partition type to be 19, Linux swap. EFI partition type would be 1. You should also be able to do this with gdisk, cfdisk, and cgdisk, but I'm not as familiar with those.

ThanX 2 both!! If I understand U all set it to CSM for BIOS and UEFI instead config-ing if I installing UEFI off of the same ISO DVD. Why did I get it trying to create UEFI on partition 1 when I had config'd that partition 1 to SWAP when doing install for BIOS? I don't get further than that thinking I will clobber something when trying to install for BIOS. Will try over weekend. TNX

I would check and see what your partition type is listed as for partition 1.

You can do that with fdisk by running fdisk against your device, fdisk /dev/sda, then pressing 'p' and seeing what it lists as "Type" for your first partition. If it was configured as swap, it should show "Linux swap". If it doesn't show that, you can change it by pressing 't', selecting the partition, and then typing in the Linux swap partition code, which is 19 (you can verify this by pressing 'l' to have it list all the different partition types).

Tonus@ Have tried firmware setting=UEFI (same as when setup Fedora 28) with Slackware-64 install disk and partition 1 as Linux UEFI, 2 for swap +5G, plus 3 for the last partition of about 23G. Result is Kernel Panic when I booted.
Can't recall stipulated reason. Familiar with Slack installation since about '96 and do recall that it was NOT an obvious install related.

For 32 bit DVD version on my desktop 32bit machine works OK, sans some missing games but will use pkgtool for that probably due to removing about 32 of the games. Attributing Wallet being icon-ed as marble to similar condition.

Laptop is Toshiba Satellite A-5126 currently uses Fedora 28 no install problems.

Over weekend with firmware=CSM and 64bit install DVD got partition 1 & 2 accepted for fstab then it wanted UEFI made on /dev/sda1 <--!! WHAT! Stopped it there must leave M$ Windoz as needed when explaining how slackware is better. Definitely built partitions 1 & 2 on /dev/sdb!! per "p", on the flash drive.
Did not get as far as LILO/ELILO. PS when booted in UEFI I skipped LILO offering and went for ELILO only fwiw.
I used fdisk to set up partition tables and wrote them to disk in all cases. fdisk displayed both partitions as Linux system (or what ever the non-swap term is for that on both and DOES NOT allow "t" option to name the type. Therefore used cfdisk to append Linux Swap type on partition 1 and wrote again.

In just re-reading "bassmadrigal's" note again the failure on 64bit laptop for UEFI might be a forgotten typing of
partition 1. Will retry and inform. That leaves, for now, why it wanted installing UEFI on partition /dev/sda1 (sdA1)? when building for BIOS/CSM for 64bits.

bassmadrigal@ How did you get a partition type of 19?? The swap type is 82(00), see cfdisk "TYPE" list and for as
long as I remember (oops that may not be justification, giggle)
Thanks again to both of you please respond if you have further suggestions.

It looks like this probably depends on the partitioning tool used. I am pretty sure fdisk used to be type 82 for swap, but on 14.2, it is now listed as 19 (no clue when that changed). Make sure you just follow the type code for the partitioning tool you use (and if it is 82 in cfdisk, make sure you stick with that).

To help you out with Grub on install:

https://docs.slackware.com/howtos:sl..._first_install

Just a thought :
Does Fedora still boot?

If yes then there should be a working bootloader that just has to point to Slackware too...

Otherwise, what I usually do to fix such problems is boot with a USB distribution (AlienBob's slacklive of course) then chroot into installed slackware (with efi partition under /boot/efi) install grub if needed, make initrd with mkinitrd and update grub with grub-mkconfig.

If you need help on how to chroot or pass commands just ask (did not write every details since I am posting from phone).

BTW, booting with slacklive will show you if efi is used (grub bootloader) or not (syslinux bootloader iirc).

Member Response
 

Hi,

I suggest that you look at; http://docs.slackware.com/start
to help you with installing and any other issues. Loads of information and the site is searchable.

Hope this helps.
Have fun & enjoy Slackware!
:hattip:

bassmadrigal@ Thanks but use cfdisk when I select type. So that would use the correct type regardless of number being 19 or 82 or 9999. But can't see what fdisk uses for a type number since l list scrolls off why I use cfdisk.

SqdnGuns@ for 32bits BIOS it is LILO. for 64bits UEFI it is ELILO. for 64bits CSM (aka BIOS) it is LILO.
Using a detailed step by step install instruction set which I bring up on my desktop and follow it to the letter it is much more detailed. GRUB vs cfdisk vs fdisk should NOT matter.

Here is my problem with firmware set to CSM (aka BIOS), using 64 bit laptop I get all installed via my step by step list so I don't miss and for UEFI set in firmware on 64bit on booting I get "Kernel Panic - not synching: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown - block (0,0).
Since install proceeds without a hitch in either case in either case and step sequence ends in an OK I am lost for the first time in over 20 years. Installation on my 32 bit desktop works no problem thinking I have a problem with Toshiba C55-A5126 64 bit laptop.
Will be switching to Fedora (UGH!) to teach 2 classes after 1st of the year. Have to be able to put it on flash drive so I will not be blamed when the students overwrite their hard drive and pre$$ious Windoz$. Never had such a problem with Slack in all this time.
PS installing from DVD and yes Fedora is still working it is also on a flash drive.

Sorry for delay in responding but do not have immediate access and also developing other apps.
First I have fedora 28 running off of a flash drive (like right now as I type) and that is what I need to do with slackware 14.2 on this 64bit Toshiba Satellite C55 A-5126 (in case this is a hardware problem).
When I install for either I carefully verify in the firmware whether it is set for UEFI or CSM (aka BIOS) and that secure boot is off.
Don't select ELILO if trying to install on CSM (BIOS) and only select ELILO if installing to make a UEFI machine.
Am NOT trying to do both at the same time - just covering that in case someone doesn't know I have a MS in computers plus many years with many different manufacturers machines and am not a blithering idiot so far. This is driving me nuts cuz others have installed on a flash drive (don't need another headache with trying slack live) and both CSM and UEFI end up giving me kernel panic about syncing. No idea where that is coming from (yes my PC that we know) am after the cause.
1) Is it my PC which has an aversion to Slackware 14.2 64 bit
2) Is it a problem with installing to a flash drive (others do not have this problem as far as I know)
3) Is there a problem with CSM when I try to make it boot from root not MBR? Doing that because M$ Win 10 reinstall in case of interference would put me in the booby hatch. I do not make changes to ELILO with the install.
There are some minor problems with the installers that really should not be causing a problem as haven't gotten any indication of such:
fdisk: scrolls off screen any hope of seeing the numeric types. Hence am using EF00 for /EFI partition 1, 8200 for swap, and 8300 for root. Think I tried EF, 82, and 83.
There is NO boot flag for either an install for CSM or UEFI (neither key nor indication)
cfdisk: has a toggle for boot flag but directions for setting it via toggle lacks specific directions as to which partition it toggles.
No indicator showing what gets flagged.
cgdisk: same boot flag indication missing.
Hope this clarifies my 3 weeks of effort. BTW hope Patrick Volkerding (sp) reads this because the reworked documentation for 14.2 on HOWTO and UEFI needs a fresh rewrite as it leaves out nearly as much as is written.
My eyeballs hurt.
Does anyone have a suggestion (Oh yes I wrote a step by step approach which I display and follow rigorously and would post but this is TOOO long already). Will check back soon.

Since Fedora is already installed and boots, I'd use something like GParted from within Fedora to prepare partitioning and not do it from an install disk's tools. That way you are partitioning from a working system that is (hopefully) already "aware" of your settings and schemes. It seems to me that you have both Legacy and UEFI schemes operating at the same time and that can cause problems, certainly confusion whether for an installer or the operator. Ideally the scheme should be consistent for the simplest configuration, but once setup as mixed, I'd go with preparation from an already working system.

Also, assuming you intend to keep Fedora around, when you get to the Lilo Install section just choose installing it to root assuming you're not using xfs. That way you can failsafe boot by having 2 entries in Fedora's bootlopader, one as direct and another as "other" chainload where it will access and activate Slackware's bootloader allowing a selection useful when installing new kernels or recovery processes..

@enorbet: Tnx but am on laptop w/ fedora trying to install Slackware onto FD.
Another gotcha - when attempting to install as a csm/bios on the FD with csm mode on & after setting up the 2 regular partitions the setup process attempts to attach to SDA's MBR partition as as if it were the EFI partition (when installing a bios on FD????!!!. I am thinking there is a device renaming problem, too, i.e. need to use IP addresses. With this observation and previous abnormal variations, I am concluding that Slackware's attempts at 64 bit is a major dodo field and will now change to a reliable system after using it for 20+ yrs it has turned to dung. May check later after rel. 15. Patrick if you read this my remarks probably explain the lack of revenue from your slackware store.

Slackware install iso where is the 64bit for BIOS
 

I have some hard time trying to understand you (I not a native english reader though).
What's FD?

I can't figure out what you are really trying to do and how.
I would have expected something like :
I have a laptop running fedora X.
I am trying to install Slackware 14.2 / -current from usb/DVD/pxe/else to a hdd/ssd/stick/memory card formatted this way/with this empty space.
I can or cannot run installer, and I am stuck at stage X.
That is the problem I encounter and that's what I can say about it.

Sorry for failing to understand your problem.

Just thought :
A kernel panic might be caused by the kernel you are using. Did you make an initrd while using generic kernel? Did it happened with huge kernel?