Hello,

I am having a problem with building a 2.6.6 kernel. I am able to get the kernel to boot, but in the startup up messages, I noticed that swapon failed because it says it can't find /dev/hda2 (which is my swap parition). Once I am fully booted, I try manual swapon, and get the same error message, that there is no /dev/hda2. I then type fdisk /dev/hda, and then print the partition table. Alas, there is only hda1, no hda2. Also, hda1 is listed as being type 55 "EZ Disk" rather than type 83 linux native. I tried recompiling the kernel, looking over all the config options to make sure I got everything. Still no luck. I am using ReiserFS, and everything works the way it should using the stock Slack 2.4.22 kernel, the partition table looks right in fdisk and everything. Anyone seen this before?

Have you tried changing the type back and mabye using parted or some other tool to re-create /dev/hda2?

Have you tried using mkswap?

mkswap /dev/hda2
swapon -a

Garry

I've been afraid to try the methods described above because I believe that something else is at fault. Why should it work perfectly in 2.4.22 but not in 2.6.6? I'm afraid that if I try to change it in 2.6.6, it will just mess things up further.

The plot thickens: in messing around with fdisk some more, I noticed that my "EZ Drive" partition takes up all of my space, which include what are really my linux and swap partitions. It's somehow seeing both of these as one single partition of a totally different type.

Please post the results of "fdisk -l" the contents of /etc/fstab.

Hmmm Isn't EZ disk one of those Boot Loader programs that are used for drives that are to Big for your Bios. I don't remeber much a about how those prgrams work but I remember them causeing lots of problems. I think it makes a diffrance between if you are loading from a boot disk or the MBR of the HD .. Try searching for info on EZ disk, would be my first sujestion.

can you boot the slack install cd and then run fdisk ... skipping the hdd's mbr?

I think that's the problem. Once he gets off the cd his orgional Partion table is still there .. I would back up your data. Did you ever have a problem with installing lilo in the MBR. I just remeber haveing the problem years ago and don't remember how I got around it .. I think I had to use a boot disk and Trash the MBR then reboot and fdsik .. Don't know as I said it's been a while ..

Here goes:

/etc/fstab:
fdisk -l under 2.6.6:
fdisk -l under anything else (2.4.22, boot up fdisk)
It's pretty clear that this is occuring only in my 2.6.6 kernel. I have had no problems concerning either my MBR or LILO before.

*EDIT*
Progress! Searching around the net tells me that EZ Drive is a part of the EZ Bios System, which was apparently installed on this hdd back when my family upgraded to an 8 gig hard drive! Anywyas, that drive is a part of another system at the moment, leaving me here with the 1.6er. Searching around for ways to uninstall EZ Bios without wiping my MBR, I found that I could use the little MaxBlast disk that game with the other drive to remove EZ BIOS. Booting to MaxBlast, I was dissapointed to find that it just hangs at the splash screen. I suppose it trying to find a new drive, but can't. Anyways, some questions:
1. This EZ BIOS thing wasn't an issue pack in RedHat 6, or in Slackware 9.1 with the stock kernel. Why is it cropping up all of a sudden? Anyways to fix this? Maybe there's an EZ drive option in the kernel config I overlooked...
2. How can I get this thing off my MBR painlessly if I can't do anything else?

if EZ drive was installed on the other HDD why would it show up on this drive? is it a bios update or something? maybe check in your bios for a way to turn it off. if you go into bios setup what type of drive is the hdd listed as lba, large, or what? Is there something in integrated peripherals that has to do with EZ drive?

The mbr is actually a part of the harddrive (hdd) so if it was loaded on the other drive that should have nothing to do with this drive, and when you loaded lilo that would have whipped the mbr out anyways.

If you can't get it to uninstall, this link might help.

http://www.linux.com/howtos/Large-Disk-HOWTO-8.shtml

Another thing you might want to do before messing with your main MBR is to make sure you have/make a boot disk so you can get back into linux if you mess it up.

If I come accross anything else that might help, I'll follow-up.

Garry

ps. I forgot to mention. Make sure your computer can handle drives > 512 megs before removing EZ-Drive or you'll have to reinstall it.