[SOLVED] Installing From USB Question??

LionOfGod · 03-11-2011, 02:30 PM

Thanks a lot allend, You've really helped me with installing Slackware
AND
i think I've done it... just a few finishing up questions : P
First of all I learned that i could boot my system by using plop boot manager, then booting to usb THEN entering the command

Code:

hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda1 rdinit- ro

So i got my first taste of Slackware! (it worked properly, i changed up the lilo.conf file to boot=/dev/sda1, yet it didn't work)
Then, I decided to try and install LILO from the setup's reconfigure option, but it turned out I could not do that anymore because i had already exited the setup!
So i formatted my partitions ...again
AND
i reinstalled Slackware and started playing around with LILO, this is the error message i get....

Code:

Warning: Unable to determine video adapter in present system
Warning: Video adapter does not support VESA BIOS extensions needed for display of 256 colors.
Boot loader will fall back into text only operation.
Warning: Device 0x0810: inconsistent partition table, 1st entry
CHS address in PT: 0:1:1 --> LBA(62)
LBA address in PT 32 --> CHS (0:0:33)
Fatal: Either FIX-TABLE or IGNORE-TABLE must be specified, if not sure first try IGNORE-TABLE (-P ignore)
(and then it told me in human words that lilo had not been correctly installed)

I learned the hard way, that i probably could have just typed

Code:

 liloconfig

in order to run the lilo setup without having to install Slackware all over again : (
ANYWAYS
I understood a bit of the top part of the error, so when i saw "256" colors, i figured it had something to do with my choice of the frame buffer thing!
So i tried the standard frame buffer, then 640x480x64 and THEN I tried
640x480x32 (done in expert mode)
For some reason i didn't get any error messages after it said "Installing LILO" (Of course i was installing to MBR)
Yet, when i booted i got the same grub error 15 message
Of course i felt like smashing my PC against the wall but i was patient and i booted from my plop boot-manager cd
AND
in the options menu i tried booting from hard-drive partition 1
IT WORKED : D
I got into Slackware, it was all fine!
So, now I'm wondering, will i ALWAYS have to use the plop boot-manager CD??? or is their some other way to boot without having to use plop boot manager? Any changes i can make in bios to boot from partition 1?
BTW, because the error message mentioned some error with my partitions, heres some info
Partition 1, is a Linux type partition, EXT 4 journalism system and the flag is set to boot-able. (app. 79 Gigs)
Partition 2, is a Linux swap partition, not boot-able (app. 536 megabytes)
I installed Slackware over and over again multiple times, sometimes i would check for bad blocks, sometimes i wouldn't
In my last installation, i did not check for bad blocks, i just did a quick format!
I never got any errors about bad blocks anyways...
Sorry for the long post... Thanks again ; )

allend · 03-11-2011, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Warning: Device 0x0810: inconsistent partition table, 1st entry
CHS address in PT: 0:1:1 --> LBA(62)
LBA address in PT 32 --> CHS (0:0:33)
Fatal: Either FIX-TABLE or IGNORE-TABLE must be specified, if not sure first try IGNORE-TABLE (-P ignore)

This bothers me. lilo is not happy with your disk partitioning and is refusing to write to your disk.
How did you do your disk partitioning? Using 'cfdisk'?

Quote:

So, now I'm wondering, will i ALWAYS have to use the plop boot-manager CD?

No, once you have lilo successfully set up the plop stuff will not be needed.

This thread started out with you asking for information on how to install from USB. As it has developed it has become apparent that your system does not support booting from USB without using the plop workaround and now you say that you have the ability to boot from CD. (This is really the opposite of the common USB install scenario, where a device has no CD but can boot from USB)

Given the problems you are having, I strongly recommend that you create CDs from the first three install disk isos and conduct another install from CD ensuring that you partition your disk successfully. This is a tried and true technique.

LionOfGod · 03-11-2011, 06:43 PM

lol
the reason i cant install from cd is because my dad,
who used to work with mainframe
doesnt like the idea of me going into unix, and wants me to stick with Windows, so he wont buy me cd's.

Of course, i used the graphical option for my partitioning (cant remember which one that is), and ive been using slackware for a few hours, and ive been playing with it,
its fine so far, no problems. : )
EDIT
Will ignore table cause lilo to ignore the error it finds in my partition and still write?
If so, can i still run lilo install from slackware?

allend · 03-12-2011, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Will ignore table cause lilo to ignore the error it finds in my partition and still write?

From 'man lilo':

Quote:

-P ignore is also used to bypass the partition table check for partition types within the partition table which might not allow the installation of a LILO boot sector.

Quote:

If so, can i still run lilo install from slackware?

Yes. Again from 'man lilo':

Quote:

-M master-device [mbr|ext]

So if you have a valid /etc/lilo.conf file then the command 'lilo -P ignore -M /dev/sda mbr' may work. You may need to use the -P fix option instead.

I would still try for CDs. The first disk can be used to boot your system if something goes wrong e.g. your partition table has a problem. You could use the 'cfdisk' program on the CD to write your partition table again.

LionOfGod · 03-12-2011, 12:00 PM

Alright thanks,
I think im set now! : )
Thanks for helping me out, lilo works now!!! : D