So I decided to install slack 11... Burned a DVD image, tried to boot the default kernel sata.i but it wouldn't recognise my HDD, and I couldn't partion it. So after googling I found something about test26.s supporting SATA HDD. So it worked, I partioned and started to install. I set the swap, etc. Then it saw my windows partion and asked if I wanted to mount it to make it visible, I mounted like: /fat-b /fat-c and so on. So far so good. When it got up to sources it couldn't find my CD/DVD-RW drive... So I thought I'd google a bit more to find the answer but now my windows won't boot. It gives me a system error message and re-starts. I'm really pissed off, not so much about the windows but that I can't install slack!

Any advice?

So, the problem here is that test26.s will not detect your DVD/CD drive ?

What drive do you have ?

Optiarc AD-7170A here are the specs: http://www.nec.co.uk/AD7170A.aspx

Can you post the output of 'lspci' ?

It is hooked up via IDE, right ? (it probably is)

Yes, hooked up via IDE. I couldn't run lspci. I says its an invalid command. I tried to install slack 10.2 from a cd set I have but after loadind test26.s kernel the keboard doesn't work. Other kernels won't see my HDD.

Try '/sbin/lspci' (no quotes, of course)

I tried but it didn't work. I logged in as root. I tried getting into sbin too and here's what I got:

/sbin/lspci - No such file or directory

sbin - Permission denied

lspci - no such file or folder

Is there any other way of installing slack without the DVD? Copying the DVD files to my HDD for example?

Hi,
You can certainly install from a hard drive partition and is one of the choices in the Slackware set up menu "Install from pre-mounted directory". This is how I normally do installations. However I do not know how to select a kernel from a hard drive partition. That choice does not appear in the set up menu but maybe someone knows and will be as good as to explain.

John

Great, I'll try to do that... Thanks

Yes, you are right. It worked up to the point where I had to select the kernel. If I choose to load from the cd I have the same problem as before... If it uses the standard the machine just doesn't work.

There are kernel packages in slackware/a and in /extra. Use installpkg to install one or the other (I would suggest to use the 2.6 kernel in extra). Don't forget to install the corresponding -modules package as well. Then you will probably need to manually edit /etc/lilo.conf and you will certainly need to run the command lilo.

Brian

While this will work as you suggest what about the kernels in the kernals directory. When I try to use installpkg on them I am simply told "pakage does not end in .tgz"

John

I tried to use the default kernel /boot/vmlinuz. It appeared to be ok. Installation continued I chose to install LILO in the linux root. When installation was complete I restarted the computer and it went straight to windows. LILO didn't work. I'm thinking of installing all over again but this time I'll put lilo in the MBR. But it is not reccomended right?! Why?! Oh, yes, and I don't have floppy in my PC so can't make a boot disk...

Recomended or not I always put lilo in MBR. Never had a problem therefore I do not know what the problem is.

John