User Feedback :: No luck booting DSL

OK, so what's the difference between using loadlin and syslinux?

I was able to get another mini linux distro called Flash Puppy to install and boot on this machine with my CF adapter and for that I used syslinux.

Could I also use syslinux for DSL if I wanted to?

Drew

Yes.

In fact DSL versions prior to 0.8.x used SYSLINUX as the bootloader for the livecd and for the boot floppy.

You may be able to use SYSLINUX to "sys" your CF "hard drive" and then copy over some of the files from the DSL 0.8 boot floppy. The floppy image is located in the download section.

See this thread for more details:

http://damnsmalllinux.org/cgi-bin....0;st=10

The syslinux part is a little bit different than it is for building a new livecd, though.

Maybe some of the recent USB bootable USB flash threads would be a better fit for your situation:

http://damnsmalllinux.org/cgi-bin....ux+0.8%

As for SYSLINUX vs. LoadLin, SYSLINUX is a floppy-disk compatible bootloader for Linux. It works in a similar way to creating a "bootable floppy disk" in MSDOS or Win95/98. Loadlin is an MSDOS program that boots up linux. It is run from a true MSDOS prompt, IE: MSDOS/Win9x boot floppy, MSDOS/Win9x hard drive bootup (command prompt only, no loading of any DOS drivers).

So SYSLINUX is a bootloader, while Loadlin is a MSDOS program that boots up linux. Which means that if you can create a bootable MSDOS system, then you can load up linux by running an MSDOS command long after MSDOS has finished booting up.

Well, I just reconfigured my CF card with MSDOS and put loadlin on it with the kernel, etc. and setup a bat file for it.

when I type 'linux' from the command line, I can see it start:

Loading...................................................................................
...

but then the screen just go black, similar to what it was doing previously with the frugal install.

Maybe it is loading, but I just can't see it because the screen is blanked out?

Are there some video params I can pass to force it to use the most basic configuration for my cheesy onboard video?

Drew

Try vga=normal instead of the default vga=791

Quote (cbagger01 @ Sep. 28 2004,08:17)

Try vga=normal instead of the default vga=791

Sweet. That was it - thanks!

I wonder if that was the problem with the frugal install as well?

Should I go back to the frugal install since I'm running from Compact Flash and don't want to write excessively to the CF?

Also, since I'm using a standard TV for display, the desktop is actually a little bigger than the screen and my mouse goes off screen at the edges. Is this possible to adjust through software?

Drew

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