HD Install :: transferring hd install from one pc to another

Ok, I have old laptop. Had win95 on it. Install was degrading after long run. I like BeOS but it doesnt recognize laptop graphic chip, so all in b/w on reduced size screen...yuck. Therefore decided to try DSL. Had DSL 0.6 so used that. Fine except no cdrom or floppy on laptop to install it with. Put hd on adapter and connected it to tower. Made partition, installed DSL, ran mklilo. Lilo didnot see windows partition, not that its super important. Booted and DSL ran fine on tower. Transferred hd back to laptop and during boot get following:

kmod: failed to exec /sbin/modprobe -s -k block-major-22, error = 2
VFS: cannot open root device "1605" or 16:05
Please append a correct "root=" boot option
Kernel panic: VPS: Unable to mount root fs on 16:05

What do I do? Win95 is on hda1, DSL is on hda5, and swap is on hda6. Couple other comments, when I ran DSL on tower, it would not remember to give expanded desktop with all icons. I had to make it do it each time I booted. Also how do I get rid of the help screen on bootup. Great idea first time, but pain in rear to manually shut it down every boot after that. Even windows gives option to ditch the tour guide screen after first boot.

Just a question...

When you transferred your laptop hard drive to the tower and did the install... did you make the laptop HD the master or the slave? 'Cause, to me, it sounds like you installed it as a slave and lilo is looking for the kernel on hda5, only now, since you've transferred the drive back to the laptop, it's at hda1. I think that may be the root of some of your problems, check /etc/lilo.conf and check to see where lilo expects the root (root=/dev/hda?) to be (betcha it's hda5)

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...it would not remember to give expanded desktop with all icons. I had to make it do it each time I booted.

You need to append your boot parameters to the end of the long string of options following the kernel (image=/kernel.blah.blah.blah look=at, all=these, options=okay) in /etc/lilo.conf

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Also how do I get rid of the help screen on bootup. Great idea first time, but pain in rear to manually shut it down every boot after that. Even windows gives option to ditch the tour guide screen after first boot.

I think it's the .xinit in your home directory. Ask cbagger, he usually straightens me out.

Thanks Grim. You were right, lilo was looking wrong place. I am posting using DSL on laptop right now. Lilo now also found old win95 partition.

Enough time wise for today. Clear up other stuff later.

original here.