HD Install :: hd install problems

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Ok seems I cant even get to my /dev/hda dir

That's a device, not a directory, and as such you can't access it like as one.

Please follow the suggestions to paste your output of `fdisk -l`
and also curaga's suggestion to make your first partition active.

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how do I go about formating this drive and starting over?

Also, formatting is not the same as partitioning...
but if you wanted to just try to start all over, you can use `cfdisk -z`

I ran the cfdisk command and I got a Fatal Error: Bad primary partition 2: Partition begins after end of disk press any key to exti cfdisk. Any other suggestions?

here is the results of my fdisk -l

dev/ hda1 1 73 29430+ 82 LInux swap
dev/hda2 74 532 1814400 83 Linux
dev/hda3 * 524 524 0 e Win95 Fat16 LBA

Partition 3 has different physical/ logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
phys= (521 , 0, 1 ) logical = (523, 0, 1)

Partition 3 has different physical/ logical endings:
phys=(521, 127,, 63) logical=(522,127,63)

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I ran the cfdisk command and I got a Fatal Error: Bad primary partition 2: Partition begins after end of disk press any key to exti cfdisk. Any other suggestions?

That's why i suggested `cfdisk -z`

Quote (extsieg @ Feb. 28 2007,14:51)

Thanks, it really helps to know what we're working with. There are two issues here: getting DSL running and figuring out what happened to your Windows partition. The former (I hope!) is very easy. The latter is going to take a little more work.

First of all, did you add your swap or just make the partition? You have to mkswap/swapon for hda1 from a console prompt. You can use the live-cd using "dsl 2" with whatever other cheatcodes you need. You will get a prompt as root with the "dsl 2" cheatcode without starting X. Make your swap and turn it on:
mkswap /dev/hda1
swapon /dev/hda1

If you don't use cheatcode 2 and do it as dsl you'll need to sudo before those commands.

Second, do you want to be able to boot your Linux partition (hda2)? Then you better toggle hda2 to bootable. You should run "cfdisk -z /dev/hda" as hats recommended to do that. There has to be a * in the "bootable" column next to the partitions you want bootable before you issue the write command and exit. Just so there aren't any questions or more issues, don't make your swap partition bootable.

Third and to the second issue, did you want your Windows partition? How big is (was) it supposed to be? Right now, that's the only partition you have set up as bootable and it appears to start 524 end 524 with 0 blocks (within hda2 @ 74-532 -- wtf?!). I don't think it's ever gonna work like that.

The first two steps should get DSL up and running -- or at least get you one step closer (see next point). They won't do diddly for Windows until we figure out what's going on with that. I have my ideas: Did you mean to use the whole drive for DSL and forget/neglect to remove that Windows partition? If so, take a moment when you run cfdisk and delete it -- preferably before you toggle hda2 to be bootable. It's not of much use to you right now set up as it is whether you want Windows or not (zero blocks and all).

Fourth, did you install lilo or grub? The steps above should "fix" getting DSL to load, but there may be a couple more issues left to iron out depending how you set up your loader and trying to sort out your partitions so you can boot or dual boot (if you even wanted to do that). You may also have to reinstall. We'll find out as soon as you try booting. Try those steps first and let us know if that gets you up and running. Report back any new or repeated errors.

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