Isn't installing Linux supposed to be user-friendly?

Started by Endar April 03, 2005 11:13 PM

3 comments, last by Endar 19 years, 7 months ago

Author

668

April 03, 2005 11:13 PM

Okay, I've installed Fedora Core 3 on my new comp and it seems that Grub isn't working as I assume it would. I thought, that, based on the options the installer gave me, it would create a menu that would start, giving me the options of either WinXP, or Fedora Core. But instead, it starts into command-line Grub. So, here's some details and I hope that someone can help me, because, I figured out the commands that would boot windows, but not the commands that would boot linux for me.


// Commands that boot WinXP:
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
boot

// Example of booting linux I got from a site
root (hd0,4)
kernel /boot/bzImage root=/dev/hda5
boot

Now, I think that the image for me is: "/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.9-1.667" and the root is "/dev/hdb5/". I think. Whenever I try "root (hd0,1)" which, I think, should be the second partition on the first HDD, it says something about selected cylinder being larger than maximum allowed by BIOS. If you can help, keep in mind that I have not booted into linux at all, not even once, so if I'm wrong about some of these things, some of which are probably default the same for everyone, please let me know. Any help would be appreciated.

[size="2"][size=2]Mort, Duke of Sto Helit: NON TIMETIS MESSOR -- Don't Fear The Reaper

Fruny

1,658

April 03, 2005 11:23 PM

Quote: Original post by Endar
Now, I think that the image for me is: "/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.9-1.667" and the root is "/dev/hdb5/". I think. Whenever I try "root (hd0,1)" which, I think, should be the second partition on the first HDD, it says something about selected cylinder being larger than maximum allowed by BIOS.

It's not a Linux issue. Old BIOSes can only boot on a partition that starts before the 1024th cylinder.

The image, for you should be vmlinuz-2.6.9-1.667, assuming that (hd0,1) is the partition that contains it (/boot is generally on a partition of its own). /dev/hdb5 represents the second extended partition (5) (primary 0-3, extended 4+) on the second IDE hard drive (b).

"Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it." — Brian W. Kernighan