Liam Black wrote:
Hi,
This is my first time on the debian lists and so please slap me in the
appropriate manner if I'm posting in the incorrect forum.
No, this is the correct forum.
I decided to install Debian recently on my Slackware box. I partitioned
/dev/hdc to a linux partition at hdc1. I then grabbed the base2_2.tgz,
drivers.tgz files (for idepci) and dropped them on /dev/hdc1. I saw nothing
in the instructions about untarring them, and so I did not. I downloaded
the rescue-1.bin image and wrote it to floppy(dd). I then inserted it into
the floppy drive and rebooted. I get the Rescue Disk screen, with the
option to pass arguements.
When I do not pass arguements, I get a "Cannot open initial console. Try
passing init = to kernel" error. When I pass linux root=/dev/hdc1, I
receive the same.
That's because you don't yet have a root system on hdc1; you only have
the tarred files.
I've never tried doing it the way you're doing it. You might find the
docs http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/i386/install.en.html
to be of tremendous value, particularly sections 5 and 6.
6.3.2 should help you get going via booting off your existing Slackware
partitions, and bypassing the need for floppies altogether.
<snip>
Regards,
Liam Black
Did I neglect to mention that I also tried "rescue root="? Well, that's my
problem that I didn't mention it, I guess.
I tried linux root= because I noted that "linux" was specified as the
default argument, and thought that might work. I've tried both. Let me
re-iterate that: I've tried both.
Oh, and that I'm installing from a hard drive partition because there's a
section in the Debian installation manual that says "Installing from an
existing linux partition".
Oh, you've apparently already foudn this manual. Yet I'm confused.
Earlier you say you're booting from floppies, yet here you say you're
installing from a hard drive partition.
So perhaps you might want to provide more info. For example, what's on
/dev/hda and /dev/hdb? Are you wanting to keep that? Are you planning on
installing Debian on /dev/hdc, and how many partitions do you plan to
have for Debian? Is this going to be a multi-OS system? Do you
understand these types of questions?
If it said "YOU SHOULD ONLY INSTALL FROM FLOPPIES OR YOU'RE A LOSER",
perhaps I would have elected to install from floppy images. Perhaps I still
will, if you're at all representative of the helpfulness of people on this
list.
Sorry for his response. Usually the folks on this list are great; he
might be having a bad day. Even Debianites have bad days occassionally.
Anyhow, I hope we can help you get going.
Kent
