All that's necessary is for the boot partition (/boot or /) to be
somewhere in the first 1024 cylindars. I've always had better results
letting Windows have the first partition, / and [swap] in the 2nd & 3rd
partitions, and an extended partition 4th.
Then have partitions for /usr, /usr/local, /home, /tmp, and /var. YMMV.
The Mandrake 7.0 install does not function correctly with this setup,
however, which is one of my major gripes with Mandrake. Thus if you
use this setup you need to do a fair amount of post-installation work
to get Mandrake to do what it should have done to start with.
On Tue, 14 Mar 2000, you wrote:
| All of your problems will be solved if you install Linux on the first
| partition. It likes having the first 1024 cylinders.
|
| Wayne
|
| On Tue, 14 Mar 2000, you
| wrote: > Hi all,
| >
| > I had my system with Windows 98 and Mandrake Linux (1 GB. for W98 and 0.5 Gb. for
|Linux). I tried to install Suse Linux 6.3 onto the 0.5 Gb partiition, and accidentaly
|turned off the computer. From that moment, I was not able to boot the system. (A K-6
|II 450Mhz) Itried to reinstall W98 and Linux from scratch both, but the computer
|wouldn't run Lilo properly, due to (I thought in that moment) master boot record
|problems.
| >
| > However I now think that the problem is a drive geometry one, as you can see in
|the following details (they are very long: I tried to add all the informationn I
|could)
| >
| > *******My question is:**************
| >
| > In linux FDISK I have the following possibilities to chane geometry:
| >
| > b: move beginning of data in a partition
| > c: change the number of cylinders
| > d: print the raw data in the partition table
| > e: list the extended partitions
| > h: change the number of heads
| > m: print this menu
| > p: print the partiton table
| > q: quit without saving changes
| > r: return to main menu
| > s: change the number of sectors
| > v: verify the partition table
| > w: write table to disk and exit
| >
| > **May I use these to restore the geometry of my drive?**
| > ***************************************
| > Now there goes all the information of my HD:
| >
| > The BIOS only sees 1,057 MB, the HDD auto-detection sees a 1,614 MB Hard D rive,
|which iscorrect. I had to install *only* W98 and it works quite nice, but with FDISK
|it only saw 500 MB in my drive, although when I formatted the disk, I obtained 1.5GB.
| >
| > ZERODISK (a Quantum utility) informs of the following data for my hard drive:
| >
| > Cyl 781
| > Heads 64
| > Sectors 63
| > MB 1612.3
| > (apparently, these data are correct, at least of what I remember before having the
|�disgrace� with my HD)
| >
| > When I set LBA mode in my BIOS and run MSDOS FDISK it only reads 1057 MB. That is
|why I ran Linux FDISK, which gives more details: It says that "the number of
|cylinders is set to 1564(?). This is larger than 1024, and may cause problems ..."
|Afterwards, it says "Verifying the partiton table: 62 unallocated sectors"
| >
| > When I boot the computer, the information given by the BIOS is:
| >
| > PRI MASTER DISK: lba, udma 2, 1057 MB
| >
| > When I format (W98) the hard drive I get this (translating from Spanish):
| >
| > Verifying format of the disk
| > saving the wrong clusters...
| > Complete
| > Verifying 1.007.96M
| >
| > After formatting: 1054846976 bytes capacity with NO errors
| >
| > If I run Scandisk, I obtain 257.532 clusters and no errors.
| >
| > After DOS Formatting, it says C: is 1540 MB but total space on disk is 1008 MB =
|1048...etc bytes
| >
| > After this, I think that the problem with my disk is related to the geometry
|settings (the BIOS sees my disk through these settings)
| >
| > I installed first Windows, and Linux RedHAt 6.0. No proble with W98, but when
|installing Linux, I could not install LILO inte MBR, so I decided to make a bootable
|floppy: I could use both systems well. The problem is that when I tried to isntall
|manually lilo (editing lilo.conf) and, after executing /sbin/lilo as root, I got this:
| >
| > Warning: device 0x0303 exceeds cylinder limit
| > geo_comp_addr: Cylinder number is too big (1024>1023)
| >
| > After this, I could not reboot (W98 nor Linux). Typing FDISK/MBR didn�t help, nor
|asigning the DOS partition a bootable flag in DOS FORMAT.
| >
| > At first I thought the problem was in a misconfiguration of my MBR. I thought my
|HD was completely lost: although nowadays a 1.5 GB drive is not much, it cost me 120
|euros two years ago, and don�t feel like spending more money (even though with that
|money you can get now a 10 GB drive... I�ve had expenses lately!)
| >
| > I�ve been trying all possible configurations:
| > Hda1�Linux
| > Hda2�swap
| > Hda3�Windows98
| >
| > Hda1-Windows98
| > Hda2�Linux
| > Hda3�Swap
| >
| > Etcaetera, but without results.
| >
| > W98 FDISK did not allow me to erase the VFAT partition�I don�t know how, its name
|(whish was before �disco-c�) was now �Stop thinki�, I guess it was �Stop thinking�. I
|could not write the partition�s name, so I could not erase it. After all this, I
|erased everything with linux FDISK, and with W98 FDISK created a 900 MB for W98, and
|with Linux FDISK a 600MB for Linux and 38 MB for swap. I install everithing again and
|--- crashes again when I try to install lilo
| >
| > ==========================
| > I found the following data on the sticker attached to the HD:
| >
| > 1 6AT P/N ST16A011 REV 02-C
| >
| > I also have the BIOS details:
| >
| > Award Modular BIOS 4.51 PG
| >
| > (At boot time appears this:
| > ROM PCI/ISA BIOS (2A5LEH2B)
| > Standard CMOS Setup
| > Award Software Inc.)
| >
| >
| >
| > According to my BIOS (HDD autodetect) my HD configuration is the following:
| >
| > If I select NORMAL mode,
| >
| > Size: 1614
| > Cyls: 3128
| > Head: 16
| > PRECOMP: 65535
| > LANDZ: 3127
| > Sector: 63
| > Mode Normal
| >
| > If I select LBA mode (suggested by the BIOS)
| >
| > Size: 1614
| > Cyls: 782
| > Head: 64
| > PRECOMP: 0
| > LANDZ: 3127
| > Sector: 63
| > Mode LBA
| >
| > Both of them give lilo problems.
| >
| > My partition table according to FDISK20 of SUSE6.3 is (NORMAL mode in HD)
| >
| > Start End Start Number
| >
| > of
| >
| >
| >
| > Part Bootable Head Cyl Sector System Head Cyl Sector Sector Sectors
| >
| >
| > MB
| >
| >
| >
| >
|============================================================================================
| >
| >
| >
| > 1 yes 1 0 1 0Ch 15 1023 63 63
| > 18453869
| >
| > 900
| >
| >
| >
| > 2 no 0 0 0 00h 0 0 0 0 0
| >
| >
| > 0
| >
| >
| >
| > 3 no 0 0 0 00h 0 0 0 0 0
| >
| >
| > 0
| >
| >
| >
| > 4 no 0 0 0 00h 0 0 0 0 0
| >
| >
| > 0
| >
| > And this is what FDISK says:
| >
| > Info: partition table inconsistency
| >
| > FIPS has detected that the 'physical' start or end sector (head/cylinder/sector)
|do not match with the 'logical' start/end sector. This not an error since the
|'physical' values are redundant and not used anyway. There are many configurations
|where the values differ. This message is only meant to inform you that FIPS has
|adapted the 'physical' values according to the current drive geometry. So don't be
|alarmed by an unexpected cylinder range.
| > -----------------------------
| > Warning: partition does not end on a cylinder boundary: partition 1
| > All partitions should end on a cylinder boundary
| > OK
| > Boot sector:
| > Bytes per sector: 512
| > Sectors per cluster: 8
| > Reserved sectors: 32
| > Number of FATS: 2
| > Number of root directory entries: 0
| > Number of sectors (short): 0
| > Media descriptor byte: F8h
| > Sectors per FAT: 1799
| > Sectors per track: 63
| > Drive heads: 16
| > Hidden sectors: 63
| > Number of sectors (long): 1843569
| > Physical drive number: 80h
| > Signature: 29h
| > Checking boot sector...
| > Warning: Number of drive heads incorrect: 16 instead of 32.
| > The number of drive heads in the boot sector does not match the actual drive
|geometry reported by the BIOS
| > Do you want to correct this? (y/n) ---> I type y
| > -----------------------------------
| > OK
| > Checking FAT ... OK
| > Searching for free space
| > Do you want to make a backup copy of your root and boot
| > sector before proceeding? (y/n) ---> I type y
| > Writing a file a:\rootboot.000
| > Enter start cylinder for new partition (361-914):
| > Use the cursor keys to choose the cylinders, <enter> to continue
| >
| > Old partition Cylinder New partition
| > 355.4 361 545.3 MB
| >
| > (Here it tries to shrink hda1) I type <enter>
| > ------------------------------------
| > First cluster: 90512
| > Last cluster: 229991
| > Testing if empty ... OK
| > New partition table:
| >
| > Start End Start Number
| >
| > of
| >
| > Part Bootable Head Cyl Sector System Head Cyl Sector Sector Sectors
| >
| >
| > MB
| >
| >
| >
| >
|============================================================================================
| >
| >
| >
| > 1 yes 1 0 1 0Ch 31 360 63 63
| > 727713
| >
| > 355
| >
| >
| >
| > 2 no 0 0 0 00h 15 914 63 727776
| > 1115856
| >
| > 544 0
| >
| >
| >
| > 3 no 0 0 0 00h 0 0 0 0 0
| >
| >
| > 0
| >
| >
| >
| > 4 no 0 0 0 00h 0 0 0 0 0
| >
| >
| > 0
| >
| > Checking root sector ...
| > Warning: Partition does not end on cylinder boundary: partition 2
| > All partitions should end on a cylinder boundary
| > Press any key
| > ------------------------------------------
| > OK
| > Do you want to continue or reedit the partition table? (c/r)
| > (As I don�t see it ver clear, I type �r� and it CRASHES)
| > ====================
| > I changed to LBA mode, and with Linux FDISK, I get this:
| >
| > Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
| >
| > /tmp/hda1 * 1 915 921784+ c Win95 FAT32(LBA)
| >
| > Partition 1 does not end on a cylinder boundary:
| >
| > phys=(1023,15,63) should be (1023,31,63)
| > ====================
| >
| > When trying to install linux with Suse 6.2, I get this table (it�s in Spanish, but
|easy to understand):
| >
| > Bloques Inode Formato Tipo fs Pto. anclaje Part
| >
| > dev/hda1 921784 no vfat W95 FAT32
| > dev/hda2 614400 4096 no ext2 / Linux
| >
| > With virtual console alt-F4, I get this message when formatting the linux
|partition (there are others, but this one is most alarming):
| >
| > EXT2-fs error (device ide0(3,2)):
| > ext2_check_inodes_bitmap: Wrong free inodes count in superblock
| > stored=109778, counted=107754
| > ======================
| >
| > Results of a Quantum diagnose utility:
| >
| >
| >
| > i------------------------------� Find-ATA v1.0 �-------------------------------�
| >
| >
| > � �
| >
| >
| > � Drive: QUANTUM FIREBALL ST1.6A Port: Primary (01F0h) �
| > � Serial #: 851716531365 CMOS Type: 46 Unit: 0 - Master �
| > � �
| > � Hardware DOS Current Max ECC: 4 bytes �
| > � Cylinders: 3128 1024 3128 �
| > � Heads: 16 32 16 �
| > � Sectors: 63 63 63 �
| > � Capacity: 1,614,348,288 1,056,964,608 1,614,348,288 �
| > � �
| > � Available Information �
| > � R/W Multiple Mode: Yes 16 sectors Max Current: 16 sectors/block �
| > � LBA Mode: Yes 3153024 �
| > � DMA Mode: Yes Single: 0 (0111) Multi: 0 (0111) 480 nsec �
| > � Advanced PIO Mode: Yes (0011) +,-IORDY: 120 nsec, 120 nsec �
| > � �
| > � Default PIO Mode: 2, 240 nsec, up to 8.33 MB/Sec �
| > � �
| > � Buffer: 81 KBytes Type: A dual ported multi-sectored buffer capable of �
| > � simultaneous transfers with a read caching capability. �
| > � �
| > �-------� Copyright 1994 Seagate Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. �-------�
| >
| >
| >
| > Drive : 0 BIOS CHS : 1024 32 63 = 1,056,964,608 bytes (1057.0 MB)
| > PROBLEM: Partition is defined larger than the current BIOS support.
| > The Partition record calls for 1614.32 MBytes, however,
| > the BIOS Int13 shows only 1056.96 MBytes are supported.
| >
| > Partition # : 1
| > Partition Type : 0Ch - Unknown
| > Active Status : YES
| > Start CHS : 0 1 1
| > End CHS : 1023 31 63
| > Sectors offset : 63
| > Number of Sectors : 3,152,961 = 1,614,316,032 bytes (152.7% of bios)
| >
| > DOS boot record is not valid using start sector number 1818566753
| >
| > First partition Bios Parameter Block on Drive 0
| > Vendor : � D �
| > Bytes Per Sector : 21010
| > Sectors Per Cluster : 0
| > Reserved Sectors : 0
| > Fat Copies : 190
| > Root Entries : 3
| > Total Sectors-1 : 17,408 (8.91 MB)
| > Media : 00h
| > Sectors Per Fat : 4762
| > Sectors Per Track : 89
| > Heads : 0
| > Hidden Sectors-1 : 958
| > Hidden Sectors-2 : 0
| > Total Sectors-2 : 312,279,108 (159886.90 MB)
| > Physical Drive Number : 70h
| > Extended Boot Signature : 00h
| > Volume Serial Number : 0003-BE00
| > BPB Volume Label : D � � 5%, (root dir volume: DISCO-C)
| > File System ID : � -
| > Named System Files : $ M . l, � $ � �.
| > ID Code : 0000h
| > ===============================
| > ______________________________________________________
| > Get Your Free Email at http://mail.euroseek.com
| --
| *******************************
| *******************************
| Wayne Petherick
| Criminology Department
| Humanities and Social Sciences
| Bond University
| Gold Coast, Australia
| *******************************
| *******************************
--
I am "Brian, the man from babble-on" (Brian T. Schellenberger).
I can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] .
I support http://www.eff.org & http://www.programming-freedom.org .
I boycott amazon.com. See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/amazon.html .
