linux boot error (RH 7.3!)

[ele5125]

I have downloaded RedHat version 7.3 from a FTP site. Useing RAWRITE I rawrited my boot.img to a floppy disk. I then proceded to reboot my system.

Upon reboot I recived the error message:

Syslinux 1.52 2001-02-07 boot failed

I am installing from my hard drive since I do not have a CD ROM to burn the iso images with Instead I followed the directions at:

http://jgo.local.net/LinuxGuide/redhat-hd-install.html

Once I have followed those instructions I simply used rawrite to burn the boot.img that I downloaded onto a floppy.

Why cant I use my floppy to launch the install from my hard drive?

[rcgreen]

Your floppy disk was probably bad. Try making another one.

[Alt+F4]

yeah, probably the bad floopy. but why don't you get RH 7.3 copies online, 7 cds cost less than $15 bucks, including the install cd. try www.linuxcentral.com or ebay.

[ele5125]

Thanks so much that worked but now I have a new problem.

Edit: I dont have the money to buy a CD, as I don't have a job and I am not in school.

I creadted a new boot disk for the install, so once I get to the point where they ask me where my iso images are located they give me a list of partitions to choose from. The problem is my first hard drive hda1 is not listed in the list they provide. It only lists the second hard drive but the stuff is on the first hard drive.

They say iuf your hard drive is not listed press F2, so I did and the manufacture of my hard drive was not listed so I could not configure it.

I have an idea why it might not be finding my first hard drive. One time I had partiton problems and ended up deleting all the partitions, somehow after creating one big primary paritition and formating it i was able to install windows.

Today I ran Norton disk doctor and it told me a extended DOS partition was invalid or something, and a boot record was corupted.

I tryed repairing it with Norton but it couldent fix it. So I rebooted and did a

fdisk /mbr

but my boot record and the extended dos partition is still corupted acording to Norton.

Does this mean I have to delete all the partitions, make one big primary partition and formate and install windows or is there a easyer fix?

[problemchild]

Generally, if the partition table gets corrupted and Norton can't fix it, there isn't a whole lot you can do except delete the partitions and start over. Some tools like Partition Magic will attempt to fix a corrupted partition table, but if you don't have $15 for Linux CDs I'm betting you probably don't have that, either. My suggestion is that if you can, it's best to just back up your data and repartition with a Linux tool to avoid problems.

Note: Just because Norton says it's corrupted doesn't necessarily mean it is. I have seen some false alarms from Norton when ext2 partitions were present on the system. Be very careful before you take Norton's word for it, especially if it's an older version.

[rcgreen]

You may have an unusual partitioning scheme on
the drive, like an extended dos partition without
a primary partition.

Usually, when you first install windows, it will not create
an extended partition unless you are creating more than
one partition.

Obviously, windows doesn't have a problem with
this arrangement, but linux is confused. If windows
and the files you want to access are on an extended
partition, linux may find it as hda5 instead of hda1.

If it doesn't find hda at all, you've got a problem.

[ele5125]

10X, linux does not see hda at all which makes me think that Norton was right. I thought about it long and hard last night.

Question: If i make a boot disk for windows, copy fdisk and format.exe to it, with the system files then will I be able to format it after I have deleted the partitions and created a new one?

if i have the boot disk created with the windows install and do this:

sys a:
copy c:\window~1\comman~1\format.exe a:
copy c:\window~1\comman~1\fdisk.exe a:
copy c:\window~1\comman~1\edit.exe a:

would this enable me to format my new partition after windows has been deleted?

I had a problem once where I deleted partitons then I could not format my new partition because it said command or file not found

I am being extra cautious this time.

Maybe I can ask my friend to burn the redhat images and stuff to a cd rom for me. The problem with that is I dont think he is willing to spend all night to download it (he has the same isp and modem) so I can download it and send it to him in a instant message. Since we are on the same isp, same service plan and only live about 2 miles away, then posibly with messanger it would be quick for me to send him the files.

I dont think that my master boot record is corupted because windows boots from it with no problems, it apears Norton is trying to tell me there is a very small dos partition stuck on the drive somewhere that is corupted and the boot record for it is corupted.

[problemchild]

Maybe I can ask my friend to burn the redhat images and stuff to a cd rom for me.

I think that might be your best bet. Buy your friend a beer and see if you can talk him into it.

But yes, if you fdisk it and make new partitions it should work fine.

[ele5125]

I just had my friend come over and he said he will download the iso images and burn them, I found the instructions at the www.redhat.com web site in the documentation section so I printed it out and showed him what he needs to do.

RedHat says to burn each iso image onto a separate cd rom. I asked my friend to also burn boot.img onto the first cd rom with iso 1.

Does he need to make any directorys for the boot image or can he place the iso and boot.img on the cd rom without makeing a folder?

Redhat also said that you need to lable each cd, CD 1, CD2 CD3. Does the lable of the cd rom mater or can he lable it anything?

[rcgreen]

You shouldn't have to put boot.img on the cdrom (in fact
it may not be possible), The ISO image for the first CD
should be bootable already.