🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <391B1FAE.EBFE514C@dunvegan1.demon.co.uk>, Paul Richards
(Pauldoo) <pauldoo@dunvegan1.demon.co.uk> writes
>Hi,
>I've came across a weird problem with MS f(uck)disk in that it hangs on
>loading.

You don't say which version... mind you, you mention 98 later on.
>
>I get the prompt about enabling large disk support and I press "y".  The
>screen goes blank and the IDE light goes on and the thing hangs.  OFC
>linux fdisk sees everything as just fine:
>
>Disk /dev/hda: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 1869 cylinders
>Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes

Ie, 8Gb disk. Again with 98 shouldn't cause a problem.
>
>   Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
>/dev/hda1   *         1       830   6666943+  83  Linux
>/dev/hda2           831      1023   1550272+   b  Win95 FAT32
>/dev/hda3          1024      1869   6795495    5  Extended
>/dev/hda5          1024      1853   6666943+  83  Linux
>/dev/hda6          1854      1869    128488+  82  Linux swap
>
>I'll spend more time tommorrow investigating possible sources of the
>problem but for now does anyone see anything obvious?
>
>The MS bootloader is in the MBR and lilo on hda1 if that matters...
>
A quick discussion of grief I've suffered at the hand of (various)
fdisks ... Used IBM's OS/2 version which put a number ~150 into a signed
byte :-( As a result it refused to modify the partition table any
further, DOS fdisk died on startup, and of several linuxen, the only
fdisk that would actually DO anything was Slack. Of course, now I know
how to use dd to recover from a totally trashed partition table (I
didn't then).

Tried to triple install NT, 95 and linux on a 13Gb. If I created the
partitions with linux fdisk, doze promptly crapped all over it. Ended up
creating the first partition with Doze, at which point linux realised
what Doze had done, and was quite happy being compatible.

As for partitions, on my system...

MBR        lilo
/dev/hda1  NTFS (NT4) (active partition)
/dev/hda2  FAT32 (95)
/dev/hda3  ext2 (linux)
/dev/hda4  extended ...

So I've got it quite happy with multiple primary partitions, and the
first partition is non-FAT... Note that the NT partition *MUST*MUST* be
active. Doze has loads of funny rules about what will and won't work -
and because they interact so much, everyone appears to have a different
set apply to their particular setup :-(

At work, I wanted 98 and W2K to each have their own primary partition...
Install 98 first of course, and then what does W2K do? Creates and
extended partition and shoves itself in there. So the 98 drive is C: and
there's bu**er all I can do about it :-( Totally unofficial ... but if I
get a new hard disk (quite possible) I'll put linux on it and get it the
way I want :-)
-- 
Anthony W. Youngman - wol at thewolery dot demon dot co dot uk
Witches are curious by definition and inquisitive by nature. She moved in. "Let 
me through. I'm a nosey person.", she said, employing both elbows.
Maskerade : (c) 1995 Terry Pratchett