My SUSE Linux-XP problem--a clue?

[Hiawatha Bray]

Because my computer kept crashing after setting up a dual-boot XP-SUSE Linux
machine (each on a separate hard drive), I decided to remove the Linux boot
loader and restore my XP master boot record. This I did, and it all worked.

But when I rebooted, I got the little Plug and Play notification that
Windows likes to throw up. It said that I'd just installed new hardware (!)
and had to reboot. I did so, and everything seems fine.

I now remember that I got the same message when I first installed the Linux
boot loader. This suggests that something about it doesn't sit at all well
with XP, causing some problem with Plug and Play. Anybody know what could
be causing this?

And how can I boot into Linux on my secondary hard drive without using a
boot loader?

Thanks!

 

[*Vanguard*]

"Hiawatha Bray" said in

And how can I boot into Linux on my secondary hard drive without
using a boot loader?

Thanks!

Unless you have a BIOS that lets you designate to have it read the bootstrap
code in the MBR on *other* than the first physical hard drive detected (I
haven't seen a BIOS with that option), you have to use a boot manager. The
BIOS will read the MBR only on the first physical hard drive (disk0) and run
the bootstrap code from there. The standard bootstrap program just reads
the partition table (at the end of the MBR) to determine which is the active
primary partition, but a boot manager that replaces the bootstrap program
can look elsewhere, like the partition table in the MBR on another drive.

 

[Eric Moors]

That are a lot of groups to crosspost to.
pick just one or two next time.

Because my computer kept crashing after setting up a dual-boot XP-SUSE
Linux machine (each on a separate hard drive), I decided to remove the
Linux boot
loader and restore my XP master boot record. This I did, and it all
worked.

Xp does not crash because you have installed lilo or grub in the MBR.

But when I rebooted, I got the little Plug and Play notification that
Windows likes to throw up. It said that I'd just installed new hardware
(!)
and had to reboot. I did so, and everything seems fine.

Hmm. If something was wrong before I doubt it to be fixed now.
What loader did you install and where did you install it? (ie. show the
configuration file for that loader)

I now remember that I got the same message when I first installed the
Linux boot loader. This suggests that something about it doesn't sit at
all well with XP, causing some problem with Plug and Play. Anybody know
what could be causing this?

Weird. What new hardware did it claim to find?
Can you show the partitiontables from both HDD's run fdisk -l from linux and
post the result here.

And how can I boot into Linux on my secondary hard drive without using a
boot loader?

You can't. But the loader could just as well be on a floppy disk.
If you use lilo, just change the boot=/dev/hda line to boot=/dev/fd0
and run lilo, with a floppy inserted. (preferably create a backup floppy as
well)

Eric

 

[Eric Moors]

That are a lot of groups to crosspost to.

pick just one or two next time.

Damnit. knode automatically made the first on the group list a follow-up.
I don't even follow that one. Post the fdisk output also to col.setup
If yo want me to see it

Eric

 

[baskitcaise]

And how can I boot into Linux on my secondary hard drive without using a
boot loader?

Thanks!

Just boot with the Suse install CD choose "boot installed system" when Suse is
up and running rerun the bootloader configuration in yast and put it on a
floppy instead of the mbr, now when you want Suse justpush the floppy in and
reboot, or you could edit the XP bootloader and put an entry in there for
Suse aftyer putting the bootloader on the second drive, this is a bit more
complicated but there is plenty of documentation on the net on how to set
this up, just do a search at www.google.com/linux to find out how.

HTH

 

[David Y.]

Because my computer kept crashing after setting up a dual-boot XP-SUSE Linux
machine (each on a separate hard drive), I decided to remove the Linux boot
loader and restore my XP master boot record. This I did, and it all worked.

But when I rebooted, I got the little Plug and Play notification that
Windows likes to throw up. It said that I'd just installed new hardware (!)
and had to reboot. I did so, and everything seems fine.

I now remember that I got the same message when I first installed the Linux
boot loader. This suggests that something about it doesn't sit at all well
with XP, causing some problem with Plug and Play. Anybody know what could
be causing this?

And how can I boot into Linux on my secondary hard drive without using a
boot loader?

Thanks!

Hi,

as well as some other people here I also would advise you to use a
floppy for your bootloader.
I have Suse 9.0 and XP installed and don't have any problems booting either.

I left XP in the MBR and installed GRUB on a floppy disk.

Good luck.

David

 

[Guest]

My understanding is that Windows XP must be on the primary hard drive and needs a "pristine" master boot record (MBR). For this reason, I do believe that your problems were related to putting Lilo in the MBR of the primary drive. However, Windows XP is supposed to come with it's own boot loader. You should be able to install Lilo on your second hard drive (the one with SuSE on it) and have the Windows XP boot loader point to it as an option (this is called "chain loading")

Like I said earlier, there is software that can supposedly work with Windows XP (GAG for example), but, since Windows XP is "persnickity" and has it's own boot-loader. I would recommend that you just use that

Failing that, you can continue to boot via floppy

Hope this helps

Joe

 

[Hiawatha Bray]

Several things:

First, what's wrong with crossposting? I've never understood why some
object to it. It's a highly efficient use of server space, far more
sensible than posting the same message in multiple groups.

Second, I did restore my XP MBR, and so far, I have had no further random
crashes. I too can't understand why that is, but...it is.

Finally, I'm DYING to use a floppy for booting purposes. But SUSE has so
far REFUSED to make me one. I boot into Linux, go into YAST, insert a
floppy and tell it to make me a boot disk. After several minutes of
waiting, during which it says progress is being made, up pops a message
saying that the attempt has failed. I can see no reason why. Near as I can
tell, there's nothing wrong with the floppies. But I could be wrong. I'll
try another disk and let you know...thanks.

 

[Kevin Nathan]

Several things:

First, what's wrong with crossposting? I've never understood why some
object to it. It's a highly efficient use of server space, far more
sensible than posting the same message in multiple groups.

A good article on crossposting:

http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/usenet/xpost.html


--
Kevin Nathan (Montana, USA)
Open standards. Open source. Open minds.
The command line is the front line.

Linux 2.4.20-4GB-athlon
6:24pm up 32 days 21:45, 6 users, load average: 0.44, 0.26, 0.20

 

[Hiawatha Bray]

My point exactly; crossposting uses the limited storage of Usenet more
efficiently. I've never understood the objections to it.

 

[Hiawatha Bray]

Okay...It must have been three consecutive bad floppies, because this time,
my attempt to create a boot floppy worked without a hitch. Hallelujah!

Now...another question. How do I tell the floppy, or the SUSE splash
screen, that when I boot from the floppy, it's supposed to start the OS on
the second hard drive--Linux--instead of the OS on /dev/hda/, which of
course is XP?

Thanks.

 

[Michael Buchenrieder]

[Note: Non-existant groups col.help and col.questions removed]

Several things:

First, what's wrong with crossposting?

Basically, nothing - at least, if done carefully.

I've never understood why some
object to it. It's a highly efficient use of server space, far more
sensible than posting the same message in multiple groups.

Right. Multi-posting is a BadThing(tm).
However, excessive crossposting is strongly discouraged. I still have
to see a message that could be seriously considered on-topic in more
than 3 to 4 groups at a time - and even then, you should always be setting
a FollowUp-To: header for to redirect the evolving thread into a single
group that from your judgement would be considered the best matching
one.

Sidenote: _If_ you're going to crosspost, check for the existance
of the groups you're going to select. Google is not a
newsserver but a news archive, and lists hundreds of
groupnames that never existed at all (outside of Google,
that is).

Second, I did restore my XP MBR, and so far, I have had no further random
crashes. I too can't understand why that is, but...it is.

Finally, I'm DYING to use a floppy for booting purposes.

[...]

This is unneccessarily complicated. Use the SuSE CDROM to boot, and
select "Boot installed OS" instead (you'll be prompted for to select
the location of the root partition AFAIR). Or setup GRUB in the MBR.


Michael

 

[baskitcaise]

Okay...It must have been three consecutive bad floppies, because this time,
my attempt to create a boot floppy worked without a hitch. Hallelujah!

Now...another question. How do I tell the floppy, or the SUSE splash
screen, that when I boot from the floppy, it's supposed to start the OS on
the second hard drive--Linux--instead of the OS on /dev/hda/, which of
course is XP?

Have you created a boot floppy or did you put grub on the floppy?

There are two options in Yast>System, one is a "boot floppy" the other is
"Boot Configuration", you need the latter, this will reinstall Grub just tell
it to install grub onto a floppy instead of the hard-drive, the floppy will
then act exactly like the boot sector in the mbr giving you the options you
normally see at start.

 

[Robert Hull]

[****ed-up quoting and top posting corrected]

My point exactly; crossposting uses the limited storage of Usenet more
efficiently. I've never understood the objections to it.

If you had read all of the article, you would have seen the section
entitled "Why not post to all relevant groups?" where you would have
read the following warning:

the odds are that the more knowledgeable the reader, the more he
regards sending a message to many groups as an indication of
cluelessness. This means that you would get responses mostly
from less knowledgeable readers

It is not the cross-posting per se to which most knowledgeable people
object, but rather the scatter gun approach. IMNSHO, you would do well
to ask yourself which of your 5 chosen newsgroups is the most likely to
contain people who can answer your question. Out of your choice:

alt.os.linux.suse
comp.os.linux.help
comp.os.linux.questions
comp.os.linux.setup
and microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support

I would suggest that your query about little things popping up in
Windoze XP is relevant to the last group, but not the first 4. That your
query about why XP crashes when it detects anything other than its own
MBR would probably be of interest in the first and last groups (and just
possibly in the third as well) and that your question about how to boot
without a boot loader might be relevant in groups 1 and either 2 or 3

There are other groups which would probably have been more relevant to
certain of your questions yet you chose to ignore them, so what did
dictate your choice of newsgroups?


I have set follow-ups to alt.os.linux.suse where I read this thread -
not so much because I think the thread is on topic here, but because
IMHO it is not particularly relevant to the other groups

 

[Maurice Batey]

I'm DYING to use a floppy for booting purposes. But SUSE has so
far REFUSED to make me one.

I had same problem trying to make a backup boot floppy.

SuSe Support suggested the following:
- Log in as root
- Mount the 1st SuSE install CD.
- Put a blank floppy in drive
- The boot floppy image is at '/media/cdrom/boot/bootdisk'.
- Use command: dd if=/media/cdrom/boot/bootdisk of=/dev/fd0
(Explanation in /media/cdrom/disks/README)

But I haven't tried it yet!

Maurice Batey (Retired in Hampshire, UK)

http://www.maurice.eurobell.co.uk

(Change "no.spam" to "." in E-mail address.)