CDROM

[Tejas]

Clapped out computer, HD gone (hda), no Bios support for USB boot, run out of CD-R, 64 MB ram. Installed TC using floppy and usb stick. Now can't find /dev/cdrom. Mount tool did not detect cd. Tried /dev/hdb unsuccessfully, /dev/disk also. Anyone know 'mknod' command to create /dev/cdrom? Would like to use cd's containing graphics.

[gerald_clark]

It will be /dev/sr0.  Try V4.4rc3, as it has drivers for older ide interfaces.

[Tejas]

It will be /dev/sr0.  Try V4.4rc3, as it has drivers for older ide interfaces.

/dev/sr0 did not work. Will give V4.4rc3 a shot, if by that you mean a Tiny Core version. Is it in a special repository?

[Rich]

Hi Tejas
You can find it here:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/4.x/x86/release_candidates/

[Tejas]

Hi Rich

Thanks for the interest. V4.4rc3 is also a no go Also noticed TC cannot mount a reiserfs filesystem on USB. However have DSL loaded from CD on IDE controller and drive is /dev/scd0 under DSL.

[Rich]

Hi Tejas
For  reiserfs  support you need the  filesystems  extension.
Open a terminal while running Tinycore and enter  dmesg > dmesg.txt
Attach the  dmesg.txt  file to your next post, maybe someone can spot why your CD drive is not detected.

[Tejas]

Attach the  dmesg.txt  file to your next post, maybe someone can spot why your CD drive is not detected.

Hi Rich
Might have stumbled upon a plausible explanation, which sheds light upon the prolonged boot process and may also be a clue as to why CD drive not detected

it seems that the newest kernels (specifically the ata_piix module) are now thinking that certain ATA chipsets also support SATA drives...then attempts to probe for all SATA drives, and since there are no drives and in fact no SATA bus, it has to wait for the SATA bus reset commands (SRST) to time out.

[Rich]

Hi Tejas
I think your sound card may be the cause. You could try rebooting without the card, or try using the
boot code  noisapnp

[Tejas]

Hi Tejas
I think your sound card may be the cause. You could try rebooting without the card, or try using the
boot code  noisapnp

Hi Rich, too much hassle to take out card, especially when not really necessary . No joy with 'noisapnp' Maybe 'dmesg' from other Linux flavours could provide a clue?

(DSL can't remove boot CD, Plop is a rescue o/s)

[Rich]

Hi Tejas

Clapped out computer, HD gone (hda),

The HD was physically removed from the machine, right? And the lone CD drive has its jumper set to master, right?
 

[Tejas]

Clapped out computer, HD gone (hda),

The HD was physically removed from the machine, right? And the lone CD drive has its jumper set to master, right?

Hi Rich, computer has not been touched at all. HD remains there, jumpers not interfered with, all left as is. HD gone west! Lone CD just hanging there

[thane]

FWIW, I had to disconnect the hard drive when it died to get booting from CD to complete on an older PC of mine (Compaq Deskpro, Pentium III). This was even though the extensions and backup file were on a USB stick and no TCL files were on the hard drive.

[maro]

I'm not clear whether the CD-ROM was working with PlopLinux (which I assume was release 3.7.15). If so I wonder how your system would get along with a more recent version of that distribution (e.g. release 4.2.1 with kernel 3.3.1).

[Rich]

Hi Tejas
If the hard drive is not functional, I would disconnect it, especially if it is on the same cable as the CD drive.

[Tejas]

FWIW, I had to disconnect the hard drive when it died to get booting from CD to complete on an older PC of mine

Nice to know, others in same boat

I'm not clear whether the CD-ROM was working with PlopLinux (which I assume was release 3.7.15).

[root@rescue ~]# uname -r
2.6.27.7-ploplinux
[root@rescue ~]# uname -a
Linux rescue 2.6.27.7-ploplinux #2 PREEMPT Tue Nov 25 19:47:17 GMT 2008 i686 pentium2 i386 GNU/Linux

[root@rescue ~]# mkdir cd
[root@rescue ~]# mount /dev/hdb cd -tiso9660
mount: block device /dev/hdb is write-protected, mounting read-only
[root@rescue ~]# ls cd
boot  index.html  KNOPPIX  lost+found
[root@rescue ~]# umount cd

[root@rescue ~]# mount /dev/hdb cd -tiso9660
mount: block device /dev/hdb is write-protected, mounting read-only
[root@rescue ~]# ls cd
Directions  Images

[root@rescue ~]# mount
rootfs on / type rootfs (rw)
none on /proc type proc (rw)
none on /sys type sysfs (rw)
none on /proc/bus/usb type usbfs (rw)
devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,mode=620)
/dev/sda3 on /media type vfat (rw,fmask=0022,dmask=0022,codepage=cp437,iocharset=iso8859-1)
/dev/loop0 on /sbin type squashfs (ro)
/dev/loop1 on /lib type squashfs (ro)
/dev/loop2 on /usr type squashfs (ro)
/dev/loop3 on /bin type squashfs (ro)
/dev/sda1 on /s type reiserfs (rw)
/dev/hdb on /root/cd type iso9660 (ro)
/dev/sda1 on /root/s type reiserfs (rw)

...If so I wonder how your system would get along with a more recent version of that distribution (e.g. release 4.2.1 with kernel 3.3.1).

I'll give it a whirl.

Hang on a sec though, but isn't one of the tenets of TCB to rescue old computers from the scrap heap? I'm not too hot on h/w, being a s/w man myself