586 AMD freeze or reboot after when Booting the Kernel

[srmarchi]

It's strange that behavior depends on the file system type... What TC version have You tried during this failed attempt?
You didn't confirmed what type is Your CF adapter - chipless crossover or some sort of controller card?
Is it possible to try with HD drive to exclude CF failure?

Yes jazzbiker... so strange and this is driving me crazy! 

I'm trying just with TinyCore from 4.5 to 11.1.

I am suspecting of the file system x partition because at some point the version 8.2.1 started and worked in text mode using a 32MB multipartition card that was flashed by windows. I thought, OK, I can play this again and format it to free up space, but it doesn't work anymore ... hardware was not changed.

The same adapter with same card runs pretty well in the P4 (from 4.5 to 11.1), in amd586 just MS-DOS can boot, Puppy Linux said Urr! Wee... pain... 
The adapter is this one https://www.dx.com/p/cf-to-ide-3-5-female-adapter-card-black-white-2067205.html#.X7_PMmhKhPY

I don't know what's going on, can be geometry Card 32 256 512MB? From hardware point of view, when the system shows "Booting the kernel"? What it does? IRQs? ACPI? 

No hard drive compatible available...

[Rich]

Hi srmarchi
I seem to remember that many many years ago I had problems with an old machine that was upset that I connected
a 320 GByte drive to it. Since that machine was booting off of a CD, I told the BIOS there was no hard drive. Linux
does not use the BIOS to find connected drives. It finds them on its own. Its possible your old machine is running into
partition size limits. Divide your card into 2 partitions. Make the first partition 30 MBytes and install onto that. Leave the
rest of the card uninitialized for now. Tell the BIOS there is only 1 drive and it's 30 MBytes in size. When you do the
install, use  ext2.

[srmarchi]

At least we have another result: now striped 

2 partition: fat32 (syslinux 4.0?) and ext2
Core 8.2.1

2 partition: ext2 (syslinux 6.07) and fat32
Core 11.1

images from 8.2.1

[Rich]

Hi srmarchi
I think your video card doesn't have enough memory for the resolution it's attempting. Try adding the boot code:

Code: [Select]

vga=791

[jazzbiker]

Hi, guys!

Rich, srmarchi mentioned earlier, that at some point system started in text mode. It means that hardware and kernel have no controversies. Something changed, and it is definitely some repartitioning. What entity shows "Booting kernel"? Isn't it extlinux? Curaga stated, that kernel started but hanging, but is it possible that wrong partitioning (better to say not fully understood by aged BIOS) causes, that extlinux is thinking, that it is booting the kernel, but in fact it is blowing bubbles, counting stars and wistling nice melodies?
Srmarchi, I think You need to do Your best to recall the right pertitioning. And that will start the race, but without it will be waste of neural tissue.

[Rich]

Hi jazzbiker

Rich, srmarchi mentioned earlier, that at some point system started in text mode. ...

Text mode is the console. Unlike a graphics mode, memory in a text mode is measured in characters, not pixels.
25 lines by 80 characters equals 2000 bytes.

...  Curaga stated, that kernel started but hanging, ...

We don't really know what happened. When I told him to add the  debug  boot code the screen should have shown some
kernel messages, but he stated nothing changed. I'm not sure the kernel even started.

He is now getting a startup menu and booting to a garbled screen, which seems like a big step from where he was. It
sounds like switching to a smaller partition solved one problem.

[jazzbiker]

When computer is powered on it shows BIOS manufacturer data. Maybe this data can help find something about BIOS characteristics and limitations?

P.S. If it was possible to use grub... its microshell can assist to get some info.

[curaga]

Extlinux could indeed load garbage, but the following messages starting from extract_kernel are from the kernel.

[srmarchi]

I found this post where 486 reborn with linux https://yeokhengmeng.com/2018/01/make-the-486-great-again/

The guy use the partition in this way:


As my knowledge in linux is limited, how do I the config to do bootloader in fat and image in ext2?

Does make sense?

[Rich]

Hi srmarchi
No, there's nothing special about that configuration for your case. In fact, he goes on to say he doesn't need that
configuration and uses this instead:


Did you try the  vga=791  boot code?

How big is the flash card you are using?

What is the make and model of the computer?

[Rich]

Hi srmarchi
What is the make and model of the monitor?

[Rich]

Hi srmarchi
Also, please show us the contents of your  syslinux.cfg  file.

[srmarchi]

Did you try the  vga=791  boot code?

Yes, vga=791, 1, 308... nothing different

How big is the flash card you are using?

working with 32Mb, 256MB and 512MB, class 2 and 4, compatible with period (586).

What is the make and model of the computer?

Motherboard J-MARK COMPUTER CORPORATION J-446A - Processor Am5x86-P75+-S CPU at 150Mhz - Award Modular BIOS v4.51G - 48MB EDO RAM

What is the make and model of the monitor?

Positivo (maybe LG or AOC oem) VGA 15" 1280x780 60Hz

Also, please show us the contents of your  syslinux.cfg  file.

>> extlinux.conf - 32MB Card - ext2
UI vesamenu.c32
MENU TITLE Tiny Core Bootloader
TIMEOUT 100

DEFAULT core
LABEL Tiny Core
KERNEL /tce/boot/vmlinuz
INITRD /tce/boot/core.gz
APPEND vga=791 waitusb=10:UUID="b3f491af-3475-4648-9e76-d33425ef680a" tce=UUID="b3f491af-3475-4648-9e76-d33425ef680a" noacpi

[srmarchi]

Hi guys!

Good news!
Using the 256MB card with 2 partition FAT16 (235MB -> don't ask me why... flashboot picked this size) and another 12MB unallocated - unit size allocation 4096, my old 586 booted TC 8.2.1 in text mode.

I flashed it in W10 using Lili USB Creator... I'll try to understand what going on here yet. 

Finally I can finish my vacation project

Thank you for attention and patience!

[jazzbiker]

Great!

If I am not mistaken, in Corebook minimal memory requirements are defined as 28 MB for text mode and 48 MB for graphical desktop. I have one old laptop with 64 MB
 of RAM, I use "nozswap" bootcode on it. But I have HD swap there, You don't. Making swap on CF card may be the way to kill it.