Tiny Core Linux
General TC => General TC Talk => Topic started by: Mauricio on February 06, 2024, 09:17:34 AM
-
Hello :)
I'm trying to install Tiny Core to an old Pentium II 450MHZ with 128mb of RAM.
I noticed it is not possible to boot from a pendrive (the option didn't appear in the boot order options), so i'm forced to burn CDs.
I tried to burn the CorePlus ISO in different CDs but none of them is read by the PC, the drive makes some noises like it is trying to read them but it can't.
I assume it may be because of some special configuration at the burning process that might be needed for this very old hardware to boot from a CD?
Thank you, I just joined the community! ;D
-
Hi Mauricio,
I would suggest brasero
which has editions for Windows, Linux and Mac. Be sure to write it as a "bootable" image and not only a "copy"
-
Hi Mauricio
Welcome to the forum.
Using cdr-tools.tcz , first identify your CD burner:
tc@E310:~$ cdrecord --scanbus
Cdrecord-ProDVD-ProBD-Clone 3.02a09 (i486-pc-linux-gnu) Copyright (C) 1995-2016 Joerg Schilling
Linux sg driver version: 3.5.36
Using libscg version 'schily-0.9'.
scsibus0:
0,0,0 0) 'ATA ' 'MB0500EBNCR ' 'HPG1' Disk
0,1,0 1) *
0,2,0 2) *
0,3,0 3) *
0,4,0 4) *
0,5,0 5) *
0,6,0 6) *
0,7,0 7) *
scsibus2:
2,0,0 200) 'ATA ' 'MB0500EBNCR ' 'HPG1' Disk
2,1,0 201) *
2,2,0 202) *
2,3,0 203) *
2,4,0 204) *
2,5,0 205) *
2,6,0 206) *
2,7,0 207) *
scsibus4:
4,0,0 400) 'HL-DT-ST' 'DVD-ROM GDR8164B' '0D08' Removable CD-ROM
4,1,0 401) 'Optiarc ' 'DVD+-RW ND-3570A' '104B' Removable CD-ROM
4,2,0 402) *
4,3,0 403) *
4,4,0 404) *
4,5,0 405) *
4,6,0 406) *
4,7,0 407) *
scsibus6:
6,0,0 600) 'TEAC ' 'USB HS-CF Card' '4.08' Removable Disk
6,1,0 601) *
6,2,0 602) *
6,3,0 603) *
6,4,0 604) *
6,5,0 605) *
6,6,0 606) *
6,7,0 607) *
tc@E310:~$Find the entry that contains CD RW or DVD RW.
In my case that is:
4,1,0 401) 'Optiarc ' 'DVD+-RW ND-3570A' '104B' Removable CD-ROM
The command to burn a CD is then:
cdrecord dev=4,1,0 speed=10 padsize=63s -pad -dao -v -eject Path/To/Filename.iso
-
Hi Mauricio,
I would suggest brasero
which has editions for Windows, Linux and Mac. Be sure to write it as a "bootable" image and not only a "copy"
Thank you chattrhand, I will try that one.
I tried Xfburn and wodim but neither worked. Maybe it's a hardware problem? That computer has at least 26 years old... but I don't want to dump it yet :-\
-
Hi Mauricio
Welcome to the forum.
Using cdr-tools.tcz , first identify your CD burner:
tc@E310:~$ cdrecord --scanbus
Cdrecord-ProDVD-ProBD-Clone 3.02a09 (i486-pc-linux-gnu) Copyright (C) 1995-2016 Joerg Schilling
Linux sg driver version: 3.5.36
Using libscg version 'schily-0.9'.
scsibus0:
0,0,0 0) 'ATA ' 'MB0500EBNCR ' 'HPG1' Disk
0,1,0 1) *
0,2,0 2) *
0,3,0 3) *
0,4,0 4) *
0,5,0 5) *
0,6,0 6) *
0,7,0 7) *
scsibus2:
2,0,0 200) 'ATA ' 'MB0500EBNCR ' 'HPG1' Disk
2,1,0 201) *
2,2,0 202) *
2,3,0 203) *
2,4,0 204) *
2,5,0 205) *
2,6,0 206) *
2,7,0 207) *
scsibus4:
4,0,0 400) 'HL-DT-ST' 'DVD-ROM GDR8164B' '0D08' Removable CD-ROM
4,1,0 401) 'Optiarc ' 'DVD+-RW ND-3570A' '104B' Removable CD-ROM
4,2,0 402) *
4,3,0 403) *
4,4,0 404) *
4,5,0 405) *
4,6,0 406) *
4,7,0 407) *
scsibus6:
6,0,0 600) 'TEAC ' 'USB HS-CF Card' '4.08' Removable Disk
6,1,0 601) *
6,2,0 602) *
6,3,0 603) *
6,4,0 604) *
6,5,0 605) *
6,6,0 606) *
6,7,0 607) *
tc@E310:~$Find the entry that contains CD RW or DVD RW.
In my case that is:
4,1,0 401) 'Optiarc ' 'DVD+-RW ND-3570A' '104B' Removable CD-ROM
The command to burn a CD is then:
cdrecord dev=4,1,0 speed=10 padsize=63s -pad -dao -v -eject Path/To/Filename.iso
Thank you Rich.
This machine does't have a CD burner, so I will have to wait like a week or so to get access to one with it.
It is possible to burn that CD with Tiny Core in live mode?
-
Hi Mauricio
By live mode, if you mean you boot from a thumb drive, then yes.
After you boot, use the Apps utility to install cdr-tools.tcz.
-
Hi Mauricio
By live mode, if you mean you boot from a thumb drive, then yes.
After you boot, use the Apps utility to install cdr-tools.tcz.
Great, I will try it as soon as I can.
It would be better if I chose speed=1 to avoid prossible data corruption in the burning process?
-
Hi Mauricio
I would try 10. I don't know if they ever made any drives
that slow in the last 15 years. 10 is safe.
This is from 2012:
https://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php/topic,13173.msg72774.html#msg72774
-
Hi Mauricio!
You should ask @CNK, he's a big fan of CDs and presumably knows the proper ways to burn them.
-
Hi Mauricio! Haven't You suppose transplanting the old HD into another box, installing TC and then transplanting it back to the host? I mean that 26-year old CD-ROM may have forgotten the tricks he was playing when it was young ;-) Have You an approvements that it is still able to do anything but producing some sounds?
-
Hi Mauricio! Haven't You suppose transplanting the old HD into another box, installing TC and then transplanting it back to the host? I mean that 26-year old CD-ROM may have forgotten the tricks he was playing when it was young ;-) Have You an approvements that it is still able to do anything but producing some sounds?
Hello jazzbiker.
I tried that one but when I put the HDD back to the host and turn it on it displays:
SYSLINUX 6.03 EDD 2014-10-06 Copytight (C) 1994-2014 H. Peter Anvin et al
and sometimes stays that way forever. Other times it displays that message and then only a blinking cursor forever. I tried doing this with another HDD (in case that the original HDD were damaged) but it seems like I need to install some sort of driver to use it (it asks for some Compaq diskette that I don't have).
And about the CD drive: It uses a different connector than IDE, a smaller one. I don't think I have another motherboard with that smaller connector to plug it.
However, I think the Pentium II has an extra IDE connector, do you think I could use a DVD drive in that old PC? I'm sure I have an extra DVD drive arround.
-
I tried that one but when I put the HDD back to the host and turn it on it displays:
SYSLINUX 6.03 EDD 2014-10-06 Copytight (C) 1994-2014 H. Peter Anvin et al
and sometimes stays that way forever. Other times it displays that message and then only a blinking cursor forever. I tried doing this with another HDD (in case that the original HDD were damaged) but it seems like I need to install some sort of driver to use it (it asks for some Compaq diskette that I don't have).
So the behaviour of the original HDD and another one differs? Looks like an original one really have some problems.
And about the CD drive: It uses a different connector than IDE, a smaller one. I don't think I have another motherboard with that smaller connector to plug it.
However, I think the Pentium II has an extra IDE connector, do you think I could use a DVD drive in that old PC? I'm sure I have an extra DVD drive arround.
At Your place I'd try another DVD drive if You are sure this drive is functional, but I have no predictions on the success, maybe old Compaq BIOS have its own vision.
You may try writing (dd-ing) the InstantCore.img (see http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php/topic,26658.0.html) to the HDD externally and then see whether Your PC will enjoy booting from it. This image is grub2-based and includes both CorePlus and TinyCorePure content, so if it will boot successfully You will get everything necessary for the kick-start.
-
Hi Mauricio
Welcome to the forum.
Using cdr-tools.tcz , first identify your CD burner:
tc@E310:~$ cdrecord --scanbus
Cdrecord-ProDVD-ProBD-Clone 3.02a09 (i486-pc-linux-gnu) Copyright (C) 1995-2016 Joerg Schilling
Linux sg driver version: 3.5.36
Using libscg version 'schily-0.9'.
scsibus0:
0,0,0 0) 'ATA ' 'MB0500EBNCR ' 'HPG1' Disk
0,1,0 1) *
0,2,0 2) *
0,3,0 3) *
0,4,0 4) *
0,5,0 5) *
0,6,0 6) *
0,7,0 7) *
scsibus2:
2,0,0 200) 'ATA ' 'MB0500EBNCR ' 'HPG1' Disk
2,1,0 201) *
2,2,0 202) *
2,3,0 203) *
2,4,0 204) *
2,5,0 205) *
2,6,0 206) *
2,7,0 207) *
scsibus4:
4,0,0 400) 'HL-DT-ST' 'DVD-ROM GDR8164B' '0D08' Removable CD-ROM
4,1,0 401) 'Optiarc ' 'DVD+-RW ND-3570A' '104B' Removable CD-ROM
4,2,0 402) *
4,3,0 403) *
4,4,0 404) *
4,5,0 405) *
4,6,0 406) *
4,7,0 407) *
scsibus6:
6,0,0 600) 'TEAC ' 'USB HS-CF Card' '4.08' Removable Disk
6,1,0 601) *
6,2,0 602) *
6,3,0 603) *
6,4,0 604) *
6,5,0 605) *
6,6,0 606) *
6,7,0 607) *
tc@E310:~$Find the entry that contains CD RW or DVD RW.
In my case that is:
4,1,0 401) 'Optiarc ' 'DVD+-RW ND-3570A' '104B' Removable CD-ROM
The command to burn a CD is then:
cdrecord dev=4,1,0 speed=10 padsize=63s -pad -dao -v -eject Path/To/Filename.iso
I tried this method but instead of using cdrecord I used wodim, which apparently is a fork of cdrecord (which is not available in Debian repositories). I used all the arguments you suggested.
I got the same result as always. PC will try to read it but won't.
-
I tried that one but when I put the HDD back to the host and turn it on it displays:
SYSLINUX 6.03 EDD 2014-10-06 Copytight (C) 1994-2014 H. Peter Anvin et al
and sometimes stays that way forever. Other times it displays that message and then only a blinking cursor forever. I tried doing this with another HDD (in case that the original HDD were damaged) but it seems like I need to install some sort of driver to use it (it asks for some Compaq diskette that I don't have).
So the behaviour of the original HDD and another one differs? Looks like an original one really have some problems.
And about the CD drive: It uses a different connector than IDE, a smaller one. I don't think I have another motherboard with that smaller connector to plug it.
However, I think the Pentium II has an extra IDE connector, do you think I could use a DVD drive in that old PC? I'm sure I have an extra DVD drive arround.
At Your place I'd try another DVD drive if You are sure this drive is functional, but I have no predictions on the success, maybe old Compaq BIOS have its own vision.
You may try writing (dd-ing) the InstantCore.img (see http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php/topic,26658.0.html) to the HDD externally and then see whether Your PC will enjoy booting from it. This image is grub2-based and includes both CorePlus and TinyCorePure content, so if it will boot successfully You will get everything necessary for the kick-start.
I don't think the original HDD is damaged, it's just that the PC won't even recognize the new HDD, it shows the capacity of the new HDD but nothing else. I think I need to install some kind of firmware to be able to use other HDD than the machine one. It shows a message asking for a floppy disk with Compaq software, which I don't have.
I tried plugging a DVD drive to the free IDE slot of the motherboard, and using an external power supply to power it. Nothing. The PC won't recognize it, It didn't show in the boot options. The drive was working, I tried it on other machine.
I didn't understand the last part, what do you mean by dd-ing the InstantCore.img? That sounds interesting.
-
I didn't understand the last part, what do you mean by dd-ing the InstantCore.img? That sounds interesting.
It means that an image is written to the drive with the help of dd utility. As far as I understand You have Debian up and running. Are You not familiar with dd utility? Sorry, I didn't catch the question.
-
I didn't understand the last part, what do you mean by dd-ing the InstantCore.img? That sounds interesting.
It means that an image is written to the drive with the help of dd utility. As far as I understand You have Debian up and running. Are You not familiar with dd utility? Sorry, I didn't catch the question.
I have a Debian based distro, yeah. I never used DD before, I'm a beginner in Linux world haha, but it will be my next try. I will learn to use DD, I don't want to bother you with it.
I already downloaded the InstantCore image. If I understand correctly, DD has an option to "install" that image to a plugged HDD?
-
Nothing in Your posts prompted that You are new to Linux :-) Sure, it is very useful utility and You can easily find a lot of descriptions and use cases. You are absolutely right, I meant it in the sense of writing of the image directly to the drive.
I should warn You to be very careful while selecting the target (of=/dev/sd?), dd should be run as root, so writing to an incorect target may cause the disaster. You'd better describe the steps You'll make to determine the target drive here in the topic before executing.
-
The final step will be
sudo dd if=InstantCore.img of=/dev/sdX bs=1Mwhere big X will determine the drive which will be totally rewritten with InstantCore.img without any chances to be recovered.
-
Post Part One (working around forum errors)
I think you're barking up the wrong tree with the CD burner software and different drives. If you can read the burnt Tiny Core CD-Rs with any computer other than the one you burnt them with, then the reading issue shouldn't exist for the old computer either.
I suggest it's a problem with the CD booting implementation in the BIOS, as this is quite common with PCs of that vintage. The answer is to boot to a bootable floppy disk which has its own CD boot loader software, then boot the CD with that. The Plop Boot Manager works to boot CD-Rs written with TC ISOs on the old Pentium 1 PC that I'm posting from now. Write the floppy image to a floppy disk with dd or a Windows floppy image writer program, boot to that floppy, then select "CDROM/DVD" from its snazzy-looking boot options menu.
-
Post Part Two
With the HDD, some BIOSs are limited in the CHS specs of the drives they can support. Often there are work-arounds, maybe with reduced storage space, but it depends on the BIOS. People often have success with IDE to CF card adapters too.
PS. Jeeze do these internal server errors seem to be biting me hard here lately! People are posting many replies before I can figure out why I can't post my own. I guess they're a "won't fix" issue though, since CentralWare deleted to section about forum errors... Very frustrating!
-
The final step will be
sudo dd if=InstantCore.img of=/dev/sdX bs=1Mwhere big X will determine the drive which will be totally rewritten with InstantCore.img without any chances to be recovered.
Okay, I just tried this method.
Now when I boot it, it displays the following:
GRUB loading.
Welcome to GRUB!
error: disk 'hd0,msdos1' not found.
Entering rescue mode...
grub rescue> (and the cursor)
-
Hi Mauricio!
It looks like BIOS can not read the image on HDD due to CHS, as CNK supposed :-( You may try
grub rescue> lsbut I guess it will show nothing.
Can You confirm or show the result?
-
fdisk utility allows to set necessary CHS values ( now I know, never used this), but how can we know what Your BIOS wants? Maybe in the BIOS menu itself You will find some prompts? Something like default values.
-
Hi Mauricio!
It looks like BIOS can not read the image on HDD due to CHS, as CNK supposed :-( You may try
grub rescue> lsbut I guess it will show nothing.
Can You confirm or show the result?
Damn, the keyboard won't work! I can't type anything on that screen. (the keyboard works on other PCs).
I must add that when the Welcome to GRUB screen appeared, before the error showed, the computer kind of rebooted and did it like 3 or 4 times before it displayed the complete message with the error included.
-
fdisk utility allows to set necessary CHS values ( now I know, never used this), but how can we know what Your BIOS wants? Maybe in the BIOS menu itself You will find some prompts? Something like default values.
I installed the image into the original HDD, so this souldn't happen I think.
-
Post Part One (working around forum errors)
I think you're barking up the wrong tree with the CD burner software and different drives. If you can read the burnt Tiny Core CD-Rs with any computer other than the one you burnt them with, then the reading issue shouldn't exist for the old computer either.
I suggest it's a problem with the CD booting implementation in the BIOS, as this is quite common with PCs of that vintage. The answer is to boot to a bootable floppy disk which has its own CD boot loader software, then boot the CD with that. The Plop Boot Manager works to boot CD-Rs written with TC ISOs on the old Pentium 1 PC that I'm posting from now. Write the floppy image to a floppy disk with dd or a Windows floppy image writer program, boot to that floppy, then select "CDROM/DVD" from its snazzy-looking boot options menu.
Hello CNK, thank you very much for this info! It is very valuable, as I have no experience at all with hardware of this era, specially for installing Linux on it. It is great that you know to deal with them!
I tried different burnings exactly because of this. I thought that BIOS of that era must be very picky about the bootable CDs configurations, so I tried my luck.
It looks like you might have a solution here. I don't have access to a floppy drive right now, but some time in the future I will buy one and try this.
-
Post Part Two
With the HDD, some BIOSs are limited in the CHS specs of the drives they can support. Often there are work-arounds, maybe with reduced storage space, but it depends on the BIOS. People often have success with IDE to CF card adapters too.
PS. Jeeze do these internal server errors seem to be biting me hard here lately! People are posting many replies before I can figure out why I can't post my own. I guess they're a "won't fix" issue though, since CentralWare deleted to section about forum errors... Very frustrating!
That might be it then! The original HDD is 4gb and the one I tried is 41gb or something like that, quite a difference!
Unluckily, that kind of adapters with old connectors are rare in my country, and expensive! The CF cards too, so it won't worth it I guess.
-
fdisk utility allows to set necessary CHS values ( now I know, never used this), but how can we know what Your BIOS wants? Maybe in the BIOS menu itself You will find some prompts? Something like default values.
I installed the image into the original HDD, so this souldn't happen I think.
But the image was created with some default values which have no correspondence with the HDD parameters. Maybe this makes an old BIOS crazy.
Aren't CHS values printed on Your HDD label?
-
fdisk utility allows to set necessary CHS values ( now I know, never used this), but how can we know what Your BIOS wants? Maybe in the BIOS menu itself You will find some prompts? Something like default values.
I installed the image into the original HDD, so this souldn't happen I think.
But the image was created with some default values which have no correspondence with the HDD parameters. Maybe this makes an old BIOS crazy.
Aren't CHS values printed on Your HDD label?
Sorry, I missunderstood your message, dumb me haha. Now I understand your point.
It has some data grills, maybe you're asking for this one:
Cylinders: 01 04
Heads: 16
Sectors: 63
I searched for some datasheet of the HDD and found this: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/466132/Maxtor-Diamondmaxtm-2160.html?page=12#manual
My model is Maxtor 84320D4.
-
Hi Mauricio
That might be it then! The original HDD is 4gb and the one I tried is 41gb or something like that, quite a difference! ...
The BIOS on very old hardware had limitations on how
large a drive they supported. If that's causing a problem,
you can lie to the BIOS by setting it to a smaller size. When
the kernel boots, it doesn't look at the BIOS. It figures out
what disks are present and their size for itself:
Hi KingBongo
The difference is /mnt/hda1/tce/optional is on your hard drive and /tmp/tce/optional is in RAM.
As far as the BIOS is concerned try telling it the 30Gb drive is 500Mb, the kernel will figure out
the correct size on it's own. I'm running a machine from 1997 with a 320Gb drive. The machine
didn't like it so I either lied to the bios or disabled it, and let the kernel figure it out since it is
used for file serving.
[Corrected my copy of tinypoodle's typo]
For more on the specs of that machine:
https://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php/topic,7942.msg45971.html#msg45971
-
Hi Mauricio!
I've took the look on the InstantCore partition table and it is 63 sectors/track (the same) but 255 heads and 76 cylinders. The parameters may be corrected with the help of fdisk utility. Proposed values are 63 sectors, 15 heads and 1292 cylinders. I mean attaching Your 4.3G HDD to the Debian box and repartitioning it without changing the content.
Are You looking for the next Linux challenge? ;-)
-
Hi Mauricio!
I've took the look on the InstantCore partition table and it is 63 sectors/track (the same) but 255 heads and 76 cylinders. The parameters may be corrected with the help of fdisk utility. Proposed values are 63 sectors, 15 heads and 1292 cylinders. I mean attaching Your 4.3G HDD to the Debian box and repartitioning it without changing the content.
Are You looking for the next Linux challenge? ;-)
For sure I'm ready!
Just a little question, and just for the learning's sake: Why did you choose that amount of cylinders? The datasheet I linked says 8930 and the HDD label says 01 04.
One weird thing I noticed is that the label of the HDD says it has 16 heads, but the datasheet I liked says 15. We should stick to the label values or the datasheet ones?
-
Hi Mauricio
That might be it then! The original HDD is 4gb and the one I tried is 41gb or something like that, quite a difference! ...
The BIOS on very old hardware had limitations on how
large a drive they supported. If that's causing a problem,
you can lie to the BIOS by setting it to a smaller size. When
the kernel boots, it doesn't look at the BIOS. It figures out
what disks are present and their size for itself:
Hi KingBongo
The difference is /mnt/hda1/tce/optional is on your hard drive and /tmp/tce/optional is in RAM.
As far as the BIOS is concerned try telling it the 30Gb drive is 500Mb, the kernel will figure out
the correct size on it's own. I'm running a machine from 1997 with a 320Gb drive. The machine
didn't like it so I either lied to the bios or disabled it, and let the kernel figure it out since it is
used for file serving.
[Corrected my copy of tinypoodle's typo]
For more on the specs of that machine:
https://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php/topic,7942.msg45971.html#msg45971
Very cool info Rich! This can be very useful at the moment the original HDD dies, I will need to plug in another one and I'm sure I won't find one of that era.
However, that looks like too advanced for a noob like me :P still, I love hardware, it would be a nice learning trip. I will try to install TC to the original HDD first.
-
Hi Mauricio!
I've took the look on the InstantCore partition table and it is 63 sectors/track (the same) but 255 heads and 76 cylinders. The parameters may be corrected with the help of fdisk utility. Proposed values are 63 sectors, 15 heads and 1292 cylinders. I mean attaching Your 4.3G HDD to the Debian box and repartitioning it without changing the content.
Are You looking for the next Linux challenge? ;-)
For sure I'm ready!
Just a little question, and just for the learning's sake: Why did you choose that amount of cylinders? The datasheet I linked says 8930 and the HDD label says 01 04.
One weird thing I noticed is that the label of the HDD says it has 16 heads, but the datasheet I liked says 15. We should stick to the label values or the datasheet ones?
Here is citation of the sentence prepending the table:
All DiamondMax 2160 drives feature a universal translate mode. In an AT/EISA-class system, the drive may be configured to any specified combination of cylinders, heads and sectors (within the range of the drive's formatted capacity)
I understand it in the way that both 15 or 16 heads may be chosen, while sectors/track must be 63. The 16 heads is proposed for the highest in the line and You can notice that cylinders number is very close to 2^14=16384. For 15 heads the biggest drive will demand 16278*16/15=17363 cylinders which overflows 14 bits. I think the table shows 15 heads as preferred value.
I trained at InstantCore.img in qemu emulator, that's why I demonstrated the relation between cylinder number before and after CHS parameters correction using InstantCore.img as an example, while it has the size 600M. When You will work with Your native HDD You will see another numbers, but the total capacity must be satisfied. I think that the main goal is to correct heads' number from 255 to 15 and adjust cylinders' number correspondingly, preferably to 8930 as the table proposes.
01 04 cylinders' number exceeds my level of understanding :-(
When You are planning to perform the correction?
-
Of course I can adjust heads by myself and share an adjusted image, but maybe You will like to do it by Yourself?
As an option You may load InstantCore into qemu, adjust CHS values and rewrite the corrected image to the HDD. Not bad option I guess.
-
Hi Mauricio!
I've took the look on the InstantCore partition table and it is 63 sectors/track (the same) but 255 heads and 76 cylinders. The parameters may be corrected with the help of fdisk utility. Proposed values are 63 sectors, 15 heads and 1292 cylinders. I mean attaching Your 4.3G HDD to the Debian box and repartitioning it without changing the content.
Are You looking for the next Linux challenge? ;-)
For sure I'm ready!
Just a little question, and just for the learning's sake: Why did you choose that amount of cylinders? The datasheet I linked says 8930 and the HDD label says 01 04.
One weird thing I noticed is that the label of the HDD says it has 16 heads, but the datasheet I liked says 15. We should stick to the label values or the datasheet ones?
Here is citation of the sentence prepending the table:
All DiamondMax 2160 drives feature a universal translate mode. In an AT/EISA-class system, the drive may be configured to any specified combination of cylinders, heads and sectors (within the range of the drive's formatted capacity)
I understand it in the way that both 15 or 16 heads may be chosen, while sectors/track must be 63. The 16 heads is proposed for the highest in the line and You can notice that cylinders number is very close to 2^14=16384. For 15 heads the biggest drive will demand 16278*16/15=17363 cylinders which overflows 14 bits. I think the table shows 15 heads as preferred value.
I trained at InstantCore.img in qemu emulator, that's why I demonstrated the relation between cylinder number before and after CHS parameters correction using InstantCore.img as an example, while it has the size 600M. When You will work with Your native HDD You will see another numbers, but the total capacity must be satisfied. I think that the main goal is to correct heads' number from 255 to 15 and adjust cylinders' number correspondingly, preferably to 8930 as the table proposes.
01 04 cylinders' number exceeds my level of understanding :-(
When You are planning to perform the correction?
I have all the time today, so whenever you want or can!
I already plugged the HDD to my PC.
-
Of course I can adjust heads by myself and share an adjusted image, but maybe You will like to do it by Yourself?
As an option You may load InstantCore into qemu, adjust CHS values and rewrite the corrected image to the HDD. Not bad option I guess.
Whatever option that works for you. I want to cause you the less trouble possible, and I don't have a problem trying to do it myself!
-
I think adjusting in the emulator is safer, I'd recommend it, if You have qemu installed. Envocation may vary depending on the distribution. Would You be able to run InstantCore.img as -hda in qemu? I can give an examples if You need.
Of course You'd better work with the copy.
-
I think adjusting in the emulator is safer, I'd recommend it, if You have qemu installed. Envocation may vary depending on the distribution. Would You be able to run InstantCore.img as -hda in qemu? I can give an examples if You need.
I have bad news :P I never used qemu, and I don't have it installed. I could install it and follow your commands if you think is the best option.
I think the fdisk option would be easyer? Instead of learning qemu.
-
Ok, qemu is great, but we need to know how the package is named in Your distro to install. How do You usually install the packages?
-
Oh, missed Your edit. Ok, lets continue with fdisk. So what is the name of Your HDD as it is already connected?
-
Ok, qemu is great, but we need to know how the package is named in Your distro to install. How do You usually install the packages?
Hahaha sorry. I install them via apt.
-
Oh, missed Your edit. Ok, lets continue with fdisk. So what is the name of Your HDD as it is already connected?
It is /dev/sdb
-
Nice, then obviously You need to
sudo fdisk /dev/sdb
Can You please post the output of 'p' command?
-
Nice, then obviously You need to
sudo fdisk /dev/sdb
Can You please post the output of 'p' command?
Damn, I forgot to mention, I'm doing this on another PC, so I can't copy the exact output. However I can move that PC to a location with ethernet and then we continue? It would be easyer right? I'm sorry lol
Or I could give you the exact info you need, whatever is easyer. I don't have a problem on moving that PC.
-
If it is possible to have possibility to copy the output lines immediately to forum it would be much handier, sure.
-
If it is possible to have possibility to copy the output lines immediately to forum it would be much handier, sure.
Okay! I'll be back as son as I can.
-
Nice, then obviously You need to
sudo fdisk /dev/sdb
Can You please post the output of 'p' command?
Okay, I'm back, sorry for making you wait.
This is the output:
Disk /dev/sdb: 3.93 GiB, 4223729664 bytes, 8249472 sectors
Disk model: Maxtor 84320D4
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x00000000
Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sdb1 * 2048 133119 131072 64M ef EFI (FAT-12/16/32)
/dev/sdb3 133120 1200000 1066881 520.9M 83 Linux
-
Hmm, I don't see heads and sectors info. Now please output of 'm'.
-
Hmm, I don't see heads and sectors info. Now please output of 'm'.
Help:
DOS (MBR)
a toggle a bootable flag
b edit nested BSD disklabel
c toggle the dos compatibility flag
Generic
d delete a partition
F list free unpartitioned space
l list known partition types
n add a new partition
p print the partition table
t change a partition type
v verify the partition table
i print information about a partition
Misc
m print this menu
u change display/entry units
x extra functionality (experts only)
Script
I load disk layout from sfdisk script file
O dump disk layout to sfdisk script file
Save & Exit
w write table to disk and exit
q quit without saving changes
Create a new label
g create a new empty GPT partition table
G create a new empty SGI (IRIX) partition table
o create a new empty MBR (DOS) partition table
s create a new empty Sun partition table
-
Thanks, now please 'x' and then again output of 'm'.
-
Thanks, now please 'x' and then again output of 'm'.
Help (expert commands):
DOS (MBR)
b move beginning of data in a partition
F fix partitions C/H/S values
i change the disk identifier
Geometry (for the current label)
c change number of cylinders
h change number of heads
s change number of sectors/track
Generic
p print the partition table
v verify the partition table
d print the raw data of the first sector from the device
D print the raw data of the disklabel from the device
f fix partitions order
m print this menu
Save & Exit
q quit without saving changes
r return to main menu
-
Ok, let's return to normal mode - 'r' and see output of 'i'.
-
Ok, let's return to normal mode - 'r' and see output of 'i'.
Partition number (1,3, default 3):
-
1, then 3
-
1, then 3
Output of i - 1:
Partition number (1,3, default 3): 1
Device: /dev/sdb1
Boot: *
Start: 2048
End: 133119
Sectors: 131072
Cylinders: 9
Size: 64M
Id: ef
Type: EFI (FAT-12/16/32)
Start-C/H/S: 0/33/3
End-C/H/S: 8/163/6
Attrs: 80
Output of i - 3:
Device: /dev/sdb3
Start: 133120
End: 1200000
Sectors: 1066881
Cylinders: 70
Size: 520.9M
Id: 83
Type: Linux
Start-C/H/S: 8/163/7
End-C/H/S: 78/10/53
-
Well, this version of fdisk doesn't take care of CHS at all. Let change them to what we want - 63, 15, 8930.
First we will delete both partitions, as we now their placement according to the first partition info screen:
Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sdb1 * 2048 133119 131072 64M ef EFI (FAT-12/16/32)
/dev/sdb3 133120 1200000 1066881 520.9M 83 Linux
So You are in normal (not expert) mode now. You can delete partitions with 'd' command. It will ask for partition number, please delete 1st and then 3rd.
-
Well, this version of fdisk doesn't take care of CHS at all. Let change them to what we want - 63, 15, 8930.
First we will delete both partitions, as we now their placement according to the first partition info screen:
Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sdb1 * 2048 133119 131072 64M ef EFI (FAT-12/16/32)
/dev/sdb3 133120 1200000 1066881 520.9M 83 Linux
So You are in normal (not expert) mode now. You can delete partitions with 'd' command. It will ask for partition number, please delete 1st and then 3rd.
Okay, I deleted both.
I might add i'm using a CRT monitor, and the disk is facing up (with the PCB up) and very near the monitor. Can the electric field generated by the monitor cause some data corruption or something? Just asking :)
-
I think monitor will not cause problems.
Now we need to enter the expert mode with 'x' cmd.
Then set sectors/track with 's' (63), heads with 'h' (15) and cylinders with 'c' (8930).
Then return to normal mode with 'r'.
Maybe some output will be worth posting.
-
I think monitor will not cause problems.
Now we need to enter the expert mode with 'x' cmd.
Then set sectors/track with 's' (63), heads with 'h' (15) and cylinders with 'c' (8930).
Then return to normal mode with 'r'.
Maybe some output will be worth posting.
Number of sectors (1-63, default 62): 63
Number of heads (1-255, default 248): 15
Number of cylinders (1-1048576, default 8729): 8930
-
Nice, if You are in normal mode again then let's recreate the partitions.
'n'
primary
number 1
start 2048
end 133119
'n'
primary
number 3
start 133120
end 1200000
-
Nice, if You are in normal mode again then let's recreate the partitions.
'n'
primary
number 1
start 2048
end 133119
'n'
primary
number 3
start 133120
end 1200000
After I put the end of the first one it says:
Created a new partition 1 of type 'Linux' and of size 64 MiB.
Partition #1 contains a vfat signature.
Do you want to remove the signature? [Y]es/[N]o:
-
No, we don't touch content, repartition only.
-
No, we don't touch content, repartition only.
Right. Dumb question.
Okay, I did what you said.
-
We need two more steps:
1. Set partition 1 type to EFI:
't'
partition number 1
hex type 'ef'
2. Make partition 1 bootable:
'a'
partition number 1
After You will do these please post the output of 'p'
-
We need two more steps:
1. Set partition 1 type to EFI:
't'
partition number 1
hex type 'ef'
2. Make partition 1 bootable:
'a'
partition number 1
After You will do these please post the output of 'p'
Disk /dev/sdb: 3.93 GiB, 4223729664 bytes, 8249472 sectors
Disk model: Maxtor 84320D4
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x00000000
Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sdb1 * 2048 133119 131072 64M ef EFI (FAT-12/16/32)
/dev/sdb3 133120 1200000 1066881 520.9M 83 Linux
-
I hope no partitions of the HDD we heal are mounted?
Looks quite ready to store, I think.
Please 'w'
If it will not say something bad then it would be interesting to 'sync', wait some time then disconnect the drive and try it in Your old PC.
-
I hope no partitions of the HDD we heal are mounted?
Looks quite ready to store, I think.
Please 'w'
If it will not say something bad then it would be interesting to 'sync', wait some time then disconnect the drive and try it in Your old PC.
How do I check if there are patitions mounted, just in case?
-
In TC You'd use
mount | grep '/dev/sdb'
-
also
lsblk
will show mounted partitions
-
also
lsblk
will show mounted partitions
Okay, I typed that and there is no MOUNTPOINTS at neither sdb partition. So I continue with fdisk - w?
-
Yes
-
Usually distros automount partitions. How do You avoid this?
-
Usually distros automount partitions. How do You avoid this?
I don't know to deal with that, never faced issues with automounting. Should I disable it next time I perform a repartitioning like this?
-
I hope no partitions of the HDD we heal are mounted?
Looks quite ready to store, I think.
Please 'w'
If it will not say something bad then it would be interesting to 'sync', wait some time then disconnect the drive and try it in Your old PC.
Okay, output of w:
The partition table has been altered.
Calling ioctl() to re-read partition table.
Syncing disks.
Looks like it already synced? (I'm at commandline prompt now). Should I unplug it now and try it on the other PC?
-
I don't know, I remembered suddenly about automount. Probably fdisk will refuse to edit mounted partitiion. So what is the progress with 'w'?
-
Well I'd sync manually once again to be sure :-) Yes, it would be interesting to check the homework.
-
Well I'd sync manually once again to be sure :-) Yes, it would be interesting to check the homework.
Sorry for being so annoying, but how to sync that disc manually? :)
-
sync
I think no need, everything is ready.
-
sync
I think no need, everything is ready.
Oops... Nothing, I get the same Welcome to GRUB! GRUB loading. and then reboot loop.
>:( >:(
-
:-(
Have You seen this computer boot something and if yes what was the happy booter?
-
:-(
Have You seen this computer boot something and if yes what was the happy booter?
So this PC was stored for a couple of years. About a month ago I tried to turn it on and it turned on but it gave no video. I did some searches and found a post somewhere that told me to first change the BIOS battery and try again, and it gave video.
This PC had Windows XP on it. When the PC booted it asked for some Windows repair CD or something, but I didn't bother me too much since I don't use Windows :P and tried to install TC on it directly.
-
An alternative way to try the Plop Boot Manager for booting the CD is to install the boot manager on the original HDD (https://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager/mbrinstall.html#fatinst) using another computer, similar to what you've been trying. You might need to repartition and format the HDD first, with the first partition FAT formatted. Using a floppy would still be easiest if you can. Old PCs like booting from floppies, everything else makes them cranky. :)
-
Hi!
I can not understand why GRUB can not find the data on the disk. It reads some data from BIOS. Are these data fake? But we can not repair this. Can this box be kind of hardwired for Windows only?
-
In order to exclude InstantCore.img issues I've wrote it to 4.3G HDD of my ancient Toshiba laptop with P1 and 64M of RAM. No CHS adjustments, just as is and everything was smooth excepts screen resolution (got 640*480 instead of 800*600) but it was expected. GRUB menu appeared, kernel loaded, TinyX desktop worked normally.
Toshiba SatellitePro 480CDT.
Unfortunately @Mauricio's box has tricky BIOS, and I don't know, what can be done.
-
An alternative way to try the Plop Boot Manager for booting the CD is to install the boot manager on the original HDD (https://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager/mbrinstall.html#fatinst) using another computer, similar to what you've been trying. You might need to repartition and format the HDD first, with the first partition FAT formatted. Using a floppy would still be easiest if you can. Old PCs like booting from floppies, everything else makes them cranky. :)
This sounds like could be a solution, I gotta see if I have some floppy disks somewhere, I hope the floppy drive of that PC works so I plug it on another one to write the floppys. Never used floppys before, quite an adventure! :)
-
Hi!
I can not understand why GRUB can not find the data on the disk. It reads some data from BIOS. Are these data fake? But we can not repair this. Can this box be kind of hardwired for Windows only?
Now that you mention the hardwired thing, I noticed the motherboard has some kind of switches. Here I found a photo of a random motherboard that has a similar one (the blue thing): https://image.shutterstock.com/image-photo/computer-motherboard-chip-view-dip-260nw-49645546.jpg
-
@Mauricio, can you confirm that any of the CDs you burnt will boot _any_ machine?
can you also confirm that the default bios settings have been selected, saved, and applied?
if you can't find the specifications and instructions for that exact motherboard model and version then please double-check all the numbers and then put them in a post so that we can also do some searching.
-
In order to exclude InstantCore.img issues I've wrote it to 4.3G HDD of my ancient Toshiba laptop with P1 and 64M of RAM. No CHS adjustments, just as is and everything was smooth excepts screen resolution (got 640*480 instead of 800*600) but it was expected. GRUB menu appeared, kernel loaded, TinyX desktop worked normally.
Toshiba SatellitePro 480CDT.
Unfortunately @Mauricio's box has tricky BIOS, and I don't know, what can be done.
I took a look at the BIOS.
The PC is a Compaq Deskpro EN Series SFF. Maybe I can find some datasheet or manual that says something about the configuration of those switches?
Other thing I noticed at the Storage tile, IDE Devices, Primary Drive 0 is 8182 cylinders, 16 heads and 63 sectors. Maybe the repartitioning failed? I setted up different values yesterday.
-
@Mauricio, can you confirm that any of the CDs you burnt will boot _any_ machine?
can you also confirm that the default bios settings have been selected, saved, and applied?
if you can't find the specifications and instructions for that exact motherboard model and version then please double-check all the numbers and then put them in a post so that we can also do some searching.
I tried booting a CD on another machine and it booted fine.
I just resetted the BIOS to defaults and now I get the previous error message:
GRUB loading.
Welcome to GRUB!
error: disk 'hd0,msdos1' not found.
Entering rescue mode...
grub rescue>_
The difference is that now I can use the keyboard and type things on that screen.
-
Hi Mauricio!
It looks like BIOS can not read the image on HDD due to CHS, as CNK supposed :-( You may try
grub rescue> lsbut I guess it will show nothing.
Can You confirm or show the result?
Now that I can type anything on that screen I typed ls but it started the rebooting loop again.
-
This is the System Information that I get from the BIOS.
Product Name: Compaq Deskpro EN Series SFF
Processor Type: Pentium(R) II processor 450 MHz
Processor Speed: 450/100 MHz
Processor Stepping: 652
Cache Size (L1/L2): 32/512 KB
Memory Size: 128 MB
System ROM Date: 08/21/99
System ROM Family: 686T5
System Board Revision: 01
Chassis Serial Number: 6923CBQ4A869
Asset Tracking Number:
-
Could there be a BIOS update for that machine?
-
let's try to figure out why it is rebooting. disconnect and unplug everything that is not needed for the populated motherboard to boot from the optical drive.
this should include anything in a motherboard slot that is _not-needed-for-basic-operation_ such as modems, network cards, hard drive controllers, anything/everything that might have a bad connection and/or possibly a failed and/or shorted component.
also keep in mind that not every piece of salvage is recoverable(for a multitude of _reasons_ known and unknown).
-
This is the System Information that I get from the BIOS.
Product Name: Compaq Deskpro EN Series SFF
Processor Type: Pentium(R) II processor 450 MHz
Processor Speed: 450/100 MHz
Processor Stepping: 652
Cache Size (L1/L2): 32/512 KB
Memory Size: 128 MB
System ROM Date: 08/21/99
System ROM Family: 686T5
System Board Revision: 01
Chassis Serial Number: 6923CBQ4A869
Asset Tracking Number:
I found at the bottom of the PC a label with (I hope) the speciffic model. It is PD1010
-
Could there be a BIOS update for that machine?
Hmmm I can't find any info about this PC in the internet, just images of it. I can't even boot anyway, so I can't update the BIOS.
-
let's try to figure out why it is rebooting. disconnect and unplug everything that is not needed for the populated motherboard to boot from the optical drive.
this should include anything in a motherboard slot that is _not-needed-for-basic-operation_ such as modems, network cards, hard drive controllers, anything/everything that might have a bad connection and/or possibly a failed and/or shorted component.
also keep in mind that not every piece of salvage is recoverable(for a multitude of _reasons_ known and unknown).
I unplugged the mouse, the phone line card, the floppy drive and the hard disk drive. I noticed before powering it on the front LED was blinking, and there was a little noise inside the mobo or the PSU (a relay maybe?). I only left the monitor, the keyboard and the CD drive plugged.
I will detail the booting process (between some beeps):
131072 KB OK
601-Diskette Controller Error
1782-Disk Controller Failure
917- Expansion riser not detected. Unplug machine and install riser.
162-System Options Not Set
The following configuration options were automatically updated:
No fixed disk present
Diskette Drives
F1: Save Changes
*Pressed F1*
131072 KB OK
917- Expansion riser not detected. Unplug machine and install riser.
F1: Boot
*Pressed F1*
Non-System disk or disk error
replace and strike any key when ready
_
-
I'm starting to worry about making things worse :-\
I think I should buy a floppy disk sometime in the future and try the Plop Boot manager solution that CNK proposed.
-
here are more links that may or may-not be of informational value
i visited this hp support webpage today and was able to select os(windowsXP) and os version(32-bit) and selected submit and the webpage that resolved had "software and drivers"
https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/compaq-deskpro-en-small-form-factor-series/96268
other questionable links:
https://browser.geekbench.com/geekbench2/2651941
https://www.wimsbios.com/forum/motherboard-dead-f30/686t5-rom-compaq-t3844.html
https://us.driverscollection.com/_47289991188b8b53503ca33a93d/Download-HP-Compaq-Deskpro-EN-P866-(v)-Intel-PRO-100-NIC-Drivers-v.3.14-D-for-Windows-NT-free
https://pcrebuilding.altervista.org/93/1918/TOTAL+HARDWARE+99+2.0/SOCKET+2%2C3+AM-BI/ATC__UNITRON+COMPUTER+%26+COMPUTER+PARTS+U+6923+486.html
links provided for informational value only, i would seriously advise extreme caution before downloading anything.
also that hp webpage described your optical drive as being a "CD-ROM"(so only a reader, and not a writer...usually fairly easy to determine from the optical drive faceplate and/or labels/stickers)
-
with respect to your success in reply #96, what happens when you add back in just the floppy drive? does it sound like it is trying to read a disk during the boot-up sequence?
-
In case the reboot in GRUB is due to faulty RAM causing a glitch, you could see if there's an option to disable "quick boot" or "fast memory self-test" or something similar in the BIOS settings. That would check the RAM more completely at start-up and possibly detect a failure that's missed during the default fast RAM test. Running Memtest86 would be better again, but that would need to be booted from a floppy or CD.
If there's more than one RAM stick installed, try booting with just one, then if it's the same try again with just the other stick.
-
Hi CNK
... If there's more than one RAM stick installed, try booting with just one, then if it's the same try again with just the other stick.
He's only got 128 Meg as it is:
This is the System Information that I get from the BIOS.
Product Name: Compaq Deskpro EN Series SFF
Processor Type: Pentium(R) II processor 450 MHz
Processor Speed: 450/100 MHz
Processor Stepping: 652
Cache Size (L1/L2): 32/512 KB
Memory Size: 128 MB
System ROM Date: 08/21/99
System ROM Family: 686T5
System Board Revision: 01
Chassis Serial Number: 6923CBQ4A869
Asset Tracking Number:
-
... If there's more than one RAM stick installed, try booting with just one, then if it's the same try again with just the other stick.
He's only got 128 Meg as it is:
48MB is still the stated minimum required for booting TC. So if he's got 2x64MB sticks then he should be able to boot with one, then buy a replacement for the broken one if required.
The Pentium 3 laptop that I'm posting from now, built around 2002, originally came with optionally one or two sticks of 128MB RAM. For his BIOS date in 1999 (and the BIOS might have been updated after manufacture) two sticks of 64MB making up 128MB isn't so unlikely.
-
...
I think I should buy a floppy disk sometime in the future and try the Plop Boot manager solution that CNK proposed.
in most regions there is usually _someone_ who has unused and unwanted computer stuff. that would give you additional possibilities for all sorts of parts/peripherals/etc.
-
Hi Mauricio
On the chance that what you are trying to boot is too
new for your machine, try TinyCore-4.7.7.iso from here:
http://tinycorelinux.net/4.x/x86/release/
for the GUI version.
Or you can try Core-4.7.7.iso for a command line version.
-
with respect to your success in reply #96, what happens when you add back in just the floppy drive? does it sound like it is trying to read a disk during the boot-up sequence?
It made that sound always when I turned it up. I plugged just the floppy drive and it did sounds (I don't know how a floppy disk reading sounds hahaha, I'm too young :P), it made one 'plop' and then like a sequence of three. I think also a light of the drive blinked.
-
In case the reboot in GRUB is due to faulty RAM causing a glitch, you could see if there's an option to disable "quick boot" or "fast memory self-test" or something similar in the BIOS settings. That would check the RAM more completely at start-up and possibly detect a failure that's missed during the default fast RAM test. Running Memtest86 would be better again, but that would need to be booted from a floppy or CD.
If there's more than one RAM stick installed, try booting with just one, then if it's the same try again with just the other stick.
I just found some options about the booting process. It was at QuickBoot mode (I changed it to FullBoot), also I enabled POST messages. Still, I gonna wait for gadget42's response before I assembly the machine.
Also, could be the QuickBoot that is preventing to the machine booting with Linux?
-
Hi Mauricio
QuickBoot bypasses the memory test to reduce the wait time
prior to booting.
-
...
I think I should buy a floppy disk sometime in the future and try the Plop Boot manager solution that CNK proposed.
in most regions there is usually _someone_ who has unused and unwanted computer stuff. that would give you additional possibilities for all sorts of parts/peripherals/etc.
Yep, for my luck, this is not my case hahaha. I never met someone who cared about old hardware, most people will dump it. I managed to save just one full PC from a side of a dumpster, is the one I used for installing the InstantCore image into the Pentium II HDD. I found like 2 cabinets with some mobos inside (with RAM sticks), I gotta buy a PSU and try those.
I envy you guys, there is all sort of vintage electronics in USA and people that care about them and keep them in good condition :)
-
Hi Mauricio
On the chance that what you are trying to boot is too
new for your machine, try TinyCore-4.7.7.iso from here:
http://tinycorelinux.net/4.x/x86/release/
for the GUI version.
Or you can try Core-4.7.7.iso for a command line version.
Never thought about this. I assumed that the new TC releases were 'compatible' with hardware this old.
-
Hi Mauricio
QuickBoot bypasses the memory test to reduce the wait time
prior to booting.
Oh, okay. I thought it was something similar to Fast Boot that gave a lot of Linux users some trouble :)
-
getting more familiar with the bios is a good thing. i usually run the full-boot a few times to see the memory checks succeed and then switch back to quick-boot so it doesn't take as long to boot. you can plug the cd-rom drive back in and see if the bios gives you the option to make it the first-boot device. you should be aware that some motherboards of that era might not be able to boot from a cd-rom. in that case, the machine would boot from a system floppy and then load cd-rom driver(s) from the floppy for whichever optical drive is installed. hopefully that makes some sense. keep us posted!
-
getting more familiar with the bios is a good thing. i usually run the full-boot a few times to see the memory checks succeed and then switch back to quick-boot so it doesn't take as long to boot. you can plug the cd-rom drive back in and see if the bios gives you the option to make it the first-boot device. you should be aware that some motherboards of that era might not be able to boot from a cd-rom. in that case, the machine would boot from a system floppy and then load cd-rom driver(s) from the floppy for whichever optical drive is installed. hopefully that makes some sense. keep us posted!
I booted with the FullBoot option + POST enabled but I didn't notice a difference.
I actually moved at the beginning the CD drive boot to the first, and second the HDD.
-
I got some news.
After I re-assembled the machine (connected everything as it was) and booted, it showed the next screen:
131072 KB OK
The following configuration options were automatically updated:
Disk 1: 4222 Mbytes
If you are running Unix, you need to configure your system using the COMPAQ User Diagnostics diskette.
Thats the diskette asking message I was mentioning earlier on the topic.
Also, I created a bootable CD with Plop Boot Manager on it using wodim with the next arguments, and again, it won't boot:
speed=10 padsize=63s -pad -dao -v -eject
-
With it passing the memory test when "quick boot" is disabled, that makes it less likely that faulty RAM is the issue. Continuing with booting Plop Boot Manager from floppy or HDD is probably the next obvious step. Burning Plop BM to a CD was a pretty long shot because the idea is to use it as an alternative to the broken CD boot system of the BIOS, but I guess it was worth a try.
Other options would be to try installing TC to the HDD with Extlinux as the bootloader instead of GRUB. Or to install DOS on the HDD and use that to boot TC via Loadlin or install Plop BM on the HDD using its DOS installer program.
But I guess you won't be comfortable with the DOS option if floppies are from before your time. I'll say again that I have the same issue with a CD boot option that doesn't work on the mid-90s PC I'm posting from now, and booting to a Plop Boot Manager floppy then selecting the CDROM boot option from that works to boot TC from CD. Maybe ask older relatives if they've still got some old floppies deep in a dusty cupboard? That's how I got plenty of spares after they went out of use - I don't have friends into old computers either, I just benefit from people getting rid of 'junk'.
-
With it passing the memory test when "quick boot" is disabled, that makes it less likely that faulty RAM is the issue. Continuing with booting Plop Boot Manager from floppy or HDD is probably the next obvious step. Burning Plop BM to a CD was a pretty long shot because the idea is to use it as an alternative to the broken CD boot system of the BIOS, but I guess it was worth a try.
Other options would be to try installing TC to the HDD with Extlinux as the bootloader instead of GRUB. Or to install DOS on the HDD and use that to boot TC via Loadlin or install Plop BM on the HDD using its DOS installer program.
But I guess you won't be comfortable with the DOS option if floppies are from before your time. I'll say again that I have the same issue with a CD boot option that doesn't work on the mid-90s PC I'm posting from now, and booting to a Plop Boot Manager floppy then selecting the CDROM boot option from that works to boot TC from CD. Maybe ask older relatives if they've still got some old floppies deep in a dusty cupboard? That's how I got plenty of spares after they went out of use - I don't have friends into old computers either, I just benefit from people getting rid of 'junk'.
The next step will be booting from a floppy, for sure. From the beginning it sounded like the solution. I will see if I can get a floppy one of this days, maybe some older relatives have one as you said.
Just a little question, can my PC boot from the come common 1.44mb floppys? Or your PC only supports the 720kb ones?
-
Hi Mauricio
There's nothing in the bios that reports what size floppy drive was detected?
-
That PC will undoubtedly read 1.44MB floppies fine. Assuming it's a 3.5" drive, which is surely what the original would have been in a Pentium II PC, so I think it must be.
Of course if your goal is to boot the Live CD to test it out then install TC to the HDD if everything works, then manually installing TC on the HDD and maybe using an alternative bootloader to GRUB might to be a shortcut for that. Manually installing TC to HDD actually just requires formatting, copying a couple of files off the CD (vmlinuz and core.gz), then setting up the boot loader (which may be the tricky part).
-
@Mauricio: I'm just now coming into the conversation and have NOT completely read the entire thread, so forgive me if I ask questions which have already been answered.
- Do you have access to a "more recent" computer which can boot from USB?
- Do you have access to a USB to IDE/SATA adapter?
- Do you have access to a USB CD and/or DVD drive?
- Take one of the memory chips out of the Pentium II machine - if there's a sticker on it, what's the ID?
(it'll usually begin with "PC" like PC100-something or just PCsomething, etc.) - There's mention of a floppy drive; do you have KNOWN TO BE GOOD floppies to use in it?
- What country do you reside in?
With a vintage machine, you run VERY GOOD chances that the optical drive is filthy just from sitting around for the past two decades and may not read anything you put inside it. The rubber belt that opens and closes the drawer is also VERY likely half-shot or worse, so DO NOT put in any CDs you cannot afford to lose and/or you must be willing to dissect the CD drive in order to get it out. That said, if you want to resurrect the machine:
To "cheat" -- if you have a newer machine which you can connect the old hard drive to that CAN boot to USB and/or CD, disconnect its hard drive and connect the OLD one and just install Tiny Core using the newer machine. You'll then be able to take the old drive, reinstall it into the P-II computer and you should be up and running, bypassing the need for CDs completely. You will then want to test the USB ports to make sure you have at least one working port (they can oxidize in decades of not being used) -- if so, should you need extensions added to your install to get the remainder of the machine up and running (networking, etc.) you now have the means to do so.
A portable USB based CD/DVD drive tends to come in handy for older machines where their own optical drives either don't exist or don't function correctly.
An IDE/SATA adapter (also USB based) allows you to plug in a hard drive from an older machine into a newer machine without fuss.