How I make a boot disk

BX-8017 · 2007-07-16 20:53:54

Hello.

I'm an absolut Linux beginner and I tried to install archlinux on an external HDD, because my internal windows drives are dynamic logical Volumes and this doesn't work with Linux.

After the installation from the CD I noticed that I cannopt boot from USB HDD because of the BIOS.

How I make a boot disk (floppy) now ? The wiki guide doesn't help because if I boot from the installation CD I don't have the command fdformat and the command pacman - S grub works neither.

Can you help?

Best Regards

BX-8017

Excuse by bad language please, I'm not english!

Lone_Wolf · 2007-07-17 09:09:04

The wiki guide is meant to create a bootdisk from a working install, so it's no help for your case.

However, the installation cd allows you to boot into another installation then that on the cd.

at the prompt boot :]/b]
type [b]arch root=/dev/???

REPLACE ??? with the device identification you used for your usb hdd during install, it will probably be something like sda1 .

BX-8017 · 2007-07-17 15:29:10

Hi,

can you please explain further what does these commands do ???

I which kind this has something to do with my floppy drive ?

Does your commands mean that I have to boot with the cd always to run my Linux on the external hdd?

Regards
BX-8017

Lone_Wolf · 2007-07-17 17:43:36

The wiki instructions for making a grub bootflop can only be done when you have booted into an existing arch installation.

You can't boot your install directly , so you can't apply those instructions FOR NOW.

The command arch root=/dev/sda1 tells the cd to boot the arch installation on found on device sda , first partition 1 .

USB devices are normally detected as sdxy , x and y depend on the devices present in your system.

During installation you have partitioned this drive, with a bit of luck you'll remember what it was called.

ONCE you have booted into the arch installation on the usb hdd, you can then apply the wiki instructions to create a bootfloppy.

Note :
- It is possible to start arch from the windows bootloader, but this is tricky and complicated.
- afaik the grub bootfloppy needs some files from your installation, so others can't build it for you.

BX-8017 · 2007-07-17 20:34:38

Ok,

I found a grub boot disk on the net, it was a super grub boot disk. I deleted nearly all files and just copied my files from /boot/grub in the grub directory of the floppy disk. I used the windows tool "explore2fs" to get acces to my boot partition with the grub directory.

Her is my menu.lst:
.
.
.
.
# (0) Arch Linux
title Arch Linux
root (hd2,0)
kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sdc1 ro vga=773
initrd /kernel26.img

# (1) Arch Linux
title Arch Linux Fallback
root (hd2,0)
kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sdc1 ro vga=773
initrd /kernel26-fallback.img

# (1) Windows
title Windows XP
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

It doesn't work, because the hd 2,0 is not found from grub. (Selected disk does not exist)

It seams that grub is not recognizing my usb hdd at start up ?!?! but this cannot be, because during the installation process it is.

Many Thanks

BX-8017

PS The possibility to boot Arch with the Windows Bootmanager is interesting. Maybe we can discuss this later.....

Last edited by BX-8017 (2007-07-18 15:36:57)

Lone_Wolf · 2007-07-18 16:41:21

Iirc grub uses a special file in boot (system.map ? ) to find all devices.
Did you copy the files from /boot also ?

Does arch boot if you use arch root=dev/sdc1 from the install cd ?

The main thing now is to get you to be able to boot into arch, once that has been dealt with you can make a new thread about booting arch from the windows bootmanager.

BX-8017 · 2007-07-18 17:23:15

Hi,

I think you mean the file device. Is this necessary? Where the file "decive.map" is normally on the harddisk.

The directory /boot is on dev/sdc2 and it is empty. I don't understand this. On the beginning of the installation with autoprepare the mountmoint root was on /sdc1 ?!?!

If I use the arch root options after booting from cd i get a kernel panic,,, initd not found.

One moment, I have to try it again to tell you the exact error....

.....
kinit: Mounted root (ext3 filesystem) readonly
kiniz: init not found
kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init

Last edited by BX-8017 (2007-07-18 17:32:23)

Lone_Wolf · 2007-07-18 17:46:30

That error suggests sdc1 is NOT your root, so we need to figure out your partition layout.

I think autoprepare puts boot and root on 2 different partitions.

Find out on what partition /dev and /etc are located, that one must be the root partition.

BX-8017 · 2007-07-18 19:09:22

Hi,

I'm a little bit confused now. I made a complete new installation now with manual partition and I set the boot partition to sdc1, the swap partition to sdc2 and the "/" to sdc3 and what happened, I can start arch from cd woth the option arch root=/dev/sdc3 !!

I don't understand what and how exactrly I've done. But all the directories you mentoned above are in the same partition now.

I made then a boot disk like explained in wiki. It works. But the error stays the same: selected disk does not exisit !!

That means for me, some kind of "USB" driver is not loaded. Do you have an idea how to do this?

Best Regards
BX-8017

Lone_Wolf · 2007-07-18 19:54:49

Grub access usb drives through the BIOS.
Since your system can't boot from usb, your mobo probably doesn't have bios support for usb drives.

The reason that the arch installcd works is that it loads the necessary Linux usb driver and then can access your system.

All i can find on the net about booting linux on a usb device when the bios doesn't support booting from usb talks about using a bootcd.

One last thing to try :
the /boot/grub/device.map (should be on sdc1 in your setup) might tell you what drive grub thinks the usbdrive is on.

BX-8017 · 2007-07-18 20:17:31

Hi,

this is also my last idea, to put the device.map on the disk !!

Strange is that my bios can boot from usb fdd (floppy) and usb cardreader and I thought always usb is usb but it doesn't work !!

The other thing is, at the beginning of booting Windows or Linux all usb devices are listet on screeb, also the usb HDD. Anyway arch cannot boot this with the floppy!

Thank you very very very........MUCH.

No I,m nearly a linux specialist because of your help LOL

Best Regards
BX-8017

rayjgu3 · 2007-07-18 20:33:22

BX-8017
try using lilo
i installed arch on an external a while back & experienced the same problem you are describing using grub but lilo worked fine

#
# /etc/lilo.conf
#

boot=/dev/fd0

# This line often fixes L40 errors on bootup
# disk=/dev/hda bios=0x80

default=arch
timeout=50
lba32
prompt

image=/boot/vmlinuz26
    label=arch
    root=/dev/sda3
    initrd=/boot/kernel26.img
    read-only

image=/boot/vmlinuz26
    label=arch-fallback
    root=/dev/sda3
    initrd=/boot/kernel26-fallback.img
    read-only

other=/dev/hda1
    label=windows

notice the boot line, that tells lilo where to put boot loader fd0=floppy

Lone_Wolf · 2007-07-18 20:33:34

BX-8017 wrote:

Hi,
Strange is that my bios can boot from usb fdd (floppy) and usb cardreader and I thought always usb is usb but it doesn't work !!

Maybe the solution is easier than we thought :

run cfdisk /dev/sdc from the cd (install/rescue) and check if sdc1 has BOOT as flag.
If i doesn't set it.

Without this flag the drive is often seen as not bootable by bios !

BX-8017 · 2007-07-18 21:37:53

I'm sure I set it, hmmmmm....

I think I will install this new. This i not a solution for ever!

I have to install Windows again without dynamic volumes. Then I will use my 2nd internal drive for Linux. And the external drive I wil use for datas.

@rai: Tsss, that would be a joke, if it works with lilo !!!

See you later....

BX-8017

Arch Linux

#1 2007-07-16 20:53:54

How I make a boot disk

#2 2007-07-17 09:09:04

Re: How I make a boot disk

#3 2007-07-17 15:29:10

Re: How I make a boot disk

#4 2007-07-17 17:43:36

Re: How I make a boot disk

#5 2007-07-17 20:34:38

Re: How I make a boot disk

#6 2007-07-18 16:41:21

Re: How I make a boot disk

#7 2007-07-18 17:23:15

Re: How I make a boot disk

#8 2007-07-18 17:46:30

Re: How I make a boot disk

#9 2007-07-18 19:09:22

Re: How I make a boot disk

#10 2007-07-18 19:54:49

Re: How I make a boot disk

#11 2007-07-18 20:17:31

Re: How I make a boot disk

#12 2007-07-18 20:33:22

Re: How I make a boot disk

#13 2007-07-18 20:33:34

Re: How I make a boot disk

#14 2007-07-18 21:37:53

Re: How I make a boot disk

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