Linux/Linux Install Help

[Radiowriter]

I use RedHat 8.0 and just recently installed Mandrake 9.1 on my machine. Since installing, I get a swapon message during bootup about an Invalid Argument (hda5?) but my RedHat install works like it always has. Mandrake however does not appear in my GRUB menu and I can't figure out how to boot it.

I'd rather not mess up my RedHat install since it's working fabulously. Is there a way to manipulate partitions in Linux (like Partition Magic in Windows)? I looked at the documentation on "parted" but it seems complicated.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[mdwatts]

Did you install the Mandrake bootloader into the Mandrake's boot/root partition and then add a entry to boot Mandrake in the Redhat bootloader config?

Edit Redhat's /boot/grub/grub.conf and add a new section for Mandrake. Search the JL forums for 'dualboot linux' if you need to find examples.

During installation, Mandrake should have detected the existing Redhat swap partition and setup /etc/fstab to use that.

[Radiowriter]

I'm trying but not having much success. Let's try an example. I need to add something like this...

title Mandrake Linux 9.1 (2.4.7-3)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.7-3 ro root=/dev/hda5
initrd /initrd-2.4.7-3.img

to my grub.conf, right? But, in order to do so, I have to know which kernel is installed with Mandrake. Is this correct? If so, how do I find out? The kernel listed above is just an example.

Sorry to be such a noob.

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by Radiowriter

title Mandrake Linux 9.1 (2.4.7-3)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.7-3 ro root=/dev/hda5
initrd /initrd-2.4.7-3.img


You need to add /boot so the kernel and initrd can be found in the Mandrake root partition.

If you didn't create a separate /boot partition for Mandrake (no reason you should have), and the root partition is hda5, make these changes

title Mandrake Linux 9.1 (2.4.7-3)
root (hd0,4)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.7-3 ro root=/dev/hda5
initrd /boot/initrd-2.4.7-3.img

While in Redhat, mount the hda5 partition and look for the correct vmlinuz and initrd names.

As root

mkdir /mnt/hda5

mount -t ext3 /dev/hda5 /mnt/hda5

ls -al /mnt/hda5/boot

Take a note of the names

umount /mnt/hda5

[Radiowriter]

Originally posted by mdwatts

ls -al /mnt/hda5/boot


All is fine to this point. Then can't find file or directory.

[mdwatts]

What about

ls -al /mnt/hda5

??

Do you see

/bin
/boot
/dev
/etc
/home

etc. ?

[Radiowriter]

Here's the output...

total 12
drwxr-xr-x 9 root root 1024 Aug 12 15:26 .
drwxr-xr-x 6 root root 4096 Aug 14 12:16 ..
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 1024 Aug 12 15:26 dev
drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 1024 Aug 12 15:26 etc
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 1024 Aug 12 15:26 home
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 1024 Aug 12 15:26 mnt
drwx------ 4 root root 1024 Aug 12 15:26 root
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 1024 Aug 12 15:26 tmp
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 1024 Aug 12 15:26 var

[mdwatts]

It would appear you created more than one partition for installing Mandrake or else something went wrong with the install.

What partitions did you create and what are the devices?

fdisk -l /dev/hda

[Radiowriter]

Command not found?

Guess I'm not being very helpful here but I sure feel like some sort of progress is being made. Thanks for taking the time.

[rid3r]

you have to type it as root:
$ su
# /sbin/fdisk -l /dev/hda

[Radiowriter]

Disk /dev/hda: 240 heads, 63 sectors, 833 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15120 * 512 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 1 0 0 Empty
Partition 1 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
phys=(0, 0, 0) logical=(0, 0, 1)
Partition 1 has different physical/logical endings:
phys=(0, 0, 0) logical=(284058, 164, 4)
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary:
phys=(0, 0, 0) should be (0, 239, 63)
/dev/hda2 324 351 211680 83 Linux
/dev/hda3 352 758 3076920 83 Linux
/dev/hda4 1 833 6297448+ 5 Extended
/dev/hda5 1 32 241857 83 Linux
/dev/hda6 759 833 566968+ 82 Linux swap
/dev/hda7 33 184 1149088+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda8 185 215 234328+ 82 Linux swap
/dev/hda9 216 323 816448+ 83 Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order

I hope I haven't screwed this up too bad. This box originally had Win98 on it. I added RedHat 8.0 and later removed as much of Windows as it would let me. When I inserted the Mandrake install cd I pretty much let it do what it wanted. Can this still be fixed?

[Radiowriter]

I suppose I'll get in trouble for bumping this thread but I'm rather anxious to get this straightened out. My sincere appreciation for your understanding.

[rid3r]

It looks pretty messed up.
Find out exactly which partitions RedHat resides on:
$ mount (will print the current mounted partitions)
$ cat /etc/fstab
Use cfdisk to dellete the MDK partitions and the remains of Windows partitions:
$ su
# /usr/sbin/cfdisk /dev/hda (it is pretty easy to use, just delete the bogus partitions).
WARNING: make sure none of the partitions you are going to delete is mounted. Unmount them if they are.
Reinstall Mandrake.

[Radiowriter]

Thanks a lot. I'll let you know how I come out.

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by Radiowriter
I suppose I'll get in trouble for bumping this thread but I'm rather anxious to get this straightened out. My sincere appreciation for your understanding.

No problem...

Sorry as I was hit with the power blackout and didn't get my power back until 24 hours later (yesterday at 4:15 p.m.) and didn't want to take the chance to use my pc as they were warning us of rolling blackouts.

Did you get it working yet?

[Radiowriter]

Thanks for checking back. Actually, I may have to give up. I tried to run cfdisk and get an error about being "unable to partition (or something)." I think it has more to do with the left over Windows crap than the Linux excess.

I'm a little frustrated. It's funny how my system is running like a top on what appears to be a bed of rubble. I bought a 40 gig drive to get breathing room but need to backup my files somehow first. I'm having CD-RW troubles (okay, so the top wobbles a bit) and can't backup.

Is there another way to get in there (to remove partitions)...or am I screwed?

[mdwatts]

Try (as root) to use fdisk to remove partitions or you may have parted installed which may work.

/usr/sbin/parted

I would really suggest you delete ALL partitions and reinstall everything since your HD seems to be messed up. Did you delete partitions and recreate without rebooting in between?