Re: [LI] >> Large HARDDISKs and LOWLEVEL TRANSLATORS << problem with RH6.1 installation

[C Hanish Menon <hanish@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi

> It's IDE 8.3 GB Seagate HDD, partitioned with Seagate DM. Win 98 loaded. One
> primary partition with win98 in it, another exteded one with two logical.
> All partitions FAT32.
>     With PMagic, freed space ( 1.5 GB ) on the last logical partition
> intending to load Linux RH 6.1 (PCQ). HDD in LBA mode since loding of Win98.
>     Made boot disk for linux. Booted from it. Did not choose text mode.
> Everything seemed to be going all right till the selection of installation
> from CD ROM, when after lots of activities in CD ROM drive (Samsung 48x),
> the monitor failed to show up anything (turned black).

As there are some problem with the way BIOS, OS, IDE interfaces and Harddisks
communicate with One Another. In older systems or Systems with OLD BIOSES and
also some RATHER SLOW TO ADOPT OSes one can't directly access Large disks. To
overcome this the Disk drive vendors use special LOWLEVEL programs which
normaly are loaded even before your OS loads to Patch the required BIOS
services suitable and PROVIDE your OS with a NORMAL HARDDISK. ( In terms of the
CHS of your Harddisk and do the required TRANSALATION). These LowLEVEL programs
are PUT IN YOUR HARDDISK in its MBR, so that BIOS Hands over control to it even
before your OS loads.

>From what you have written above You are MOST PROBABLY using the Seagates
LOWLEVEL TRANSLATOR (what ever its called I don't remember the name) in your
Harddisks  MBR.  So your system will SEE your HARDDISK PROPERLY only if
the CODE IN the MBR gets loaded. But when you booted from the BOOT DISK it
completely BYPASSED this CODE in MBR. So Linux was not able to see your
HARDDISK PARTITIONS properly and this would have lead to the blank screen. With
these AUTOMATED INSTALL SCRIPTS you cann't pinpoint immidiately.

If I am not wrong there should be documentation with your SEAGATE DM or with
your HARDDISK to tell you as to how to make boot disks which have the LOWLEVEL
TRANSLATOR. Also linux may have a Howto as to how to take care of this
situation do check out once. I can tell you INSTALLING in such a situation
without booting from your Harddisk is a pain. This may require a bit of messing
up the things to get it to work.

>      Changed from LBA to Normal mode and tried to boot again. This time it
> failed even to boot saying HDD is not recognizable (or something similar).
>     Please help.
> It's PII 400, Trident 4 mb AGP card, Samtrom 50E.
> 

The way your Harddisk sectors are assessed or mapped with and without LBA will
be different for most of the cases. So if you had used LBA initialy when
partitoning or so, then You will require it always enabled to use the Existing
contents of your harddisk properly.


NOTE: Your PII 400 should have a sufficiently NEW BIOS which should be able to
access your 8.3 GB Disk with out any requirement for additional LOWLEVEL
TRANSLATOR. In future if you get a situation to throw away all your existing
contents in the DISK and START newly don't use the Seagate DM, Your BIOS should
be able to take care of your HardDisk properly.

---------
Keep :-)
HanishKVC
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