7 replies to this topic

[Burner727]

Hello,
I have quite old laptop Fujitsu Siemens B2130 with Win98 installed on it. It's very old OS, so I think it would be nice to install Damn Small Linux there. But it hasn't CD-ROM, USB boot install and I found UNetbootin. I was trying to run default live install of DSL, next I download a normal dsl-4.4.10.iso and install it from custom ISO.

Result was the same - unable to load DOS file. Maybe something is wrong with paths? Or UNetbootin just doesn't work with this old MS system...

Here's menu.lst:

default 0

timeout 10



title UNetbootin

find --set-root /unetbtin/ubnkern

kernel  /unetbtin/ubnkern 

initrd /unetbtin/ubninit 

boot

The path is Linux-like, so does UNetbootin mount C:\ as / ? Furthermore, there is C:\unetbtin but there's no ubnkern and ubninit...

Any help will be appreciated

[was_jaclaz]

Result was the same - unable to load DOS file. Maybe something is wrong with paths? Or UNetbootin just doesn't work with this old MS system...

Result of what?
That is not a GRUB/grub4dos message AFAICR.

The path is Linux-like, so does UNetbootin mount C:\ as / ? Furthermore, there is C:\unetbtin but there's no ubnkern and ubninit...

I don't get it:
this:

find --set-root /unetbtin/ubnkern

means find on ANY drive accessible file "ubnkern" inside directory "unetbootin" under the root of that drive AND set as ROOT the drive where that file is found.

There are no such things as "drive letters" or "C:\" at the grub4dos level, devices are identified by:
(fdx) for floppy disks i.e. first floppy is (fd0)
(hdx,y) for hard disk like devices, (hd0,0) is first partition on first hard disk (your USB stick if you boot from it)
This:

kernel /unetbtin/ubnkern

means load a Linux kernel named "ubnkern" situated in a directory named "unetbtin" under the root of current ROOT device.

initrd /unetbtin/ubninit

means use as intial ramdisk the file "ubinint" situated in a directory named "unetbtin" under the root of current ROOT device.

boot

this means NOTHING inside a menu.lst, the boot command is implied in menu.lst but needed on command line.

If the files are missing, obviously nothing of the above can work, something must have gone wrong in usung UNETBOOTIN.

I would try re-running from scratch, then use Command Line:
http://diddy.boot-la...s/files/cli.htm
http://diddy.boot-la...iles/basics.htm
entering each command one by one, using autocompletion [TAB] featrures and report the EXACT feedback grub4dos gives after each command has been entered.

Or are you trying to run UNETBOOTIN under win98?
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

Requirements
Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7, or Linux

jaclaz

[Burner727]

On few sites I saw that it should work on Win98 and I hoped that this information on official site will be wrong...

So is there any other similar method to install DSL on this laptop? Without CD ROM/USB, without connecting HDD to other computer etc.

[was_jaclaz]

On few sites I saw that it should work on Win98 and I hoped that this information on official site will be wrong...

Interesting approach , one step further over non-reading, reading and ignoring "in the hope that"....

So is there any other similar method to install DSL on this laptop? Without CD ROM/USB, without connecting HDD to other computer etc.

Maybe you should explain better.
I don't see how, even IF unetbootin ran under Win98, you made the .iso or unetbootin itself available on that machine.

As is the ONLY way I can read the "etc.":

So is there any other similar method to install DSL on this laptop? Without CD ROM/USB, without connecting HDD to other computer etc.

Is by interpreting the sentence as:

So is there any other similar method to install DSL on this laptop? By sheer magic, I mean.

To which of course the answer is :

• Dig a hole in the ground under an oak tree.
• Put the laptop in it.
• Put as many install Cd's you can find in it.
• Cover the hole with ground and ashes of a burned wooden cross previously painted with bat blood (must be a female bat).
  (the above must be done with full moon)
• Water as much as needed. (but not too much)
• Wait enough.
• Several laptops will grow on the tree each with already installed an OS.
• The trick is getting the one with DSL installed when it's ripe enough, but not too much.

Now, if we come back to the real world, can you describe what you want to do and some "normal" means that you have available?



jaclaz

[Burner727]

To which of course the answer is :

• Dig a hole in the ground under an oak tree.
• Put the laptop in it.
• Put as many install Cd's you can find in it.
• Cover the hole with ground and ashes of a burned wooden cross previously painted with bat blood (must be a female bat).
  (the above must be done with full moon)
• Water as much as needed. (but not too much)
• Wait enough.
• Several laptops will grow on the tree each with already installed an OS.
• The trick is getting the one with DSL installed when it's ripe enough, but not too much.

Haha, great story or tip In fact, maybe I wasn't clear, but if first post I write something like

I have quite old laptop Fujitsu Siemens B2130 with Win98 installed on it. It's very old OS, so I think it would be nice to install Damn Small Linux there.

So:

• I would like to install DSL on this laptop
• this notebook doesn't have CD ROM or USB boot option
• it has smaller HDD with smaller socket so I can't connect it to PC
• I have an Internet access at this laptop

So I'm looking for solution like UNetbootin or Win32 Debian Installer which can install DSL from Windows.

[was_jaclaz]

So:

• ...
• I have an Internet access at this laptop

Good.

Then you can:

• download to that machine from the internet grub4dos:
  http://nufans.net/grub4dos/
  http://nufans.net/gr...-2009-10-16.zip
• download one of the .iso's directly bootable from grub4dos through (hd32) mapping (which comprises DSL initrd version ):
  http://www.boot-land...?...=5041&st=32
  http://distro.ibibli...4.10-initrd.iso
• run grub4dos as grub.exe from the DOS of Win98, read the guide:
  http://diddy.boot-la...os/Grub4dos.htm
  http://diddy.boot-la...install_dos.htm
• run DSL from the .iso
• install DSL from lthe "live" DSL (if you want to)

jaclaz

[Burner727]

Thanks! This brings me a little closer, but...

I extracted the archive with grub4dos and I've put content of grub4dos-0.4.4 folder to C:\Grub4dos. I've copied grub.exe to C:\ and restarted computer. I've run boot menu by pressing F8 and run "Command prompt only". Then I tryed run grub.exe (firstly from root path, then from inside Grub4dos folder) but I get:

Failure restore ROM INT 0x09 vector, Unsupported dos, device driver, or TSR.

[was_jaclaz]

.... I get:

Failure restore ROM INT 0x09 vector, Unsupported dos, device driver, or TSR.

Which probably means you have an

Unsupported dos, device driver, or TSR

running.

Boot to command line DOS skipping Autoexec.bat and config.sys or check them to see whatever you are running in them and temporarily disable them.
The DOS from Windows 98 works allright, normally.

jaclaz