Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

craftybytes · Joined: 17 Nov 2006 Posts: 298 Location: QLD AUSTRALIA

sheine,

If I read your posts correctly - your MEPIS & your Pclinuxos & Ubuntu - all boot up OK - you only seem to be having probs with the installs of Puppy..?

All I can say is - 'look' at how those distro's are "worded" in the menu.lst file - AND LEARN from them...!!!

I would say that the 'MEPIS' listing is the closest to what you need for Puppy - SO - as an example I list it here:

technowomble · Posted: Thu 11 Oct 2007, 14:09 Post subject: Boot problem - frugal install

I'm having a similar problem to the one sheine originally posted with, I've done a frugal install of Puppy 2.17 - actually the Prism beta - and can't get it to boot. I'm pretty up to speed on linux in general, but this is the first time I've tried editing a grub menu, I found the original script provided gave a file not found error, trying some suggestions from this thread got me to the point where I was getting the kernel panic message. Here's my menu.lst - ignore the two entries of /puppy217, all that's done is to get me back to ' error 15 - file not found '!

Apologies, can't work out how to post the menu.lst, copy/paste doesn't seem to work!

Bruce B · Posted: Thu 11 Oct 2007, 14:38 Post subject:

one method

ctrl+a to select
ctrl+c to copy to clipboard
ctrl+v to paste into application

another method

select text with mouse and leave selected
click down on mouse wheel to paste into application

another method
too hard to post howto, but it has to do with menu options

technowomble · Posted: Thu 11 Oct 2007, 14:47 Post subject:

timeout 10
color black/cyan yellow/cyan
gfxmenu (hd0,0)/usr/share/gfxboot/themes/pclinuxos/boot/message
default 0

title linux
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=linux root=/dev/hda1 splash=silent vga=788
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

title linux-nonfb
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=linux-nonfb root=/dev/hda1
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

title failsafe
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=failsafe root=/dev/hda1 failsafe
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd.img

title Puppy Linux 217 frugal
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
kernel /puppy217/vmlinuz root=/dev/hd0,0 pmedia=idehd
intrid /puppy217/intrird.gz

Thanks Bruce, I've never come across this method before!

alienjeff · Joined: 08 Jul 2006 Posts: 2290 Location: Winsted, CT - USA

It's "initrd" and not "intrid" ...

Bruce B · Posted: Thu 11 Oct 2007, 15:23 Post subject:

And one more GRUB error and I hope the frugal really is on GRUB's (hd0,0) along with your other Linux.

change: root=/dev/hd0,0

to this: root=/dev/ram0

technowomble · Posted: Thu 11 Oct 2007, 16:15 Post subject:

Thanks guys, Prism is now booting perfectly. Smile

Bruce B · Posted: Thu 11 Oct 2007, 18:37 Post subject:

So far we've had two successes and two thanks in this topic. Thanks for the thanks!

marlinnhag · Joined: 13 Oct 2007 Posts: 3

Ok.. So where to begin after a few weeks I have actually got Grub to be recognized at bootup time but still cant get to a desktop. I am pretty sure the issue lies in what is entered into the menu.lst file. Here is a breakdown on the laptop:

Sony Vaio 450MHz 432mgs of ram and 60gig HD and (non working DVD drive)

I have partiioned the hard drive like so:

Primary partition #
1 Tagged as boot EXT2 10gig
2 EXT2 49gig
3 Linux/Swap 1gig
All of the space allocated is close but not exact.

Now I installed Puppy to Partition #1 and Installed Grub there to the MBR. I have read everywhere that you must edit the menu.lst file. But I cant figure out what to put in it. There are about 30 lines of code in there already and when people say put "this" in the menu.lst file I dont know where to put or what to erase to replace with it...ETC

The results that have got me the farthest so far was to erase everything from the bottom all the way until this started having the # right before I got there this is what I entered.

title Puppy Linux 3.00
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz pmedia=idehd
initrd /initrd.gz

After putting that in I thought I had it until I go this error:

"Searching for puppy files in computer disk drives..."
/bin/sh: Can't access tty; job control turned off
#(insert blinking cursor here)

So I saw this post, and just tried to get rid of "initrd /initrd.gz and replace that with "boot"

I then got this error:
Uncompressing Linux... Ok, booting the kernel.
kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: unable to mount root fs on unkown- block (3,7)

can someone please help, and tell exactly what it should say in the menu.lst file

PS this is not a Frugal install.. Linux will own and dominate partition#1

Thank you for your help I will be happy to provide you with as many more answerss to any questions that you may have.

Bruce B · Posted: Sat 13 Oct 2007, 07:09 Post subject:

Welcome!

My guess is you have a Frugal install even though you think its Full. I base this on your overall description of the problems you're having.

Presuming Frugal, we could try a few changes:

From:

title Puppy Linux 3.00
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz pmedia=idehd
initrd /initrd.gz

To:

title Puppy Linux 3.00
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/ram0 pmedia=idehd
initrd /initrd.gz

If no good then to:

title Puppy Linux 3.00
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
kernel (hd0,0)/vmlinuz root=/dev/ram0 pmedia=idehd
initrd (hd0,0)/initrd.gz

Then maybe and if still no good report back, report back anyway, okay?

title Puppy Linux 3.00
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
kernel (hd0,0)/vmlinuz root=/dev/ram0 pmedia=idehd nopcmcia
initrd (hd0,0)/initrd.gz

In case I'm wrong and you have actually have a Full install, this would be a default starting point.

title Puppy Linux 3.00 Full Install
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda1 ro vga=normal

Sage · Joined: 04 Oct 2005 Posts: 4622 Location: GB

Shame that sheine turned out to be a complete tw*t. This thread contains some real gems and deserves to be preserved as a valuable reference source.

jonyo · Joined: 28 Dec 2006 Posts: 2727

Mods plz remove this idiotic (sic) comment

Pizzasgood · Posted: Tue 20 Nov 2007, 00:11 Post subject:

I've never seen the word "twit" censored before. Is it stronger in the UK than stateside? Over here, it's somewhere between "moron" and "idiot", neither of which are censored unless dealing with small children (hmm... a subtle "extra" insult? A childish twit?).

I'm against removing things in general, because I don't like the idea of enforced civility. I like having the option to be rude once in a while without being punished, even if I never use it. Otherwise things start getting too totalitarian for my tastes. No guns, no books, and no unhappy. Freedom is a trade off. If you want freedom, you have to accept that other people will have it too, and may use it in a way you don't agree with. In my mind, the occasional rude outburst we get is a fair price for not living in a "moderator state".

So as far as I'm concerned, it stays unless Sage himself decides to remove it. If you disagree, feel free to go over my head. That doesn't bother me. When you live in a city with big towers and a big airport you get used to stuff like that Wink

Ian · Posted: Tue 20 Nov 2007, 06:04 Post subject:

The main objective of this forum is to discuss Puppy and any problems, solutions, suggestions and criticisms that people may wish to put forward.

The title of this section is 'Beginners Help' so I think the main objective would be to help beginners, which you are all doing admirably at the moment so, thank you and keep up the good work.

alienjeff · Joined: 08 Jul 2006 Posts: 2290 Location: Winsted, CT - USA