Cannot boot SuSE in Compaq Despro

[Pham Quoc Trung]

Hi,

I've installed SuSE 8.0 Pro on the Compaq Despro (Config : PIII, 512M RAM, hda is Win2K, hdd is for Linux only)

Thing went smoothly. I could config Xwindows (using YAST) and it recognized my graphic card and my monitor.

But when I re-boot my PC, the screen turned to be lost of synch. I have tried both booting by floppy disk, and by writing LILO on MBR (/dev/hda), as well as writing LILO on /boot (using Win2K boot manager). All no hope !!!

Please advice.

Thanks

[Goran Koruga]

Boot into single user mode and fix things, pass "single" to kernel.

G.

[Jean-Pierre Denis]

Hi,

is the linux label in lilo pointing to /dev/hdd ?

You should be able to but with the floppy that was created during the installation.

single user mode would probably allow you to correct those problem.

Thanks,
JP

[Jason M. Hale]

are you using the graphical lilo, because I am running mandrake linux 7.2 on a compaq deskpro and if I don't state in lilo.conf to use vga=normal the monitor will loose sync. Try adding the line vga=normal.

This is my lilo.conf

boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
vga=normal
default=linux
keytable=/boot/us.kit
prompt
timeout=50
message=/boot/message
menu-scheme=wb:bw:wb:bw
image=/boot/vmlinuz-secure
label=linux
root=/dev/hda1
read-only

[Pham Quoc Trung]

Hi,

Yes, the SuSE8.0 is using grapical LILO. However when I check the /etc/lilo.conf it already has by default:

vga=normal

Other symptom is that now I have to use the Installation CDROM to boot my system. I choose "Loading installed system" and point to my / partition, the Linux now can up and reconizes my graphic card and monitor correctly.

Please advice.

[Pham Quoc Trung]

Hi,

Please advice as I need an way to boot the Linux without installation CDROM ;-(

Do you think that the problem is due to I install Linux on the /dev/hdd ? My PC has 2 IDE channels: the 1st is for the Win2K hard disk and CDROM (so they are /dev/hda and /dev/hdc). The secodary IDE is connecting to Linux hard disk (so it's /dev/hdd). When I installed LILO, it save is MBR of /dev/hda.

Thanks in advance.

[Pham Quoc Trung]

Hi,

Finaly I'v found that the prob is due to the BIOS of Compaq Despro is restricted to access either of first 2 HDs (say /dev/dha and /dev/hdb).

If I move the second HD to /dev/hdb (previously it's /dev/hdd), I'm able to boot Linux using Win2K Boot Manager.

I hope this infor is helful for someone using (old) Compaq Despro.

Regards.