Re: Boot sector problem with Vista? Howto load Linux onto a clean,formated HD?

raylopez99

This followup is to thank Erik Funkenbusch and Jack R. My workaround
and progress at the moment: I decided the easiest thing to do is to
switch from an SATA to an EIDE drive as my primary drive (since this
system, though running a powerful Core 2 Duo chip, is really a cheap
gift for somebody, who is a light PC user anyway and doesn't care
about performance). I'll eventually make the SATA as a seperate, non-
primary, non-bootable drive. Otherwise, I would have had to play
around with SATA drivers, which for Hitachi HDs (OEM cheapos) are hard
to find (I couldn't find any in 20 minutes of searching the net,
though I guess if I spent enough effort something would show up).
Also, Windows 2000 does not (when you hit F6 during setup) find
drivers on anything other than the floppy drive (which this system
doesn't have). So I installed an old but still good 80GB IDE drive as
my C drive. Actually Win2000 had a problem formatting it during
setup, so now I'm installing Windows98 on it, and it seems to be
working (FAT16 should read up to a 130GB HD, so I don't know what the
problem was, though I did notice that when I used Acronis to format
the C: drive as an external USB drive on my other system, prior to
installing it on this new system, Acronis left a tiny 8 MB partition
at the root? sector, which perhaps is why Win2000 choked). Anyway,
barring another problem I think Win98 is going to install... OK,
update: there was a problem just now, albeit humorous: since my CD/
DVD is set up as a slave to the HD (C drive, Win98 thought the CD/
DVD was a second HD and insisted it be formatted. Unfortunately, my
spare copy of Win98 is on the DVD/CD drive, and before I could pull it
out Windows 'reformatted' it, erasing WIn98! Fortunately I have a
backup(original) copy, which I'll use to install.

Once I install Win98, I'll install either Win2000 or Vista on top of
it, since I'm not sure I have the "upgrade" version or the "full
install" version of Vista Ultimate (a pirate version btw).

To be continued...

RL

PS--the Linux distro I was downloading timed out after being 80%
there! I could not restart it from where it left off. Too bad, since
I do want to load Linux at some point (just to make fun of you COLA
nuts) and it would have been cool to see it on a 64 bit
microprocessor, as this system is.

Darren Salt

I demand that raylopez99 may or may not have written...

[snip]
> I wish I had a 64 bit version of Linux to load, it might be better than all
> this hassle but I've cast my lot with MSFT, for better or worse...

You could download a Debian netinstall or business card CD image - if you get
a time-out and can't resume, at least you don't have so much to
re-download... :-)

http://www.debian.org/distrib/netinst#smallcd

--
| Darren Salt | linux or ds at | nr. Ashington, | Toon
| RISC OS, Linux | youmustbejoking,demon,co,uk | Northumberland | Army
| + Use more efficient products. Use less. BE MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT.

Treat each new situation as though it's a crisis.

raylopez99

On Nov 24, 11:27 am, Darren Salt
<n...@youmustbejoking.demon.cu.invalid> wrote:
> I demand that raylopez99 may or may not have written...
>
> [snip]
>
> > I wish I had a 64 bit version of Linux to load, it might be better than all
> > this hassle but I've cast my lot with MSFT, for better or worse...
>
> You could download a Debian netinstall or business card CD image - if you get
> a time-out and can't resume, at least you don't have so much to
> re-download... :-)
>
> http://www.debian.org/distrib/netinst#smallcd
>
>

Thanks Darren Salt, but you're a couple of hours late. I could have
used this advice this morning, when I was seriously thinking of
loading Linux (since this system is for a non-power user, who really
doesn't care about anything except surfing the net and email--strange
though since the processor, a Core 2 duo, is about 3 times faster than
what I, a power user, am currently running). I was about 20 minutes
from downloading the last of the CD full of Mandrix? when it timed out
and I hit the 'restart' button by accident, which forced me to abort
the mission.

In any event, I'm happy that Vista--which I got for $3, beat that--is
running. The "Aero" interface is like Mac's OS, nice and cool
looking. So far, I don't see any big changes from XP, and I would not
spend $200 for a non-pirate version of Vista, nevermind that I can't
get updates with this pirate version.

But who needs Linux when you already have 'free' Vista?

I did see Linux loaded on a 64 bit microprocessor when I was in Asia.
I was indeed pretty slick (KDE I think was the GUI). I was impressed,
but not enough to switch from Vista now that I *finally* got it
loaded.

See you,

won't want to be you (Linux loser, LOL)

Ray

Linonut

* raylopez99 fired off this tart reply:

> Too bad, since I do want to load Linux at some point (just to make fun
> of you COLA nuts) ...

You *******.

--
Tux rox!

Linonut

* raylopez99 fired off this tart reply:

> In any event, I'm happy that Vista--which I got for $3, beat that--is
> running. The "Aero" interface is like Mac's OS, nice and cool
> looking. So far, I don't see any big changes from XP, and I would not
> spend $200 for a non-pirate version of Vista, nevermind that I can't
> get updates with this pirate version.
>
> But who needs Linux when you already have 'free' Vista?

Tsk tsk, Ray. You are denying Microsoft their due.

--
Tux rox!