# Problem with Linux Live Distros.



## ~Phenom~ (Aug 22, 2006)

Hi guys,
I m a noob in Linux. Just tried few linux live distros like Ubuntu 6.06 , also its previous version , Kububtu , DSL  , but one problem was common . I couldnt access any of my HDD partitions in them. May I know , Am I missing something , or its general. But I also tried Linspire live and can access all partitions without any problems. But in all other distros , when I try to access HDD partitons , it says cannot mount.
Any suggestions???


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## mehulved (Aug 22, 2006)

Phenom you have been here for over a year and have 500+ posts still you post in wrong section. You never even searched for a fix, which has been posted 'n' times in the forum.
What filesystem do you have in windows - ntfs or fat?
To mount a partition, you can give the following command

```
mkdir /media/c_drive
sudo mount -t ntfs /dev/hdxx /media/c_drive
[code]
Replace ntfs with vfat if you have FAT32 partitons.
Replace xx in hdxx by the partition number. You can get that from [code] sudo fdisk -l
```
In case you have a SATA drive, it will be /dev/sdxx instead of /dev/hdxx


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## ~Phenom~ (Aug 22, 2006)

Well , I m sorry for posting in the wrong section. I really should have searched before posting. I will take care in future. And Thanx for the solution.
I have IDE 250Gb HDD with FAT32 partitions.
U said give these commands but may i know where to give these commands ??? Do linux live distros also have command prompt. I m now gonna try it in KUbuntu. will the above solution work???


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## Pathik (Aug 22, 2006)

yup it ll.. Type konsole or rxvt @ run.. U need admin rights 4 dat.. Type su den passwd


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## mehulved (Aug 22, 2006)

In Kubuntu you will have Konsole. And Linux not only has terminals, command prompt as you say. But it also has virtual terminals. Press alt + ctrl + F1 to F7 and see. It can even be extended till F12. So, linux can have 12 virtual terminals and 20 virtual desktops.


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## ~Phenom~ (Aug 22, 2006)

@tech ur future, I typed The above commands in "Run Command" window , but still couldnt couldnt access the partitions. Can u guess what whats wrong????
Remember I m a complete novice in linux , there may be something  obvious for you that I may miss.


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## mehulved (Aug 22, 2006)

Ahh not in run command. type it in Konsole.
GIve me the output of 
	
	



```
sudo fdisk -l
```


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## Pathik (Aug 22, 2006)

goto run type konsole . Then type in dat


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## ~Phenom~ (Aug 22, 2006)

alright the first command should have been   "sudo mkdir /media/c_drive" ,the missing sudo  was the problem. 
Now the desired partition is mounted , but still cant play music files.
it says access denied , what to do???
All other files r working fine like text files , pdf , html files. But music files like audio/video files mp3, DAT, WMA, are not working.


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## mehulved (Aug 22, 2006)

Music files won't work in most live cd's cos they can't include mp3 support. You can try something like knoppix or linspire or amarok live for that.


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## ~Phenom~ (Aug 23, 2006)

Well I think U r right , coz I have earlier used Linspire Live and all files including music files worked in them. Linspire is just another windows. I just love  it. But does Linspire comes only as Live CD and cannot be installed???? I m thinking about getting rid of windows and shifting to linux but I want the shift to be smooth.


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## mehulved (Aug 23, 2006)

Well if you do install linux then you can install win32codecs which will let you play all multimedia files.
Linux can handle most of the things that you can do in windows, unless you have some software that work only on linux.
The thing is you cannot install softwares on live cd. And those distros released under GPL cannot have proprietory software. MP3 is proprietory so, no mp3 support out of the box on these distros.
But, enabling it is no big deal.


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## gary4gar (Aug 23, 2006)

~Phenom~ said:
			
		

> I m thinking about getting rid of windows and shifting to linux but I want the shift to be smooth.


if u want a smooth shift install ubuntu 6.06 windows xp as dual boot. if linux does not work for u then u can do the same work on xp.anyways

*Welcome Aboard!*


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## JGuru (Aug 24, 2006)

@Phenom, You can try Gentoo Linux (that came with Digit mag). It comes with XMMS,
 MPlayer, & Beep Media Player out of the box!! Try it, You will like it!!
 It's a Live CD & install CD rolled into one.


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## ~Phenom~ (Aug 24, 2006)

@Jguru, I have tried Gentoo and faced the problem below 
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34450    or 
"well , i think there is some problem in the image ,  i could not use it successfully. Firstly i thought there might be somthing wrong in the CD , so i burnt another another CD but in vain."



Now , Linux has been included in our course (B.Tech. IT Final Year) , so I have to install some linux in my system also , to practice at home. Well , at our college they have Red Hat(may be version 9) installed on all systems. But , I want to know that should I also install RedHat at home or Can I install Ubuntu or any other distro at home and do the same work that can be done in RedHat. They r basically gonna teach us some commands , shell prompt,etc.
Which distro will u advice me to install on my system???
Remember I m a complete noob in Linux. Please help.


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## Pathik (Aug 24, 2006)

jguru is the biggest fan of ubuntu...


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## QwertyManiac (Aug 24, 2006)

@Phenom - Since you are gonna use it to practice your college course, get Fedora Core 4/5 for the purpose. Its the new distro from Red Hat and is also based on that. If you want to try Ubuntu, its based on Debain system, and will slightly be different than the Red Hat ones. Fedora is easy as well. No harm in trying it out.
For ubuntu you can check this thing I wrote today.

Ps. Can you do me a small favor? Send me some brief details of your IT course if you can via PM, cause I've taken the same thing and wanna know more about it.

@JGuru - Man, why did you suggest Gentoo to a new beginner ?


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## JGuru (Aug 24, 2006)

@Qwerty, I suggested it since it comes with MPlayer, XMMS , so the a Linux newbie
 can play MP3 & VCD/DVD & other video formats. Everyone asks in the forum, how
 can play MP3 or DVD in my Linux distro!!


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## QwertyManiac (Aug 24, 2006)

Yeah right, I hope one day all distros support it out of the box or atleast have an inbuilt configure tool like EasyUbuntu which does it for them on first boot.


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## mehulved (Aug 24, 2006)

QwertyManiac said:
			
		

> Yeah right, I hope one day all distros support it out of the box or atleast have an inbuilt configure tool like EasyUbuntu which does it for them on first boot.


Not possible until mp3's are GPL'ed or some other compatible license. Or ogg becomes as popularly accepted as mp3's and avi's.


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## ~Phenom~ (Aug 30, 2006)

Hey guys, I have got Red hat 9 Cds. My friends have challenged me that I cannot install it myself. I have accepted their challenge .Please guide in some simple steps to install it .
Remember I m a noob in Linux, but not in windows.

I currently have XP SP2 . I want a dual boot with Linux.
Please help me out guys .....
Izzat ka sawal hai yaaron...


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## eddie (Aug 30, 2006)

Izzat ka sawal hai? Then first of all throw those Redhat 9 CDs from you window. No way in this world will you be able to install that on a reasonable modern system without facing some difficulty. You would be missing drivers (specially if you are installing on a SATA hard drive) and lose face in front of your friends. Get hold of a modern distro like Ubuntu 6.06 or OpenSuSE 10.1 and install that.


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## gary4gar (Aug 30, 2006)

if u have ever installed windows then u could do it on ur own but u need to be familar  with few terms.
so check this guide

the most tricky phase of install is partion, so do it carefully else u might lose ur data, i thing that i did as a n00b, in the partioning stage delete the partion in which u have to install rh9, use the free space to create a partion & choos automactically create partion. a root & swap partion will be created with nessary atrributes.


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## mediator (Aug 30, 2006)

@tech_for_future.....can u please tell me more about 12 virtual terminals and 20 virtual destops!


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## ~Phenom~ (Aug 30, 2006)

guys , just read the guide at red hat website link given by gary4gar. Its too lengthy. I tried to understand it and began installing my linux. 
But after a few "next" steps , it asked for automatic or manual partitioning, I selected Automatic. Then It gave three options saying 1.Remove all linux partitions, 2.remove all partitions .3. use free space available .

I didnt tried the middle one and the other two didnt worked, it said could not find free space.
Do i have to delete a partition  prior to installing Linux , so that i can use that partition for linux???
Also if some one could gimme the summary of that humongous guide on red hat's site , I will be very thankful to him.
Or if anyone of u have ever installed  Red hat 9 linux , please help me....


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## praka123 (Aug 30, 2006)

if u can select manual partng and select free space and make a logical partn and label it as /
BTW RH9 is a old distro AND after redhat 9 RH started Fedora Community Linux FYI.latest is Fedora Core 5


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## QwertyManiac (Aug 30, 2006)

~Phenom~ - You were lucky not to end up erasing your entire HDD that way... choose manual parting and delete the one thats emptied, or if its already been made free space just make a 1~ GB Swap file and rest /. Then you are done, but yeah RH9 is crap, I too would suggest what eddie told above :\


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## ~Phenom~ (Aug 30, 2006)

I know RH9 is too old but its in our syallabus thats why.


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## mehulved (Aug 30, 2006)

~Phenom~ said:
			
		

> I know RH9 is too old but its in our syallabus thats why.


Oh man our schools and colleges can't come out of pre-historic times. 
Anyways, go ahead with the isntall. If you have some recent hardware, it's may give you a bit of headache. You should be fine after using it for sometime.


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## ~Phenom~ (Aug 30, 2006)

My PC config:
P4  2.4 GHz
Intel 845GVSR MOBO
512MB RAM
250GB HDD

XP SP2

What say guys , can RedHat9 be installed on this system???


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## QwertyManiac (Aug 30, 2006)

I guess so, the SATA might be a problem I think so... never attempted it really :s


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## ~Phenom~ (Aug 30, 2006)

Who said its SATA???
Its IDE.
BTW, good news , I successfully installed Red Hat 9 on my PC , all alone .
Ok , to tell the truth I dialled  a friend's  number and took his advice .
Hurray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## gary4gar (Aug 30, 2006)

good to see u install it ur self ur with ur friend. there is a common saying that "*where there is a will there is a way*" always believe in it. anyways good luck for future remember _Hardwork conquers all_


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## ~Phenom~ (Aug 30, 2006)

thanx gary4gar.
Well now , I wanna mount partitions in Linux and commands which worked in Ubuntu given in this thread earlier , are not working. Any idea???


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## mehulved (Aug 31, 2006)

Now, check your syllabus, does it just ask for basic *nix commands or goes into the depth of Red Hat Linux?
If it's just basic linux usage, do one thing now. Upgrade to Fedora Core 5 or install Ubuntu 6.06.1 becuase the core of the system will be the same, as all the underlying GNU utilities are the same in all distros, just that they will be newer and better in recent distros.
It's highly recommended you stay with times rather than move at the pace of your college/university.
Or if you can still spare some space, install some recent distro on another partition, as it will be eaiser to maintain the latest distros.
And, do remember to install yum in RHL 9, if you haven't already done so, it will be very helpful to install/remove/upgrade softwares. Though the downside is that it will look towards internet only to install new softwares.
__________


			
				mediator said:
			
		

> @tech_for_future.....can u please tell me more about 12 virtual terminals and 20 virtual destops!


The 20 virtual desktops can be very easily enabled. Just search for Multiple Desktops, in the configuration of your WM, DE.
7 out of 12 Virtual Terminals ie. alt+ ctrl + F1 to F7 should already be available on your system by default. Normally, Xorg runs on Virtual Terminal 7. This should explain you more *www.faqs.org/docs/Linux-HOWTO/Keyboard-and-Console-HOWTO.html#ss7.1


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## mediator (Aug 31, 2006)

@tech'_4_future...thanx!! 7 outta 12 virtual terminals is enough for me


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 2, 2006)

hey guys , sorry for bugging u again. I  made a mistake while installing RH9 by alloting a whoping 25GB partition to it. I m facing free space crisis now.
Now I wanna allocate just 5GB for it, so I wanna know can it be installed in 5GB space or it will need more???
Next , I need to know whats the procedure of uninstalling it????
I m planning to install Fedora core 5 and ubuntu alongwith RH9 , all these in the same 25GB space as I dont have any more free partition/space to use.
I want all these 3 distros without affecting my XP installation.
please help....


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## mehulved (Sep 2, 2006)

Why do you want to keep RH 9?
Just format the 25GB partition and install FC5 and/or Ubuntu 6.06.1 on the partitions. Nothing else you will have to do.
Don't really try to resize the RH 9 partition, it can cause your system to become unstable if not unusable. If you want to use all three then just install them again.
IMO, you should use GRUB from FC or Ubuntu as your bootloader then, instead of the one supplied by RH 9.


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## praka123 (Sep 2, 2006)

you can resize lin partn to 5GB,but it requires advanced understanding,anyway dont blame me  u can use gparted livecd 4 that!right click on ur partn no for resize options


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 2, 2006)

@tech ur future, RH9 is in our course and all our books are specifically on RH9 , also in our college computers only RH9 is installed,also our teacher told to use only RH9.
Thats why I wanna use both RH9 and FC5 to do both as in our course and to get the latest in the business.
please tell me the procedure to install both RH9 and FC5 in the same 25 GB partition.


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## mehulved (Sep 2, 2006)

Don't install it on the same partition. Make separate partitions for each distro.
BTW, RH 9 and FC 5 are both from red hat so, their working will be very alike only difference will be that FC 5 will have newer softwares and kernel 2.6 though u can install kernel 2.4 as well, that's what RH 9 runs on. IMO, it's not worth it to install RH 9, when installing FC.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 2, 2006)

@tech ur future , u earlier told me to check my syallabus . I have gone through it but couldnt get anything.
I m posting it here. then u decide the distro for me.

Unit-I

Introduction: Basic concepts of the operating system, commands , shells , processes , users and groups , file system and directories. system installation , configuration and upgrade.
Installation stages , network intallation , disk partitioning , post install system customisation and upgrade ; dpkg and APT package installation , remove , upgrade and query , semi automatic system installation.

Kernel: kernel Tasks; managing kernel modules at runtime, kernel configuration and compilation; boot loaders and LILO.

Unit-II
Linux Networking
Basic concepts of networking:Network Packets ,TCP/IP protocol suit, address resolution protocol(ARP);IP addresses and network mask;subnets and routing;IPV4 and network classes ;ports. Configuring linux  machine on the network;arp;ipconfig and netstat commands . Network services and tools : rsh,ftp,rcp,ssh,rsync,inetd. conf; opening and closing ports.

Network File System(NFS):
File system sharing over the network;RPC service; NFS server and client sides;NFS installation and configuration ; static mount and automount configurations; troubleshooting NFS ; security and performance optimization.


Network Information service(NIS)
centralized authentication systems; sharing user and host information over the network;NIS server and client sides;NIS installation and configuration; compatibilty mode; netgroups;security issues.

UNIT-III
Integrating linux and windows
Elements of windows networking:NetBios,SMB/CIFS protocols, domain controller; samba server on linux for centralized  windows logon, file sharing and printing; samba client; samba installation and configuration; unix and windows  passwords. Dual Boot: running windows and linux on the same PC;GRUB and NT Boot Loaders ; accessing windows file system from linux and vice-versa.

Light weight directory access protocol(LDAP)
overview of the unix authentication and naming services; introduction toLDAP; domain component(DC), organisational unit(OU), common names, schemas, ldif format , services, ports and commands ; server and client sides; open LDAP installation and configuration;
LDAP applications. Shell scripting , syntax of bash; looping;case statement; function;command substituion; awk, grep, sed. Startup and Run levels . Scheduled jobs . Boot up and login process sequence ; run levels ; stsrtup scripts ; scheduling jobs with at  and cron.

UNIT-IV
Linux Security
System vulnerabilities;port scanning; encryption, encrypted services and connections ;PGP/GPG. Intrusion protection :TCP wrappers ,Ip firewals(IPtables), NAT, DMZ, intrusions detection systems :tripwire , secure system management practices.

Email Server
Steps of email transaction; email enevelope  and headers ;SMTP servers ;IMAP and pop3 servers ;
email relay;post fix configuration; and spam and viruses.

Linux computationla clusters 
Overview of linux clusters  and clusterng tools ; high performance computational clusters ;message passing interface(MPI) for parallele programming ;MPI compilation and installation ; schedulong and queue systems ,sun grid engine (SGE); cluster management tools .

Domain name server
Host name resolution, domain name hierarchy;DNS zones ; configuration of master , slave and caching DNS servers with  BIND9.






Books recommended to us: 
1.Red Hat Linux 9-Bell & Duff-Pearson
2. Complete reference,Red hat Linux-Richard L.Peterson-TMH
3.Linux Network Administration Guide by Terry Dawson, Gregor N.purdy, Tony Bautts -Oreilly
4.Red Hat Linux 9 Bible-Christopher negus by Wiley Publishing
5.Linux Configuration & Installation by Patrick Volker Ding,Kevin Richard, Eric Fostor-Johnson    BPB    Publication
6.Linux Programming Bible by John Goerzen-Wiley DreamTechIndia(P) Ltd.

Request: If u can gimme the links to some ebooks on linux, I will be thankful to u.

Also , I have to purchase some books for linux , so which book(s) will u recommend me to purchase.


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## Pathik (Sep 2, 2006)

afaik u need to format the 25gb partition.. Create 3partitions of 6,6,8 gb ext3 part + a 2gb swapspace.. Then install rh9 on the 6gb one then ubuntu 6.06 on the other 6gb nd atlast fc5 on the 8gb one... Cos acc to me fc5 has a better bootloader than d oder 2.. Nd shd be the active one..


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 2, 2006)

Alright first I need to uninstall RH9.
I have just seen in My comuter>manage>storage>disk management.
It  is showing 3 unknown healthy partitions of size 102MB , 22.19GB and 1020MB. It is also showing all other partitions  namely C: (primary partition), E:,F:,G:,H:
I m thinking to delete these three patitions and then run fixmbr command in recovery console using Bootable  XP CD.
Will I able to uninstall RH9 and also its Boot loader this way ???
Please reply soon.


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## QwertyManiac (Sep 2, 2006)

Yes you're very right on track.


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## Pathik (Sep 2, 2006)

but 1c u format ur linux part.. U dont need to run fixmbr if u r goin to install it again.. The bootloader ll b overwritten in d mbr by the bootloader of the last linux u install


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 2, 2006)

ok , as u say pathiks .
I m on my way....
hoping for the best ....
System theek raha to phir milenege....


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## mehulved (Sep 2, 2006)

~Phenom~ said:
			
		

> @tech ur future , u earlier told me to check my syallabus . I have gone through it but couldnt get anything.
> I m posting it here. then u decide the distro for me.
> Request: If u can gimme the links to some ebooks on linux, I will be thankful to u.
> 
> Also , I have to purchase some books for linux , so which book(s) will u recommend me to purchase.


Oh man you are asking this to a commerce student. I really don't have any idea on which book to buy. I just pick up any book from my library pertaining to the desired topic, read few man pages, google it up or ask here. Maybe someone who's studying in the same field can help you.
But, as I see in your syllabus there's really nothing that is specific to RH 9. Though it can happen that you'll will be using older version of an application in your college but FC has newer version which may slightly differ and will tend to have more functions.
But, I can say for sure you won't really miss software from RH 9 in FC 5. ANd I'd recommend ubuntu since you'll have dpkg too in your syllabus. IMO, debian based distros are system admin's most favoured distros. Well, this statement may vary from people to people.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 3, 2006)

@tech ur future , u r a commerce student???
u surprised  me coz a person with so much knowledge in linux and computers is supposed to be in computer field. LOL.
So u r  doing B.Com.???

@pathiks,qwertymaniac , I did as I said earlier. I deleted those three partitions  and repartitioned them into  two partitions of 8 GB each and rest 8GB as unpartitioned space for RH9.
Then I successfully installed RH9 on this unsintalled space.
I m feeling good now.
Thanx for help to all the people above.


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## gary4gar (Sep 3, 2006)

@~Phenom~
well tech is not alone, me too a commerce student!
and who says that computer is for only science ppl???


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## mehulved (Sep 3, 2006)

~Phenom~ said:
			
		

> @tech ur future , u r a commerce student???
> u surprised  me coz a person with so much knowledge in linux and computers is supposed to be in computer field. LOL.
> So u r  doing B.Com.???


Well I don't really have much knowledge of computers but I just like electronics so I just make it a point to learn anything in computers I can lay my hands on. And nothing better than practical knowledge.
I am hoping to do MCA now so I can get into computer field.
I finished my BCom in Banking and Insurace last academic year. 
Coming to the point. Now that you installed RH 9, ubuntu and fedora should be a snap as they are much more simpler and have better hardware detection, also some newer utilities.
I feel you should give around 4-5 GB only to RH 9 partition and only use it if really necessary. And make rest of the space as an extra partition, maybe a fat partition if you don't have one already. Or maybe one partition where you can share common files between distros.
BTW, you made a swap partition? Also, use that same swap partition amongst all the distros. No need for separate swap partitions for all distros.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 3, 2006)

tech_your_future said:
			
		

> I feel you should give around 4-5 GB only to RH 9 partition and only use it if really necessary. And make rest of the space as an extra partition, maybe a fat partition if you don't have one already. Or maybe one partition where you can share common files between distros.
> BTW, you made a swap partition? Also, use that same swap partition amongst all the distros. No need for separate swap partitions for all distros.


I gave 7GB to RH9. and made  2 FAT partitions of around 8GB each , all through the same 25GB partition. And how can I create a partition to share common files between distros????
And while RH9 installation , I did automatic partitioning , so all three partitions including swap were made automatically. Now , how can I use that same  swap partition for all distros???

Also, I m planning to install FC5 and ubuntu in rest 2 partitions of 8GB each, will 8GB be sufficient for FC5??? Also , should I install Ubuntu or FC5 first???
And , also u mean to say that I will not face any difficulty while installing both ubuntu and FC5???


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## QwertyManiac (Sep 3, 2006)

8 GB would be 'just' sufficient, install only the reqd. packs then, I'd still recommend atleast 10 for any distro whatsoever.


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## mehulved (Sep 3, 2006)

Can you list your current partition structure so I can get a more clear idea

```
su
fdisk -l
```
should give you this.
Keep one of the distros as your primary distro allocate it around 10-11GB and divide the rest amongst the other two. I'd suggest FC 5 as your primary distro as you'll would be working on RH in your college. So, it would be wise to install FC 5 last.
To share the swap partition, you will have to do manual partitioning for that and select the same swap partition for all the distros.
Just be ready to experiment you feel apprehensive at first but as you will go on it will feel like a piece of cake.
Be careful not to touch the windows partition if you aren't too confident about partitioning.
And use the GRUB of FC.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 3, 2006)

@tech ur future , here it is:


To run a command as administrator (user "root"), use "sudo <command>".
See "man sudo_root" for details.

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hda: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1   *           1        3040    24418768+   c  W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/hda2            3041       30401   219777232+   f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hda5            3041        4060     8193118+   b  W95 FAT32
/dev/hda6            4061        5080     8193118+   b  W95 FAT32
/dev/hda7            6081       12159    48829536    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/hda8           12160       18238    48829536    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/hda9           18239       24317    48829536    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/hda10          24318       30401    48869698+   b  W95 FAT32
/dev/hda11           5081        5093      104391   83  Linux
/dev/hda12           5094        5950     6883821   83  Linux
/dev/hda13           5951        6080     1044193+  82  Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$




Now , I have been told that FC5 needs arounnd 10GB min. for all the packages 
to be installed. So I m planning to delete my remaining 2 partitions of 8GB each  and install FC5 on the resultant 16GB partition . and use ubuntu only as Live CD whenever required.

One more option I m thinking is to allot 6 GB to ubuntu and remaining 10GB to FC5.
what say???


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## mehulved (Sep 3, 2006)

IMO you should repartition all 25GB. Select manual partitioning.
Now, allocate just 5-6 GB to RH 9 it won't really need much as it won't be a primary distro.
Then allocate 12GB to FC5.
And of the left over space make a swap partition 2 times your RAM.
Now you willl have about 6-7.5 GB left, give it to ubuntu. Again this being your secondary distro you won't need much, but if you feel you want to make it a primary distro you will seriously need more space.
I recommend installing ubuntu cos you'll have package management in debian like dpkg and apt, you will never understand how powerful they are, if you just do that from a live cd. Using a live cd in this case will totally defeat your purpose.
See now you will have to decide what you prioritise, it's just suggestions from my side.


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## Pathik (Sep 3, 2006)

u can try 10gb 4 fc5,6gb 4 rh9,8gb 4 ubuntu 6.06 nd 1gb swap


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 3, 2006)

Thank u tech ur future and pathiks ,
I think I will  let RH9 continue to rest in current 8GB and next I will install ubuntu(with all the packages available in the CD) in 6GB , then I will install FC5(with all the packages available in the CDs) in 10GB. Is that ok???
I will be doing this way coz I m a lazy man and dont want to install RH9(with all the packages) fourth time again.
Also , May I know what do u mean by primary and secondary distro ????


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## mehulved (Sep 3, 2006)

by primary distro I mean the one you will be using more extensively and secondary one means just that you will be using it for anything that's specific to that one. Like you cannot really learn apt on FC or RH though apt4rpm exists, but one will surely go to ubuntu to learn about apt.


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## Pathik (Sep 3, 2006)

hey tyf normally how much time does it take to install ubuntu 6.06...?? Wen i had installed it abt a month back it had installed in abt 1.5hr.. But now its taking more than 3hrs to install d packages.. It also blanked out in btw.. I m bored of seeing the installation.. Did i make ny mistake


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## mehulved (Sep 3, 2006)

What's your system config? It takes me around an hour or so to install Ubuntu, though I don't really know about dapper cos I just did dist-upgrade for dapper. That took me a whole day  . It seems the new live cd techinque of dapper maybe a bit buggy cos there are a lot of complaints though I can't say for sure.
If you're tired of waiting for installations, install gentoo by chroot'ing from a live cd . Just carry on with your work while gentoo installs in the background.


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## Pathik (Sep 3, 2006)

i m freaked out.... i removed vista + mandriva jus to make a new part for ubuntu n in d end it didnt install..... after the package selection it jus shows a blank screen... ... n how did u say i install gentoo ...explain in detail cos i dunno much abt linux... 8)


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## mehulved (Sep 3, 2006)

Just pop in a live cd into the CD/DVD drive, preferably knoppix.
Then format the partitions required and mount them.
Then download the stage 3 tarball and untar it.
Then download latest portage then untar and unzip it too.
Then go with what is mentioned herehttp://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xml?part=1&chap=5

You should go through this first *www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/ 
And if you are gonna install it, you can talk to me via yahoo messenger. I can help you out then or you can even talk to Satissh S or eddie they'd very likely help you and they know much more of gentoo then me.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 3, 2006)

after listening to u  guys(linux gurus) having trouble installing ubuntu 6.06 ( me too have same CD), i m thinking to install only FC5 in 16GB partition and use ubuntu only as Live CD.

One more thing, Many people here in my town/state have come to know about free ubuntu CDs and they are ordering them in huge numbers and then misusing them pathetically.
I mean I have seen people having Ubuntu Cds in hundreds of number and they dont know what linux is, they r just ordering it because its free. They play with it as toys and even worse , they sell it to kabadiwala. I have also send many mails to ubuntu regarding  this misuse but never got a reply. It really hurts seeing  so much misuse of their precious resources. Can I/you/we do something about it????


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## mehulved (Sep 3, 2006)

Nah go ahead and try to install it first. If it doesn't work then we'll see. I will check up the bug reports ASAP to see if there's any problem.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 3, 2006)

will 6GB be sufficient for ubuntu 6.06 including all its packages in the CD???


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## Pathik (Sep 3, 2006)

@tyf wat distros r u using. M usin mandriva 2k6 nd rhel4 nw.. Hows pclinuxos junior nd freespire.. Btw phenom forget abt that.. U cant do nething abt it..n i didnt even get dos cds.. Did u get?? N do try ubuntu..


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 3, 2006)

@pathiks , yeah I got those CDs twice , the last time it was Dapper drake. But can we really cant do anything about  the wastage of ubuntu resources???

And please tell, will 6GB be sufficient for ubuntu 6.06 including all its packages in the CD???


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## Pathik (Sep 3, 2006)

i think so.. Cos its jus 1cd.. Mandriva 2k6 is 3cds nd takes jus 5.2gb to install wit all packages.. Nd try installing in text mode


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## mehulved (Sep 3, 2006)

@pathiks I am using ubuntu 6.06.1 and SLED 10 for now. Waiting to get a bit free so I can install gentoo.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 3, 2006)

ok will try , but why in text mode????
what is SLED 10???


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## mehulved (Sep 3, 2006)

Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop


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## Pathik (Sep 3, 2006)

u ll learn more that way nd tyf dont u like fc5 n mandriva types..??


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## mehulved (Sep 3, 2006)

pathiks said:
			
		

> u ll learn more that way nd tyf dont u like fc5 n mandriva types..??


Nope I am not at all fond of rpm distros. Just learn to use debian system management tools, IMO they leave rpm based distros far behind. Also, debian based distros have more number of optimised packages, around 18,000+. 
Package management of debain systems, or portage comes from FreeBSD's ports, which is a very powerful and very well recognised package management systems. So, package management in debian based distros is just great. 
That's the same reason why I recommended phenom to install ubuntu than use it from live cd, one can never understand the power of apt from a live cd.
I am not causing a distro war or something but this is a known advantage of debian based systems. 
Debian is also more popular with most FOSS enthusiasts because Debain license agrees a lot with GPL. To understand that read this *www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/. It's a book written by Eric Raymond.


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## GNUrag (Sep 4, 2006)

tech_your_future said:
			
		

> Not possible until mp3's are GPL'ed or some other compatible license. Or ogg becomes as popularly accepted as mp3's and avi's.


well, to put it technically, All the currently available MP3 players and media players in Linux are already GPLed.  Its the fear of patent claims on their corresponding encoding algorithms which  force distro makers to not include the codecs in CDs which are shipped from USA, or mirrors which are hosted in USA.
__________


			
				~Phenom~ said:
			
		

> One more thing, Many people here in my town/state have come to know about free ubuntu CDs and they are ordering them in huge numbers and then misusing them pathetically.
> I mean I have seen people having Ubuntu Cds in hundreds of number and they dont know what linux is, they r just ordering it because its free. They play with it as toys and even worse , they sell it to kabadiwala. I have also send many mails to ubuntu regarding  this misuse but never got a reply. It really hurts seeing  so much misuse of their precious resources. Can I/you/we do something about it????



i remember, my brother's college mates used to order Ubuntu CDs in sets of 30/40.. but these days they dont order it anymore.. One dude said, he doesnt have space in his home to keep more CDs.. and heck, he doesnt have clue what to do with already ordered CDs


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 4, 2006)

well people here are smarter , they sell those Cds and earn money.
what to do???


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## praka123 (Sep 4, 2006)

tech_your_future said:
			
		

> Nope I am not at all fond of rpm distros. Just learn to use debian system management tools, IMO they leave rpm based distros far behind. Also, debian based distros have more number of optimised packages, around 18,000+.
> Package management of debain systems, or portage comes from FreeBSD's ports, which is a very powerful and very well recognised package management systems. So, package management in debian based distros is just great.
> That's the same reason why I recommended phenom to install ubuntu than use it from live cd, one can never understand the power of apt from a live cd.
> I am not causing a distro war or something but this is a known advantage of debian based systems.
> Debian is also more popular with most FOSS enthusiasts because Debain license agrees a lot with GPL. To understand that read this *www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/. It's a book written by Eric Raymond.


I second TYF's thought.debian based r superior.i believe/expect SuSE 2 choose dpkg over rpm.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 5, 2006)

hey guys , just received a reply mail from ubuntu , they said they will take care in future before sending any CDs to my region.
atlast , my effort gave some result.


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## mehulved (Sep 5, 2006)

That's good of you to report this.
I seriously hope this dampens the efforts of such stupid people.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 5, 2006)

hey guys , more trouble.
I just installed FC5 by deleting my two 8GB partitions.
Now , FC5 installed successfully but there is no option to boot into RH9.
I didnot upgrade and did a fresh install.
Now when I boot , it says FC5 or other .
In FC5 it starts FC5 and in other it starts it starts XP.

what to do????


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## mehulved (Sep 5, 2006)

You will need to edit grub. Just add a entry similar to the following depending on where your RH 9 partition is located and which kernel and initrd versions are there

```
title Red Hat Linux 9
    root (hd0,0)
    kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda1
    initrd /boot/initrd
```
Both the root entried will change depending on the partition number. If RH 9 is on hda7 and kernel is /boot/linux-2.4.31 and initrd is in /boot/initrd then grub entry will be

```
root  (0,6)
kernel /boot/linux-2.4.31  root=/dev/hda7
initrd /boot/initrd
```
You can check these by mounting the RH partition.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 5, 2006)

I think u forgot that I m a Dumbo in Linux.
Please explain all this.
where to put the code above???In terminal in FC5???
I have posted my partitions and result of fdisk -l , earlier in this thread on ur demand , if u remember that.
Or u want me to show the result of fdisk -l from FC5????


Please excuse me , I know I m the dumbest u might have ever encountered.
Please elaborate...


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## mehulved (Sep 5, 2006)

Well it's not about being dumb all newbies ask these questions time and again. You will learn with time if you put in efforts.
Well yes you showed me the output of fdisk, but there were two partitions of linux there and one swap.
So, I can't make out which one is RH and which one is FC. 
These are not commands, you just add these lines to the file /boot/grub/menu.lst
You can open it by typing this in the console

```
sudo nano /boot/grub/menu.lst
```
There maybe some GUI tool in FC which tells you about your partitioning structure. I am not sure which one it is, as I don't use FC.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 6, 2006)

hey , I m posting the output of fdisk and  nano command which i run just now in FC5.
Let me tell u that I have installed RH9 two days back in 8GB partition and today I installed FC5 by deletting two 8GB partitions. I didnt used the same swap partition manually but did everything automatic.


[root@localhost ~]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hda: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1   *           1        3040    24418768+   c  W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/hda2            3041       30401   219777232+   f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hda5            5081        5093      104391   83  Linux
/dev/hda6            5094        5950     6883821   83  Linux
/dev/hda7            5951        6080     1044193+  82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/hda8            6081       12159    48829536    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/hda9           12160       18238    48829536    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/hda10          18239       24317    48829536    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/hda11          24318       30401    48869698+   b  W95 FAT32
/dev/hda12           3041        3053      104359+  83  Linux
/dev/hda13           3054        5080    16281846   8e  Linux LVM

Partition table entries are not in disk order
[root@localhost ~]#






grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE:  You have a /boot partition.  This means that
#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
#          root (hd0,11)
#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
#          initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=0
timeout=50
splashimage=(hd0,11)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora Core (2.6.15-1.2054_FC5)
        root (hd0,11)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.15-1.2054_FC5 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb$        initrd /initrd-2.6.15-1.2054_FC5.img
title Other
        rootnoverify (hd0,0)
                               [ Read 20 lines ]
^G Get Help  ^O WriteOut  ^R Read File ^Y Prev Page ^K Cut Text  ^C Cur Pos
^X Exit      ^J Justify   ^W Where Is  ^V Next Page ^U UnCut Txt ^T To Spell





now , please tell me exactly what should  I add in  boot menu???


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## mehulved (Sep 6, 2006)

Well what you saw is the part of the file you should scroll down using the navigation keys next to the right ctrl button.
Anyways it's either hda5 or hda6 that's the boot partition I can't really tell from this.
Try mounting both the partitions and see where the boot resides. And what's the name of the kernel and initrd image.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 6, 2006)

well I scrolled down and found nothing except a line "chain loader +1".
I also tried to mount partitions but couldnt mount .
I used sudo mkdir /media/c_drive
          sudo -t vfat /dev/hda5 /media/c_drive


also please clear my doubt , is there a space between hda5 and /media/c_drive or not.I tried both with and without space but didnt worked.

Well earlier I mounted one partition in Ubuntu using above commnds sucessfully , so shall I do that again and try to find where the boot resides ???? Will x in hdax will remain same in ubuntu as it was in FC5??
I mean will the drive number remain same in ubuntu as in FC5 or will it be different????


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## mehulved (Sep 6, 2006)

Oh well that's a linux partition not a FAT partition. You have specified filesystem as vfat which stands for FAT. And why c_drive? Linux has no c drive. Though the name won't really make any difference.
I don't know which partition type you made. It may be ext3 mostly. Then you will have to change vfat to ext3 in the command.
There's a space after hda5.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 6, 2006)

ok , now I successfully mounted hda5.
then I saw the grub menu.lst in that folder , it is as follows:

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE:  You have a /boot partition.  This means that
#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
#          root (hd0,10)
#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/hda12
#          initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=1
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd0,10)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-6)
	root (hd0,10)
	kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-6 ro root=LABEL=/ hdc=ide-scsi
	initrd /initrd-2.4.20-6.img
title DOS
	rootnoverify (hd0,0)
	chainloader +1



Now tell me , what exactly to add in menu.lst of FC5.
__________
Also , I wanted to know some good books on Linux to purchase.
Please suggest some books .
JGuru Recommended me "Fedora 5 & RedHat Enterprise Linux 4 Bible by Christopher Negus"  but my teacher and other friends said That Linux  Bible is a big NO purchase . Donno what to purchase now, please suggest some good books from Text Book point of view.


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## mehulved (Sep 6, 2006)

```
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-6)
root (hd0,10)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-6 ro root=LABEL=/ hdc=ide-scsi
initrd /initrd-2.4.20-6.img
```
This is what you have to add to the menu.lst of FC and now RH should appear at the GRUB.
If you prefer reading online just startup with www.tldp.org/guides.html


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 6, 2006)

well I have already tried to put that code  above "title other" but Its not working.
Though it puts the name of RH9 in Boot Loader but when RH9 is selected , it shows error like  something missing and the text like below is also there

kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-6 ro root=LABEL=/ hdc=ide-scsi
initrd /initrd-2.4.20-6.img



what to do???

Is there something else to be edited also ???

Should the chain loader be increased to +2???
Am I adding the code at the right place(before title Other) ????


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## mehulved (Sep 6, 2006)

Show me the contents of the /boot/grub.menu.lst now. And also what error you get.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 6, 2006)

the contents of the /boot/grub.menu.lst now are :


# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE:  You have a /boot partition.  This means that
#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
#          root (hd0,11)
#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
#          initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=0
timeout=50
splashimage=(hd0,11)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora Core (2.6.15-1.2054_FC5)
        root (hd0,11)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.15-1.2054_FC5 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet
        initrd /initrd-2.6.15-1.2054_FC5.img

title Red Hat Linux (2.4.20-6)
        root (hd0,10)
        kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.20-6 ro root=LABEL=/ hdc=ide-scsi
        initrd /initrd-2.4.20-6.img



title Other
        rootnoverify (hd0,0)
        root(hda,5)

        chainloader +1





^G Get Help         ^O WriteOut         ^R Read File        ^Y Prev Page        ^K Cut Text         ^C Cur Pos
^X Exit             ^J Justify          ^W Where Is         ^V Next Page        ^U UnCut Txt        ^T To Spell




And the error on selecting RH9 in Boot Menu is:

"
 Booting Red hat Linux (2.4.20-6)
root(hd0,10)
Filesystem type is fat, partition type 0xb
kernel /nmlinuz-2.4.20-6 ro root=LABEL=/ hdc=ide-scs
error15: File not found
Press any key to continue
"

on pressing any key, the boot menu appears again.

whats wrong????


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## mehulved (Sep 6, 2006)

Just try to edit, (hd0,10) to (hd0.4) or if that does not work (hd0,5). See what happens then.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 7, 2006)

yahoo!!!!!!!
(hd0,4) worked.
Now i can Boot into RH9.
Thanx a ton to you tech ur future. You really helped me a lot.

Now , few queries , why It all happened ???I mean is it natural that even if u do a fresh install of FC5 over RH9 , it deletes the  option of booting into RH9 or I did a mistake while installing????
Also , when I just booted into RH9 , while booting it showed Kudzu software which said , "use Kudzu for the detection and installation of new hardware or wait 10 seconds for normal bootup"
I selected normal bootup and it was all fine. Just want to know why Kudzu showed up this time , while I have not seen it while booting earlier prior to installing FC5????

No matter if I get the answers of these queries or not , I thank u a lot . U really saved my system from getting completely lost.


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## mehulved (Sep 7, 2006)

Well this happens when you are not so experienced in installation. While installation you could have selected this partition in grub configuration. So, if you reinstall grub again most probably you will have to write down this line again. 
I don't know why Kudzu showed up. Did you make any changes in hardware since the last time you ran RH 9?
Don't really get worried over such things, you'll learn with time and these things will seem a cake-walk to you then.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 7, 2006)

well yeah there was an option to configure  GRUB while installtion of FC5 but I didnt did that . that must be reason.
About Kudzu , no I didnt made any changes to hardware since then but yeah recently mounted a partition in FC5 as u know , can that  might be a reason???

And nope I m not at all worried now , I m feeling relaxed. Thanx to you.


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## mehulved (Sep 7, 2006)

Nope mounting isn't the cause of the problem. Maybe there was something that was left unconfigured. Or maybe it's just a part of booting up process. I can't confirm as I haven't seen RH 9 ever.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 7, 2006)

ok , what ever may be the reason. My system is working fine now. Thats what matters to me.


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## ~Phenom~ (Sep 10, 2006)

Hey I m not being able to play mp3 or Dat or any music file in both RH9 and FC5.
It says something is missing or not installed.
Though I choose all the packages while installation.
Whats wrong????


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## mehulved (Sep 10, 2006)

Is yum installed? If not install either yum and yumex or smart package manager for FC5 and RH9. Also, read the Stanton Finley Notes. Either google for it or search in this section, it's been mentioned many times. It will show you how to go on further.


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