jthom203 Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 (edited) 2 things, i was having problems with DSL saying the device was full, so i booted up to XP and look at the ipod its capacity was something like 49.5mb out of a possibility of 40gig, so i did the i pod restoration and it went back to full capacity then i booted DSL live and reran the USB-HDD and this is what it gave meWriting zero's to beginning of /dev/sda Done.Partitioning /dev/sda/dev/sda:Formatting /dev/sda10+1 records in0+1 records outApplying syslinux to pendrive partition.Bad media types 00/f8, probably non-MSDOS diskCannot initialize 'S:'Bad target s:ldlinux.sysSetting up system image on /mnt/sda1...mkdir: Cannot create directory `/mnt/pend rive': File existscp: cannot create regular file `/mnt/pendrive/isolinux.bin': No space left on de vicecp: cannot create regular file `/mnt/pendrive/isolinux.cfg': No space left on de vicecp: cannot create regular file `/mnt/pendrive/linux24': No space left on devicecp: cannot create regular file `/mnt/pendrive/logo.16': No space left on devicecp: cannot create regular file `/mnt/pendrive/minirt24.gz': No space left on dev icecp: cannot stat `/mnt/pendrive/isolinux.cfg': No such file or directoryrm: cannot remove `/mnt/pendrive/isolinux*': No such file or directorycp: writing `/mnt/pendrive/KNOPPIX/KNOPPIX': No space left on devicesed: /mnt/pendrive/syslinux.cfg: No such file or directory Done.USB installation has completedPress Enter key to continue. Edited February 16, 2006 by jthom203 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacher Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 Delete a few songs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jthom203 Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 (edited) there is nothing on it it was just restored to factory presets, if i look at it in XP it show 37.7gig availible Edited February 16, 2006 by jthom203 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacher Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 Then it appears you did not give it enough space on the partition for Linux. You might need to go back and increase the Linux size. I thought it was out of room on the windows side rather than the linux side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jthom203 Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 it was out of room on both until i restored it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacher Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 Restoring it would only fix the windows side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jthom203 Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 it wipes it clean and reinstalls the ipod software so its able to play music again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burninbush Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 it was out of room on both until i restored it.Hmmm... hard to tell exactly what DSL is doing from that dialog, as it appears it is attempting to copy over existing old files of the same name -- which does not seem to make sense if we assume everything is working OK. I'd bet that first install step is overwriting the mbr with zeros, which should erase any and all existing partitions. But if that step doesn't work, then the old partition(s) would remain, and attempts to cp files would find existing files of the same name. What output do you get if you boot DSL and run #fdisk -l /dev/sda -- perhaps there's a 2nd partition [sda2] that you just haven't seen, or maybe there's a bunch of space that hasn't been partitioned at all? Note the switch character after the fdisk command is a small L, not a one. If I had it here, given you've decided to just convert the dead iPod into an ordinary usb external disk -- then I'd run cfdisk first, and delete any and all existing partitions on that /dev/sda drive -- Write that, and then reboot the whole puter before doing anything else, and then look at it again with fdisk -l to see that your unpartition operation was successful. If that doesn't work, then you have some remaining read/write issues with the drive. If that does work -- then to answer the question you asked up the thread which now seems to be gone [???] re how to install knoppix or other distro -- you have already gotten past the main hurdles; you know that you can partition the disk and make it bootable. So to put on another distro you'd basically partition it as you like, then boot whatever distro's install cd, and follow the prompts. Shouldn't be that different from installing to any other disk. Some installs give you a lot of choices [e.g., Suse, Fedora], others give you almost none [Kanotix, Knoppix, Mepis, PCLinux] but install much faster. Just be sure to remember to confine all your answers to /dev/sdaN -- else you may find your standard windows boot is gone. I suggest that you won't need more than 8gb for any common linux distro, so you could make several, and then you'll want a swap partition of maybe 1gb. Leave room at the end for a sizeable data partition where you can put music and other files that all distros might want to see. If I was doing it here I'd also make a first small partition at the very front of the disk, maybe 1gb, for use as a permanent booting partition -- would give you a lot of freedom to try different linux distros without having to endure all the booting issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jthom203 Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 (edited) whene in fdisk it lists the ipod but when in cfdisk it doens't i figured it out Edited February 16, 2006 by jthom203 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jthom203 Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 (edited) it will not let me delete the partition i figured this out to Edited February 16, 2006 by jthom203 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jthom203 Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 i have a live cd of knoppix so how would i go about installing it on my ipod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burninbush Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 i have a live cd of knoppix so how would i go about installing it on my ipodSorry, the best evidence I can see at the moment is that the hardware isn't working right. It doesn't look to me from the dialogs up the screen that you are able to write to the disk. I can't tell from your prev two posts ... what have you figured out? Can you be more specific? If you boot with the Knoppix, then open a command shell, you should be able to say $ su# fdisk -l /dev/sda and get a display of the partitions on the ipod. What is the result of that command? As for installing Knoppix ... once you get the partitioning under control, you just boot with the Knopp, open a command shell, become su as above, and run #knoppix-installer and then just follow the prompts. If you prefer a poor man's install, then read the cheatcodes document for knoppix, paying particular attention to the 'tohd' and 'fromhd' commands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jthom203 Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 well i think i did some thing bad. I think i wrote over my masterboot record. When i boot with ipod in it lets me select which one i want to boot just fine but if i unplug it i get something like..loading grub...grub failerror 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 Hi jthom203This is all a bit odd . . . . . but we will try to fix it.Can you plug in the ipod in the USB and run the Live CD . . . next do the "fdisk -l" to see how the ipod is called ( is it still sda ? )Next zero out the drive in the ipod completely: $ shred -n 1 -z -u /dev/sda WARNING: Be sure you wipe the right drive so you will not lose your XP !This will take a real long time ( up to a few hours )When the shredding is finished try again to install D Small on the Ipod and after that come back to the forum so we can do some tests to see how it uses the space on the Ipod ( and howcome that it reported to be full last time.) Bruno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burninbush Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 well i think i did some thing bad. I think i wrote over my masterboot record. When i boot with ipod in it lets me select which one i want to boot just fine but if i unplug it i get something like..loading grub...grub failerror 21Oh my, hope you aren't having to read this from the library. Guessing that you are speaking above about the mbr on your main puter's disk??? Wouldn't be the first time such has happened. To recover Windows [guessing XP?] boot the machine with your XP install cd, tell it to install, and when offered the opportunity take the 'repair install' path. When you get a cmd prompt, the command you want is 'fixmbr' -- which should make it bootable in the normal way again. Does DSL offer grub booting? If not, how did grub get into the picture? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jthom203 Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 idon't think i have an XP install disk. The computer came with it all ready on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 You mean you can not boot your XP anymore ???? Bruno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jthom203 Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 (edited) i can boot XP if my i pod is plugged in. If unpluged than no. I did this installing knoppix to it(the ipod). but i was in a hurry so i think i selected a wrong option Edited February 16, 2006 by jthom203 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 i can boot XP if my i pod is plugged in. If unpluged than no. I did this installing knoppix to it(the ipod). but i was in a hurry so i think i selected a wrong optionIs this because the BIOS is set to boot from USB ?? . . . What is you set it to boot from HD ?? BrunoI am worried about the fact that Knoppix might have replaced the MBR on your HD ( and not the MBR on the ipod ) . . . . . See if you use the "normal" install of Knoppix it will write grub to the MBR of your HD . . . and that is NOT the option you would want. you want it to write the knoppix bootloader to the MBR of the ipod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jthom203 Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 (edited) ya but i think it wrote it to the mbr of my hard drivewhat i did was i repartitioned the ipod this way. 1st was 1gb boot. then 2with 8gb, the rest freespacemy computer is a Hp pavillion a305w if that helps any. Edited February 16, 2006 by jthom203 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 ya but i think it wrote it to the mbr of my hard drivewhat i did was i repartitioned the ipod this way. 1st was 1gb boot. then 2with 8gb, the rest freespaceIf Knoppix did overwrite the MBR of your harddrive you will need to go to the website of vendor of your computer and find out what F-key combination lets you boot into recovery-mode and access the recovery-partition so you can put the XP MBR back in place.Let me explain:> Booting a Linux from USB thumb drive needs a "special" kind of install . . not the usual install every distro will offer you. There are a few distros specialised in this. ( this is what DSL did, using the MBR of the ipod and not touching the XP MBR )> Installing a Linux to a USB device that is permanently connected to your computer is easier and does not need the "special" kind of install ( I think that is what you did with Knoppix, and it replaced the XP MBR ) . . .These 2 methods of are very different ! Bruno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jthom203 Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 the button is F8 so is this fixable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 jthom203I have an idea . . . . . since you are in XP . . . . can you get to a commandpropmt ?? ( NOT LINUX!! But XP !! )Then type at the C:WINDOWS> FIXMBR Then set your BIOS to boot from HD and see if it worked . . . Bruno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacher Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 Hey BrunoThey call that a DOS prompt! Or a C: prompt. I guess it has been a few years for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jthom203 Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 okay but i will have to try this later since i am not currently at home...But if that doesn't work then what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 If the FIXMBR does not work . . . you will have to go to the website of vendor of your computer and find out what F-key combination lets you boot into recovery-mode and access the recovery-partition so you can put the XP MBR back in place.But I bet the FIXMBR will do the trick Bruno@ Julia . . . yep way back in the previous century . . .In XP don't you get the command prompt by typing "cmd" in a "run-dialog" ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jthom203 Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 thanks how long are you usually on the boards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 I stop at midnight . . . and that is in 10 minutes from now . . . I live in Europe ;) Bruno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jthom203 Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 okay then i will check in tomorrow casue i live in Utah and its only 4pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 I am on briefly in the morning around 9 - 10 ( Central European Time ) . . . and after work in the evening.See you tomorrow . . . Don't worry too much . . . we will be able to fix it . . . . and I am pretty sure you can run the "FIXMBR" from a booted XP . . . . . and "FIXMBR" is the magic word :DB) Bruno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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