TiVo Community Forums Archives - Can't run Dylan's Linux; can I mount w/MFSTools?

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Can't run Dylan's Linux; can I mount w/MFSTools?
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Posted by: ctallis2

Hi -

Long time reader, first time caller^H^H^H^H^H^H poster. I'm trying to install the hacks (ftp, TivoWeb, joe, etc.) and have run into a problem: I can't mount the drives. When I try to boot the "Dylan's Boot Disk" recommended on Steve Jenkins' site, I get the message "Error 0x10", and it keeps re-trying. I've tried every conceivable combination of hard drive <-> IDE channel & position, to no avail.

So, I thought I'd try to mount using the MFSTools CD I just used to swap my old 30GB for an 80GB. e.g.:

mount /dev/hda9 /mnt9

No luck: the mount command is demanding a type, and it's not ext2 - despite what I've read in several places about partitions 4, 7, 9, etc. being ext2.

Help! Anyone have any other ideas? Other boot disks? Ways to resolve the "DBD" error? The right fs type to use for the mount command?

Thanks in advance, Carl

BTW: The PC that is failing to load the DBD Linux is a Dell Optiplex, P3, lotsa ram - about as vanilla as a machine can get.

Posted by: Robert S

Assuming you're working on a Series 1 TiVo, you must use a byte-swapping device to read the TiVo partition table. You must boot in a byte-swapping mode (MFST2 CD defaults to non-swapping) which will swap Primary Slave and both devices on the Secondary IDE bus. Primary Master (hda) is left unswapped to allow access to a FAT drive.

If you get it right you'll see the TiVo partition table printed as Linux boots and you'll be able to mount partition 9 (/var) and one of 4 or 7.

Posted by: ctallis2

Yup, it's a series 1. Hmmm.. so, I guess MFST2 is right out?

You ever heard of Dylan's Boot Disk failing? Is there another option?

(BTW, thanks for the reply)

Posted by: Robert S

You can boot the MFS Tools 2 CD in swapping mode. I've never used the CD version, so I don't know exactly, but it'll be when you have to press enter at the boot: prompt.

Posted by: kazymyr

The byteswapped mode on the MFStools2 CD is broken. Use my older but working tbdv2.6i CD, where byteswapping works correctly.

I didn't hear about this problem with DBD before, but it's most likely a bad floppy or a bad floppy controller. :(

Posted by: ctallis2

Thanks, I'll try that. BTW, I tried a couple floppies, to no avail. Maybe the controller.

Posted by: kazymyr

A couple floppies doesn't say much. Especially since, if a floppy from a specific box fails, chances are more floppies from the same box will fail. Try another box. :) No kidding.

Posted by: Robert S

Of course the floppy disk drive and the cable to the motherboard are also suspect - it's easy to dislodge the data cable when your changing hard drives.

Posted by: ctallis2

Ta Da! The tbdv2.6i CD worked like a charm. Thanks very much, gentlemen. I appreciate all the help.

...of course, now that it works, I have to figure out how to safely expose the Tivo so I can program it from work. Anyone heard of one getting cracked? :-o

Posted by: kazymyr

If I were you, I would firewall the h*ll out of my Linux PC, then access it from work through SSH, and tunnel port 80 through the encrypted connection, to work remotely with TiVoWeb... just a suggestion. ;)