TiVo Community Forums Archives - MSF Tools Boot CD and Windows XP issues

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MSF Tools Boot CD and Windows XP issues
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Posted by: ShiningBengal

I have been fighting over what should be a simple issue for I don't know how many hours. I have a Windows XP system, so decided to use a small spare drive to use to install Windows 98 on my computer (a Pentium 4 1.8 Mhz, 512 MB DDR Ram), leaving the XP and potential conflicts behind...I thought!

Well, for some reason, the system BIOS will not recognize anything in my system, except for an unformatted 100 GB WD drive, and will not boot from the CD because it doesn't believe a CD ROM drive is installed!

I return the system to its original state, set the BIOS to setup defaults and everything runs fine--once again!

Is it possible that an Intel D845GB mobo has something in it that won't let it boot into Linux unless the XP system is loaded? (I know that's ridiculous, but I can't think of any other explanation.)

Anyone have any ideas?

I guess I could try using my wife's computer, but she has XP as well, and I don't relish replacing the XP boot drive with a newly installed Win 98 operating system on the disk that my own computer won't recognize, even though I can boot into Win 98 with that disk as long as that's the only change in my system (CD-ROM RW and DVD-ROM still configured as per my XP installation.

Posted by: Robert S

I assume you're using the noJ.iso file? Tried the floppy? (The only difference with that is you have to use qunlock, MFS Tools 2.0 is the same).

Posted by: ShiningBengal

quote:
Originally posted by Robert S
I assume you're using the noJ.iso file? Tried the floppy? (The only difference with that is you have to use qunlock, MFS Tools 2.0 is the same).

Yes, that's what I have been using. It boots into Linux just fine, except when I configure my system to backup my TiVo A drive, when my system tries to boot from a non-existent network. I do have the boot sequence set up to boot from CD, but the system bios doesn't recognize my
CD ROM drive unless I boot from XP.

I'll download the floppy and try that. I do have the qunlock file already.

Thanks!

Posted by: Wojski

Many newer BIOS are set to quick boot which means they do not scan the IDE bus for changes in the device configuration. If yours is set to this, it is not seeing the hardware change and thus reporting back the error message that the device is not found.

Go into the BIOS and disable quick boot and find the option that will force a IDE scan for new devices. It should recheck both channels for devices and prompt you to accept what it finds. Hopefully this will result in correctly displaying the hard drives and CD-ROMs connected.

Posted by: ShiningBengal

quote:
Originally posted by Wojski
Many newer BIOS are set to quick boot which means they do not scan the IDE bus for changes in the device configuration. If yours is set to this, it is not seeing the hardware change and thus reporting back the error message that the device is not found.

Go into the BIOS and disable quick boot and find the option that will force a IDE scan for new devices. It should recheck both channels for devices and prompt you to accept what it finds. Hopefully this will result in correctly displaying the hard drives and CD-ROMs connected.

Thank you! That solved one problem (:( only to reveal another). Now when I attempt to mount the FAT 32 hd in Linux, it won't recognize the disk!

I hate to throw in the towel, with as much time as I've invested, but I'm at a loss. I have my FAT 32 30 GB disk at Primary Master, the new 100 GB unformatted WD 100 GB at Primary Slave, my TiVo A drive at Secondary Master, and my CD-ROM RW at Secondary Slave. I'm not sure if Linux would recognize the WD drive at this point, but all disks show up in the boot sequence properly, with the correct capacity, at the correct locations.

Why can't Linux recognize my C: drive?

Posted by: Robert S

Linux sees the 30Gb drive at boot? Does it print the partition table?

What mount command are you using? Does it give an error message?

You can do the upgrade as a pipe if you can see both TiVo drives. Although it is nice to have a backup file, it's not necessary for the upgrade.

Posted by: ShiningBengal

quote:
Originally posted by Robert S
Linux sees the 30Gb drive at boot? Does it print the partition table?

What mount command are you using? Does it give an error message?

You can do the upgrade as a pipe if you can see both TiVo drives. Although it is nice to have a backup file, it's not necessary for the upgrade.

Depends on what you mean by "see." On boot, it "finds" hda (the location of the 30 GB) drive, but after several attempt to communicate with it (resets and tries to communicate several times) it gives up.

The command I used was "mount /hda1/" (can't remember the exact command, but it was the exact command given in the Hinsdale "How-to" instructions. Linux responded with something to the effect that it couldn't find the drive, or that it didn't exist.

I think my best bet is to eliminate XP as the problem by using a Win98 machine at work. I'm convinced that XP is at the root of the problem--it may be that I used XP to partition and format the FAT 32 partition?

I tried using a DOS 6.22 boot disk to format the disk, and it too can't find the 30 MB drive. Maybe reformatting it on a Win 98 machine will cure that problem too?

Posted by: Robert S

You've definitely pegged the weirdness meter - perhaps you've got UDMA 66 controllers on the M/B that Linux can't work with? Using the other computer looks like a very sensible move. Just disconnect the XP drive and you'll be fine. You can use the Win98 drive for the backup without getting Win98 running on that machine - all you need is the filing system.

Posted by: Wojski

Definitely strange... I agree that you should go the route of using another computer, one that isn't Windows XP. Maybe it formated the FAT32 partition in a different manner that Linux can understand. Anyhow, using the Windows 98 machines hard drive as temp storage will work nicely, as Robert S mentioned above.

Don't throw in the towel when you're this close...

Posted by: ShiningBengal

I am SOOOO embarrassed! All of the problems in recognizing my primary master stemmed from the fact that my upgrade drive, on the same primary IDE channel, was ALSO jumpered as "Master with Slave" and not as "Slave" as I thought I had read. Duh....

Once jumpered as "Slave" everything went, as they say, "swimmingly." I have made a backup of the image of my TiVo A drive and tested the backup. I am now in the process of backing up, restoring and expanding my old 40 MB TiVo drive to the new 100 MB WD drive I was given by someone who didn't need it!

Hey, now that I realize this isn't a difficult process (if you can set your jumpers on your drives properly) I may add another 100 MB drive when I can get one at a good price!

Thanks to all the helpful advice to all who answered my plea for help!