How to boot from disk

[Harry Kuhman]

...I have also done the knoppix testcd and everything is ok on that. When I tried useing smb I got the message smbk bad!.... but I never see the Boot screen for knoppix on this one computer. ....

It's not real clear what your actual problem is. Since you ran knoppix testcd we know that the CD is good, and we apparently know that at least one of your computers can boot the CD. Did you try to get Knoppix running on that system? What was the result? Which is the computer that you tried SBM (much better than smb) on? Likely not the one that you ran the testcd on, since it didn't need it.

If you are trying to figure out why you can't run SBM on another system, I think we need a bot more information. Including are you trying to run it from floppy or hard disk MBR? At just what point do you see the error? Was there any error in installing SBM? If you are trying to run it from a floppy, try the floppy in a different computer, even one that doesn't need it (it should still run fine even if not needed to boot a CD). Does it run any better there, or can you confirm that there is something wrong with the floppy? Did you try to make another floppy?

Giving us more details on the failed XP system and what types of booting problems you are seeing with Knoppix may help. Generally speaking, SBM is usually only needed on older systems where the BIOS either didn't support booting from CD or the first wave of BIOS that claimed to be able to boot a CD but didn't always quite get it right. Should not be needed on a system that is up to running XP (but that's only a general statement).

[rwcitek]

I have tried multiple computers and burning at an extremely slow speed. I have also done the knoppix testcd and everything is ok on that.

So the knoppix testcd works, which means that you can boot Knoppix at least into text mode. Is that correct?

When I tried useing smb I got the message smbk bad!

Do you really mean SMB (aka Samba) or do you mean SBM (Smart Boot Manager)?

I get the same blinking Hyphen or Underscore and it then skips to boot up windows xp. Some other background if it helps is that I CAN boot the install/recovery console for Windows XP but I never see the Boot screen for knoppix on this one computer.

If you can't see the boot screen, how are you able to run 'testcd'?

Regards,
- Robert
http://www.cwelug.org/

[cluedout]

sorry it was smart boot manager not smb
I have run knoppix succesfully on 4 computers now. I have 2 cds one burnt fast and one burnt slow both boot on all computers except this dell laptop. the knoppix testcd DID run and check all of the md5sums to be good and booted up. It is about 1:20 AM right now so I will run the sbm on another system to see if it runs fine, but I did remake the sbm disk and it booted up on my malfunctioning laptop. However when I tell it to boot(from the bad laptop)from either cd I now get an error 0xAA. All systems I tested on and am trying to run on are windows xp 2 home edition and 2 pro edition. I have successfully run knoppix on one dell laptop but cannot do it on the other. 2 systems I ran it on were AMD others are Intel including the laptop.

Without SBM I check the memory on the laptop (POST) and the Harddrive and CD drive are detected. and shortly after I tell it to boot from CD (It gives me a choice) I choose boot from cd and after about 10 mins Win xp boots up. So I took the HD disk out of the laptop and now it tells me to insert system disk and restart after the 10 min wait.

My next idea is updating the bios which I have tried once but I had almost no screen except 5 or 6 square inches (got crushed) and my display card is malfunctioning(but as soon as I can get knoppix running to get some stuff off of the harddrive I will replace the screen and display card.

This laptop cd drive should not be the problem as I can boot windows xp cd fine and have used it for install of Quake III just hours before the Winxp system would not fully boot.

Sorry if I repeated myself or my spelling left something to be desired I just got off work and began working on this with no success again. (If that works as an excuse)

Thanks so much for your ideas thus far.


I'm as Clueless as a baby in a topless bar!

[cluedout]

I guess I didn't fully answer everything in the last post. I was running sbm from floppy. And I get the 0xAA error after pressing enter on the the cd in the drivelist that it brings up. I updated the BIOS and it did nothing for better or worse. I am a complete newb at linux I have made several attempts through the years but Compiling code sure seams easier in visual studio I was hoping to transfer the files from the harddrive of a laptop to another computer without buying an adapter. .

Any suggestions are welcomed

(Again I just got off work and it is 45 past midnight that is my excuse )

*Update I have tried Kanotix (sp?) and Auditor from exploit all of which give me the 0xAA error in SBM

I'm as Clueless as a baby in a topless bar!

[rwcitek]

I have tried Kanotix (sp?) and Auditor from exploit all of which give me the 0xAA error in SBM

Seems to be an issue with either SBM or your CD-ROM drive, and not necessarily with Knoppix or any other CD.

Is there a reason you are using SBM? For example, are you not able to boot directly from the CD? What happens if you try to boot from the CD and enter boot: failsafe debug 1?

Regards,
- Robert

[cluedout]

I CAN boot windows setup off of the cd and I Have setup games just recently while in windows xp I couldn't imagine there would be anything wrong with the drive

I would try failsafe cheatcode if I could see the boot screen but I cannot see the boot screen on that computer. If I don't use SBM I either boot to winxp(when I have the harddrive in the computer) or I get a message "Please Enter System disk and press enter to restart" When I have run knoppix testcd It was on other computers that were able to boot it up.

What boggles my mind is I can boot off of ANY boot cd other than a debian based livecd. I have succesfully booted off of my mandrake linux cd and the windows cd.

Are there any other livecd's not based on debian?

[Harry Kuhman]

Are there any other livecd's not based on debian?

http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15175

[cluedout]

Well For anyone who has the problem of the 0xAA or 0x0C message from smart boot manager there is likely a problem with the BRAND of disk you are using. The memorex cd-r's had lots of issues booting. I have some other cd-r's that I have no clue what brand they are (Completely blank on both sides) that worked to boot knoppix up. 16x was the slowest my burner would burn too so I hope this helps others. I realized what it was after i noticed I had used an older cd-r to burn the xp professional (w/ sp2) and it worked but the newer one didn't. I only had this problem on the Smartstep 250 laptop from dell.

Thank you all so much for your efforts in resolving this issue!

[jjmac]

Dell .....

Don't they use a hidden partition, that involves it self in the boot process some how. Iv'e noticed a lot of posts on various site that relate to "strange" problems ... and they always seem to involve Dell ?



jm

[Simpkin]

Thanks for the advice although I tried burning at 4 x speed on 2 different burners using a variety of disks. Still nothing is happening just although this time round a bios screen is displaying "inbootable device" thanks anyway I will download a full version of linux and install it on the hdd.