cannot mount hda2 ?

**ghostqi** · 09-10-2003, 07:23 PM

forgive me if this is redundant, but I discovered a 70.5mb partition on my hd, but when I try to mount it, I get this message:

/dev/hda2: Invalid argument
mount: I could not determine the filesystem and none was specified.

I'm rather new at Linux, so I don't have a clue what to do...
I would like to use this partition to save this and that to drive

my other os is win98se on a compaq deskpro... old school

**rickenbacherus** · 09-10-2003, 08:03 PM

I suspect that 70M partition in the BIOS for your Compaq. They had a flash of brilliance when they came up with that idea. I would be very hesitant to do anything to that partition or you may find yourself with an unbootable machine.

**ghostqi** · 09-10-2003, 08:21 PM

Yeah, I think I'll just be patient and save my pennies for a memory stick.

Thanks.

**Corwyn2** · 09-10-2003, 09:35 PM

If it's the Compaq Diagnostic partition, then it's a FAT16 partition.

**ghostqi** · 09-11-2003, 12:22 AM

Well, according to the ranish partition manager, it's an unused primary partition.

**A. Jorge Garcia** · 09-11-2003, 12:54 AM

Originally Posted by rickenbacherus

I suspect that 70M partition in the BIOS for your Compaq. They had a flash of brilliance when they came up with that idea. I would be very hesitant to do anything to that partition or you may find yourself with an unbootable machine.

So that's what that extra partition is on all my new WINXP PCs! OMG!!

I have such a partition that comes up as hda1. Then a 10GB partition for WINXP (hda2) and then another 10GB partition (hda5) that was set aside for me to play....

Thanx for the head's up!!!

Regards,

**rickenbacherus** · 09-11-2003, 01:47 AM

Originally Posted by A. Jorge Garcia

Originally Posted by rickenbacherus

I suspect that 70M partition in the BIOS for your Compaq. They had a flash of brilliance when they came up with that idea. I would be very hesitant to do anything to that partition or you may find yourself with an unbootable machine.

So that's what that extra partition is on all my new WINXP PCs! OMG!!

I have such a partition that comes up as hda1. Then a 10GB partition for WINXP (hda2) and then another 10GB partition (hda5) that was set aside for me to play....

Thanx for the head's up!!!

Regards,

I learned the hard way. If you wish to buy the restore disc for your machine they are $20. There is no guarantee that it will work either AFAIK. So..to get win2k installed, on a laptop w/ either cdrom or floppy drive only I basically copied a creatively edited win98 boot floppy image to the hdd. then booted the win2k disc.
Perhaps a network install or even putting the drive in another machine would work equally well. It's unfortunate that they still choose to make their machines this way.