/dev/hda1 isn't mountable for tohd-option

**BlackDwarf** · 09-30-2003, 11:40 AM

Hello world,

I just tried to use the cheatcodes tohd and fromhd, but encountered a problem. Of course I searched the forum for similar problems, but everyone but me seems to be happy with these cheatcodes ...

My boot prompt looked like this:

Code:

boot: knoppix dma tohd=hda1

After some seconds I get the message

Code:

Copying KNOPPIX CD-ROM failed. /dev/hda1 is not mountable.
cloop: unloaded.
Can't find KNOPPIX filesystem, sorry.

Then I'm dropped to a very limited shell.

hda1 is a 20GB FAT32 partition on an IDE drive with win2k on it. It is definitly OK - when I boot knoppix the "normal way" I can mount and work with it. Even the persistent homedir works fine.

I also tried it without the dma-cheatcode but the problem stays the same.

Any ideas what to look for?

Thanks in advance,

Alex

**John Smith** · 09-30-2003, 01:28 PM

I don't think that knoppix likes to be copied to a FAT32 partition.
From what I read, I think it is possible to either copy it to a linux ext2 partion or FAT partion.
You should perhaps partition your hard drive and make two linux 1Gb partitions at the end of the drive. The first should be linux ext2 partition where you should copy the Knoppix CD-ROM to using (boot: knoppix todh=hdax) where x is the partion number of the linux ext 2 partion and the second partion should be a linux swap partion. Knoppix will detect the linux swap partion automatically.

**BlackDwarf** · 09-30-2003, 05:23 PM

Originally Posted by John Smith

I don't think that knoppix likes to be copied to a FAT32 partition.
From what I read, I think it is possible to either copy it to a linux ext2 partion or FAT partion.

Yep, you are right. I would have known if I had read the docs more carefully. Thanks for the hint.

I hoped there would be a way to get the CD out of the drive without bothering about repartioning my harddrive or buying 512MB additional RAM. But it seems to me know that there's no solution for that one.

**donl** · 10-01-2003, 02:05 AM

No problem with fat32, try tohd=/dev/hda1

**BlackDwarf** · 10-01-2003, 07:51 AM

Works! Thanks a lot!

But there are questions left:

- In cheatcodes.txt it says "You can now do a "poor mans install" on vfat and ext2-Partitions". Is vfat the same as Fat32?

- The error message I posted first says something about "/dev/hda1" although I used "tohd=hda1". So it seems that the error message "guessed my wishes" right, but the function that tries to write to the hd did not!? Can anybody explain this behavior to me?

**Dave_Bechtel** · 10-02-2003, 08:50 AM

--Incorrect. Nobody does straight Fat(16) anymore, it's all FAT32 or (God help us) NTFS. If you're going to repartition the drive, you might as well go the whole way and install Knoppix to HD.

--They changed the cheatcodes for 9-24 rev, it's ' tohd=/dev/hdX9 ' now.

ftp://ftp.uni-kl.de/pub/linux/knoppi...cheatcodes.txt

Blackdwarf - Yes, vfat == FAT32. The change to the cheatcode syntax was documented in the changelog for 9-22. As for code behavior, you'd have to check the startup scripts in the boot image.

Originally Posted by John Smith

I don't think that knoppix likes to be copied to a FAT32 partition.
From what I read, I think it is possible to either copy it to a linux ext2 partion or FAT partion.
You should perhaps partition your hard drive and make two linux 1Gb partitions at the end of the drive. The first should be linux ext2 partition where you should copy the Knoppix CD-ROM to using (boot: knoppix todh=hdax) where x is the partion number of the linux ext 2 partion and the second partion should be a linux swap partion. Knoppix will detect the linux swap partion automatically.