Re: Installing to UMSDOS?

[http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert (robert)]

Hi.  I was wondering if you still boot to Linux from DOS/Windows and
whether there has been created an easier way to do this since you posted
this message in 1996.

Thanks.

 > On Mon, 19 Feb 1996, Steve Phillips wrote:
 > 
 > > How does one install to a UMSDOS partition instead of an ext2 pertition?
 > > Has anyone ever done this?
 > >
 > > --
 > 
 > I've just completed it - but it was messy for unknown reasons - and I'd
 > be interested in hearing other approaches/experiences.
 > 
 > Fist, put umsdos.o and umssync, the umsdos utility from sunsite on a
 > DOS disk.  Boot from the install boot/root disks and escape to a shell.
 > Mount the DOS disk and load umsdos.  Mount /dev/hda1 as type umsdos to
 > /root. Now the fun begins...
 > 
 > I tried two alternatives:  umssync /root to setup the umsdos files, exit
 > back to the setup menu to install and configure the base stuff.  Umsdos
 > wants to start life in /linux.  So, I "mv'ed" all the directories to
 > /linux.  Unfortunately a number of files - ld.so for one and /sbin/init
 > for another - got corrupted with the move.  Trying to fix the umsdos files
 > names seemed to be too big a trial.  (Why would the files names get
 > corrupted?  Certain directories, /lib and /sbin, got a big hit.)
 > 
 > So on to alternative two.
 > 
 > mkdir /hd and mount -t umsdos /dev/hda1 /hd.  Now mkdir /hd/linux (where
 > things should be in the first place) and rm /root and ln -s /hd/linux
 > /root.  Umssync /hd/linux.  The debian setup assumes the file destination
 > is in /root.  Unfortunately the setup tests df to see the /root is
 > MOUNTED.  So, the rest becomes running a few lines from dinstall by hand.
 > Look at dinstall for the exact sequence but it's something like: mount -o
 > ro -t msdos /dev/fd0 /mnt; cd /mnt; ./install.sh to mount the boot disk
 > and load some stuff.  Then cd /hd/linux; floppy_merge /dev/fd0 | gunzip |
 > cpio --extract to get the 3 base disks installed.  There are 4 dsetup_*
 > commands to configure everything (from /sbin).  dsetup_mod hung on me but
 > i didn't need the module stuff setup so I rebooted and skipped that one.
 > 
 > Finally, you need a vmlinuz with umsdos compiled in which I made on
 > another debian machine.  I use loadlin to boot from the DOS command line
 > (Win'95 is also installed).
 > 
 > I suffered a number of floppy disk hangs for unknown reasons and nothing
 > seemed to repeatable except the /lib & /sbin file name corruptions.  But
 > the system does work now.
 > 
 > I have one last problem - emacs will not install.  dpkg-deb complains that
 > it cannot delete a file that's not there and the emacs/lisp directory is
 > corrupted!  more to do...
 > 
 > 
 > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 > Paul Kirschner                                       #include <disclaimer.std>
 > [12]http://www.utrc.utc.com/~pek
 > United Technologies Research Center