[K12OSN] problem in starting a new dual boot machine in Linux

["Terrell Prudé, Jr."]

Nope, all Microsoft-style operating systems need only one partition, and 
with the exception of 32-bit OS/2 with Boot Manager, it must be a 
primary partition.  But you only need one.  That other partition is a 
vendor-specific thing that Compaq puts on their boxes since they have, 
for two decades, used their own BIOS (they were the first of the 
IBM-compatibles back in 1983, long before the Phoenix BIOS was born).  
In the case of Compaq, it contains some of their own diagnostic tools, 
and no, that partition is not actually necessary.

You've got to be careful and keep very good track of things when you 
start fiddling with partitions like this.  Remember that, on x86 boxen, 
the OS kernel needs to be within the first 1,024 cylinders on the hard 
disk, otherwise you're not likely to be able to boot the computer.  This 
is true of all kernels, not just the Linux kernel; it's true of all 
versions of Windows (MS says that's been overcome on XP, but I don't 
believe it), all of the BSD's, OS/2--you name it--they're all the same 
this way.  This is due to legacy issues in the x86 BIOS architecture, 
which BIOS and mobo manufacturers have to follow, otherwise you're 
compatible with NOTHING.  That's why I always make a small /boot 
partition somewhere within the first 1,024 cylinders; since I run 
exclusively Free OS's here at home, that means it's generally at the 
beginning of the disk.  Note that it doesn't have to be a primary 
partition, but a lot of us do it that way just out of habit.

Other machine types, such as the Sun UltraSPARC, don't place such limits 
on where the kernel has to live on the hard disk.  It can be pretty much 
anywhere.

--TP

Huck wrote:

> not too sure...but doesn't XP utilize 2 partitions?
> some little funky tiny one...and then the main partition...
> A friend just called me about this last week, and was mentioning 
> something about finding a small hidden partition...
> his was a compaq laptop though...not a dell.
>
> --Huck
>
> John P. Conlon wrote:
>
>> I am trying to turn my new Dell Inspiron 6000 into a dual boot 
>> machine.  It came with Windows
>> XP Pro installed.  I used Partition Magic 8.0 to move the NTFS 
>> windows partition boundary to
>> give me room for Linux. I installed K12LTSP 4.1.0.  The installation 
>> went okay but on the
>> restart I get the following screen text lines:*
>>
>> Uncompressing Linux... OK, booting the kernel.
>> audit(1110305405.379:0): initialized
>> ide0: I/O resource 0x1F0-0x1F7 not free.
>> ide0: ports already in use, skipping probe
>> Red Hat nash version 3.5.22 starting
>> Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)*
>>
>> This does not appear to be a Grub problem but rather something else.
>> What do I need to do to fix this?  Please be detailed as I am still
>> in the dangerous stage of learning (just enough knowledge to wreck a 
>> computer).
>>
>> Thanks
>> Pat
>>