Error Loading Operating System

[Guest Modestmatt]

This is my very first use with linux and I apologize in advanced if this is found somewhere else, I could not find it.

 

I downloaded the 3 CD verson of Mandrake 10.1. I installed it over my old windows drive (using the installer to reformat the drive). I did everything it said and it gave no errors through the installation. When i rebooted, I got the 'Error loading operating system'

 

I tried everything i could think of. I reburned new CDs, redownloaded the ISOs, installing only what i needed and still no luck. If you have any idea please let me know.

thanks.

-matt

 

Motherboard : P5AD2-Premium

CPU : Pentium 4 550J - 3.4 GHz

RAM(Mo) : 1024

Connection : Cable

CD / DVD ROM : CD: Plextor 716A

Hard disk : WD740 - 74

Video card : RADEON X800 Pro - 256MB

Sound card : mobo

Network : mobo

Edited April 19, 2005 by Modestmatt

[adamw]

That's a BIOS error not a Mandriva error, I think. Check the BIOS settings for bootable drives are correct?

Edited April 19, 2005 by adamw

[Guest Modestmatt]

That's a BIOS error not a Mandriva error, I think. Check the BIOS settings for bootable drives are correct?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Thanks for the help. I am not sure what I did wrong but i restored the defaults and it worked. Thanks again. However, I am having one other issue. I use the wireless connection built into the motherboard, but ASUS does not offer linux drivers, and i could not find one in the Mandrake driver list that looked like it would work. Am I just out of luck? Will I need to buy a seperate Wireless card?

Thanks.

-matt

Edited April 19, 2005 by Modestmatt

[scarecrow]

Hit "kdesu harddrake" and check if your wifi (802.11g I guess) is listed (it should be) and if a module is loaded for it.

[Guest Modestmatt]

Well it is not listed. I found some posts on it. All of them said there is currently no way to do it.

[adamw]

not even with ndiswrapper? try googling the name of the mobo or adapter along with 'ndiswrapper'.

 

If that's no good, then you'll have to buy something. If it's a desktop machine that rarely moves, I have a suggestion: don't get a wireless adapter. Get a wireless bridge.

 

Making wireless adapters work with Linux is, frankly, a pain, even though we do our best to make it as painless as possible. On a desktop there's really not much point in putting yourself through the hassle when there's a much easier fix. Most major electronics stores sell wireless bridges branded as 'wireless gaming adapters'. A wireless bridge converts a wireless signal to Ethernet; you plug the bridge into the ethernet socket on your PC, set up the PC with a perfectly normal autodetected ethernet connection, configure the wireless bridge for encryption etc (you might need a Windows machine to do this, depending on the brand, but it's a one-time operation), then you just forget about it. The wireless bridge takes care of all the wireless crap and as far as your PC's concerned it's got a perfectly bog-standard wired ethernet connection.

 

The gaming-branded bridges are pretty cheap, no more than $100 for an 802.11g version. They have a bunch of other advantages too. They're really flexible, as once they're configured you can plug anything with an ethernet port into one and it'll just go on the network right away. They also basically function as an external antenna, which anyone who's messed about with desktop wifi will tell you increases the signal a _lot_ compared to a crappy aerial sitting slap bang in the middle of all the radio interference pouring out of the back of the average desktop PC.

 

If you _do_ decide to ignore me and go for a PCI adapter :), get one based on the RT2x00 or Atheros chipsets if possible, I've found them the most trouble-free on Linux.