Crashdamage Posted October 2, 2005 Report Share Posted October 2, 2005 (edited) I'll try a quick explanation of some basics...at least as I understand them...anyone feel free to correct me... Low-level formatting refers to creating the 'structure' or layout of the disk - sectors, blocks - i.e. the 'factory' format. 'High-level' formatting is creating the filesystem (FAT32, NTFS, ext3, Reiser, whatever) upon that disk structure. In Win/Mac terminology, 'formatting' normally refers to BOTH a 'low-level' AND 'high-level' formatting of the disk. For example, notice in Windoze when you format a floppy disk you can choose between 'format' or 'quick format'. Format rebuilds the structure of the disk, quick format only creates a new filesystem on the existing structure. Using Windows, when you format a HD, say as with a Win98 boot floppy and the command: format C: you actually are doing both types. The command rebuilds the disk structure and creates a FAT32 file system on it. But in the Unix/Linux world, 'formatting' normally only refers to setting up the structure of the disk, and 'creating a filesystem' refers to - of course - creating the filesystem on that disk. However, the term 'format' is often (mis)used in the Win/Mac way even in Linux, creating some understandable confusion. Anyway, the difference between 'format' and 'creating a fileystem' sorta explains how the formatting tools used in Linux can easily create several different types of fileysytems on a single drive - the different fileystems are simply created on the same disk structure. It also explains why Windows normally cannot do so (well, WinNT can - but it's very limited). Of course, with Unix/Linux you can also do 'low-level' formatting if needed, but in actual practice a 'low-level' format is rarely necessary. Now, even if that clears up some stuff about basics a bit, it still leaves the root question of how to recover and format your entire 4G disk. You can't use a simple Windoze boot floppy to reformat as in the example above because you apparently have formatted part of your disk with a non-M$ filesystem. Since a Windoze boot disk is too stupid to recognize any space used by a non-Windoze filesystem the full HD is not recovered. So you must use something that can deal with non-M$ filesystems to get back the full 4G. You can: A. Use a bootable Linux disk (i.e. Knoppix, pcLinuxOS, or better in your situation of limited memory, one of several 'lighter' bootable rescue disks - Google can find several I'm sure) to get a workable system up and running, then use the formatting tools included to 'fully' reformat your disk. B. Use commercial software like PartitionMagic 8 (ugh) or similar to do a total formatting. Remember Google is your friend. You can find out pretty much anything you need to know with a little looking. But before you do anything, you never really answered some basic questions... 1. Is the drive properly detected by your BIOS? IOW, what does the BIOS say about the type and capacity of the drive? 4G? 2.5G? Unknown? Nothing can be done with the drive if the BIOS can't get a proper read on the drive. Any OS takes the BIOS info and goes from there. 2. What does the BIOS say about your type and speed of CPU and memory? Edited October 2, 2005 by Crashdamage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYinYeti Posted October 2, 2005 Report Share Posted October 2, 2005 Crashdamage is right I think in the above post. Damn Small Linux should boot and run with your specs. On a different matter, the advice to do a text install is a very good advice. I also suggest you try a "text" install (see additional boot options when starting the installation CD). Yves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco_lad Posted October 3, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2005 To answer you question yes the bios shows the model name of the Hard drive. The bios knows I have 64MB of ram I do have the 150MH processor but no brand name. If I change from auto detect to user for the hard drive I get size 1674 cylinders 3244 head 16 sector 63. That is what is on the top of the harddrive. I googled the hard drive model number and only one web site said it was a 1.6 GB drive for some reason. I am guessing that I was wrong about the size about the drive "maxtor 71670ap". I am at a loss about my hard drive problem now(ex. can mandrake fit on a 1.6 GB drive?) If you can't tell by now I guess you can call me Window Washed (brain washed) for most of my life from windows 3.1 to XP PRO I have used them all (except 64 bit versions). This headach is reminding me why I never used Linux. Most products I have bought other than my computer I am using right now have been cheap, no name parts. Mandrake looked like crap since I could not find the right drivers for the videocard. That is when I started and stopped due to non main stream products. Thank you Crash Damage for clearing up the matter about formatting. I only understood from a MS point of view. I am still stuck on why I can't install on my old computer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco_lad Posted October 3, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2005 Ok to help you people know where I get stuck. Forget about where I was getting stuck before. I don't know anyone knows but I found a web site that shows pictures of the install process and I an stuck afew seconds after the Press <F1> or <enter>. http://www.howtoforge.com/perfect_setup_mandrake_10_2 if you check out the web site it's the very first one. then when you see the second, I have never see it during install. It never makes it to that screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco_lad Posted October 3, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2005 if no one can help me on this. how safe and what do I have to worrie about when I dual boot with 2 hard drive with my old Maxtor? Remember I never really used linux before so I don't understand how linux would show me what hard drive is what and I don't want to lose my windows yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYinYeti Posted October 4, 2005 Report Share Posted October 4, 2005 Very very strange that you can boot the CD but not proceed through F1 or Enter... Could it be that your CDs are simply damaged? Did you check them with the md5sum? Yves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco_lad Posted October 4, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2005 Did you check them with the md5sum? I considered that but I don't know how to do that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crashdamage Posted October 4, 2005 Report Share Posted October 4, 2005 I could explain how to do this, but...I think disco_lad needs to dance on his own a little... Putting the search terms "linux how to check md5 sums" in Google pulled up 311,000 references in 0.24 seconds. Putting "check md5" in the search box of this forum pulled up 3 pages of posts. So I think another explanation by me might be kinda redundant. Like I said - Google is your friend. So is this forum. Both are loaded with good info. You can find almost anything you need with just a few minutes of looking. You can do it. The info you need is already available. Check your md5 sums. If your disks verify as good, try again to do the 'F1' thing and get into a text install. Like YinYeti said, it's very strange you can't do that. Anyway, if the disks are good and a text install still fails, post back here **with any error messages** and we'll try more to get to the bottom of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonEberger Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 to add my two cents....there is also a linux google. the address is http://www.google.com/linux. it's wonderful and really helps to narrow down your search. (i think it's the same as putting "linux" in every search.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYinYeti Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 No it's not the same: it is much more Linux centered. I don't know how they do it. Eg: with standard Google, the "linux" keyword will lead to any web portal with the word Linux in it, whereas the google/linux will lead to linux-related sites only most of the time. Yves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crashdamage Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 YinYeti's right, putting 'linux' in the search is not the same as using www.google.com/linux. I don't know how it works differently either, I just know it's pretty cool. Just another of those Google mysteries. I have it bookmarked in all browsers and use it a lot. I would've mentioned google/linux before, but I didn't want to confuse disco_lad and putting 'linux' in the search terms gets the job done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonEberger Posted October 5, 2005 Report Share Posted October 5, 2005 awesome. all i know is that it saves me tons of time. :-) that's some good info to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco_lad Posted October 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 I want to make sure if I got this right. when you do a check md5 sum you are checking your ISO download. NOT the burned CD or DVD right? I have 48X burner but for improtant things like this I burn a 8X so I doubt I did a bad job at burning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco_lad Posted October 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 Damn I have to say trying to use linux has really made me have to know my computer stuff. Trying to out geek the geeks. Unfortunatly I am knormaly so tired that I can't think well enough to make sure I am doing things proberly. To comunicate to linux users can be dificult due to the way little things are done but I must say over all it's really made me learn things that I don't ever think I could in the class room. Which I really need to do because I am starting a busness with someone. Some of it is online web hosting. He really want's to have our own server so to cut over head I though linux was the way. Can anyone give me tips before I install mandrake are there things I should know about doing this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco_lad Posted October 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 well from what I learded is that if in the event that I had to check the file before I burned, I did not do. That I never understood what this was so I am going to do some testing to tell you people what the out come is. Either 1 I am going to have to use my other computer or I am going to have to redownload and burn the copy's again to find out my problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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