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Home > Archive > Red Hat Installation > January 2005 > Linux and MS-DOS dual-boot?
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Linux and MS-DOS dual-boot?
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| Lee Ayrton 2005-01-09, 2:47 am |
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I have just installed Red Hat Professional Workstation on a Compaq PIII
with a SCSI 18.2GB HD, using the automated install. It is a _mostly_
successful install -- it only took me 4 days to convince Linux and the
modem (well, the third modem, really but who's counting?) that they could
work together in peace and harmony, and I still can't get it to recognize
a Logitech Pocket Digital camera on the USB, but that's not what I want to
ask.
Can I set up this box as a Linux/MS-DOS 6.22 dual boot machine? I don't
mind reinstalling Linux from scratch. No need to back up as I won't lose
anything but what's on the CDs.
Before I get too deep into this install and have a bunch of stuff
configured it occurs to me that I can eliminate two old MS-DOS boxes if I
can establish a dual-boot on this machine. I want to keep DOS to support
some legacy stuff that I routinely use for business purposes and to
maintain access to old business files, and I can live with a partition
that is well under 100MB. The two systems don't have to talk to each
other for my purposes. I've tried Googling and DejaGoogling on the
subject but everything I've looked at was aimed at Linux/Windows systems
(remember, I'm running plain old vanilla DOS 6.22, not Windows) and,
frankly, the warnings about FAT incompatibilities went right over my
Luddite head.
Is it possible, or no? Are there any pitfalls? Stability is important
for this application.
Thanks.
--
"I defer to your plainly more vivid memories of topless women with
whips....r"
R. H. Draney recalls AFU in the Good Old Days.
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| Lee Ayrton <layrton@panix.com> posted:
> Can I set up this box as a Linux/MS-DOS 6.22 dual boot machine? I don't
> mind reinstalling Linux from scratch. No need to back up as I won't
> lose anything but what's on the CDs.
>
> I want to keep DOS to support some legacy stuff that I routinely use
> for business purposes and to maintain access to old business files, and
> I can live with a partition that is well under 100MB. The two systems
> don't have to talk to each other for my purposes.
I can't see why not. If you use something like GRUB to choose what to
boot, it'll boot up something using DOS just as easily as Linux or Windows.
From that point on, the booting system takes care of itself (if you can
start it, it should run stabily).
The hard part is putting a DOS partition where it can read itself (if
there's any BIOS issues with large hard drives). The really simple
solution, if you're killing off two other boxes, is to use one of their
drives in this box, just for MSDOS, and boot from that drive. Otherwise
I'd probably partition your drive first with the boot partition with the
bootloader on it (GRUB), next partition for DOS, then follow it with the
others for Linux.
If you have a DOS partition already on the system, Linux should recognise
it and include it when it configures the bootloader as you install.
--
If you insist on e-mailing me, use the reply-to address (it's real but
temporary). But please reply to the group, like you're supposed to.
This message was sent without a virus, please delete some files yourself.
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| Trog Woolley 2005-01-09, 7:47 am |
| While stranded on the hard shoulder of the information super highway layrton@panix.com typed:
>
> I have just installed Red Hat Professional Workstation on a Compaq PIII
[snip]
> Can I set up this box as a Linux/MS-DOS 6.22 dual boot machine? I don't
> mind reinstalling Linux from scratch. No need to back up as I won't lose
> anything but what's on the CDs.
[snip]
> Is it possible, or no? Are there any pitfalls? Stability is important
> for this application.
I've run a dual boot RH7.1 and DOS 6.2 for the last two years with no problems.
I've recently upgraded the box to FC3 and I can still access my DOS files from
Linux and box still dual boots just fine, so I can still run my DOS programs.
This is a far easier solution to the DOS/Linux issue rather than going the
Wine route. Just install your DOS and get it booting and then let Linux install
on the rest of the disk. Grub (which I use now) and LILO (which I used before)
both detected my DOS and set it up as dual boot automagically.
--
Trog Woolley | trog at trogwoolley dot com
(A Croweater back residing in Pommie Land with Linux)
Isis Astarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Inanna
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| Vince Coen 2005-01-09, 7:47 am |
| Hello Lee!
09 Jan 05 03:38, Lee Ayrton wrote to All:
LA> Can I set up this box as a Linux/MS-DOS 6.22 dual boot machine? I
LA> don't mind reinstalling Linux from scratch. No need to back up as I
LA> won't lose anything but what's on the CDs.
Have you considered installing FreeDos and Dosemu to allow you to run dos apps
under Linux instead of dual booting?
Vince
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| Lee Ayrton 2005-01-09, 5:55 pm |
| On Sun, 9 Jan 2005, Tim wrote:
> Lee Ayrton <layrton@panix.com> posted:
>
[vbcol=seagreen]
> I can't see why not. If you use something like GRUB to choose what to
> boot, it'll boot up something using DOS just as easily as Linux or
> Windows. From that point on, the booting system takes care of itself (if
> you can start it, it should run stabily).
>
> The hard part is putting a DOS partition where it can read itself (if
> there's any BIOS issues with large hard drives). The really simple
> solution, if you're killing off two other boxes, is to use one of their
> drives in this box, just for MS-DOS, and boot from that drive.
I hadn't thought of that option, thanks. This box came with the SCSI HD
installed and has an unused IDE connector on the motherboard. Physically
adding the IDE from the other box will be easy, getting it recognized
might be more of a challenge to my long-dormant and antiquated tech
skills.
> Otherwise I'd probably partition your drive first with the boot
> partition with the bootloader on it (GRUB), next partition for DOS, then
> follow it with the others for Linux.
Would you happen to know if the repartitioning something that I can
perform from the Linux install disk -- obviously going back to (FDISK?
I'll have to dig out and reread the manual) FORMAT/S the newly created DOS
partition --, or do I have to do the MS-DOS operations first and let Linux
take over the unused portion during the reinstall?
> If you have a DOS partition already on the system, Linux should
> recognise it and include it when it configures the bootloader as you
> install.
No such luck, I'm afraid. The box came with Windows loaded, when I
installed Linux I told it to occupy the whole disk and take no prisoners.
Thanks to all for the information.
--
"I defer to your plainly more vivid memories of topless women with
whips....r"
R. H. Draney recalls AFU in the Good Old Days.
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| Lee Ayrton 2005-01-09, 5:55 pm |
| On Sun, 9 Jan 2005, Vince Coen wrote:
> 09 Jan 05 03:38, Lee Ayrton wrote to All:
>
> LA> Can I set up this box as a Linux/MS-DOS 6.22 dual boot machine? I
>
> Have you considered installing FreeDos and Dosemu to allow you to run
> dos apps under Linux instead of dual booting?
I was aware that such things were possibilities but, honestly and
unabashedly, the learning curve on Linux is presenting what amounts to a
fairly high technical rock climb for me right now and I'm unwilling to
throw more challenges into the mix. The DOS version and apps that I've
got on the other boxes work in highly predictable ways, I need them to
continue to do that for a while yet. But thank you for the thoughtful
suggestion.
--
"I defer to your plainly more vivid memories of topless women with
whips....r"
R. H. Draney recalls AFU in the Good Old Days.
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| Tim wrote:
Lee Ayrton <layrton@panix.com> posted:
[vbcol=seagreen]
> I hadn't thought of that option, thanks. This box came with the SCSI HD
> installed and has an unused IDE connector on the motherboard. Physically
> adding the IDE from the other box will be easy, getting it recognized
> might be more of a challenge to my long-dormant and antiquated tech
> skills.
Getting IDE and SCSI working can be a nightmare on some motherboards.
[vbcol=seagreen]
> Would you happen to know if the repartitioning something that I can
> perform from the Linux install disk -- obviously going back to (FDISK?
> I'll have to dig out and reread the manual) FORMAT/S the newly created DOS
> partition --, or do I have to do the MS-DOS operations first and let Linux
> take over the unused portion during the reinstall?
I've not used the version of Linux that you've mentioned, but on others it
*is* possible to create partitions of different types, and mark them to be
formatted, too. You can also format them once Linux is running on the
system.
Read the man files for the Linux fdisk, and mkfs.mddos, see if that helps
you.
--
If you insist on e-mailing me, use the reply-to address (it's real but
temporary). But please reply to the group, like you're supposed to.
This message was sent without a virus, please delete some files yourself.
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| Lee Ayrton 2005-01-11, 5:55 pm |
| Just an update on my progress.
On Mon, 10 Jan 2005, Tim wrote:
> Tim wrote:
>
[snip]
[vbcol=seagreen]
> Getting IDE and SCSI working can be a nightmare on some motherboards.
It proved to be beyond my meager skills. This particular Compaq box
didn't want to know from SCSI drives with an IDE clipped in, and I decided
that my time would be better spent in ways other than trying to convince
it that it really _did_ want to work that way. Like by reinstalling the
system.
[vbcol=seagreen]
> I've not used the version of Linux that you've mentioned, but on others
> it *is* possible to create partitions of different types, and mark them
> to be formatted, too. You can also format them once Linux is running on
> the system.
>
> Read the man files for the Linux fdisk, and mkfs.mddos, see if that helps
> you.
Non-destructive repartitioning was beyond my reach. What I ended up
doing, after RTFM in both Linux and MS-DOS, was to use DOS's FDISK to
carve two DOS disks out of my 18GB drive, FORMAT /S C: and FORMAT D:, and
then did a mostly automated Linux install. The only hitch was in Disk
Druid (and the supporting dead-tree documentation) which left me doing the
"Wax on, wax off" character-building thing for an hour -- until I figured
out that what it really wanted was for me to create _only_ a swap
partition and a / partition -- the documents imply that you should be
creating /boot, /var, /usr, and so on. The only other real snag was that
GRUB ended up trying to use this line:
rootnoverify (hd0,4)
instead of:
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
And so gave me persistent "Non-system disk or disk error" failures, even
though I could boot MS-DOS from a floppy and see C: and D: just fine.
Thanks to all for your thoughtful suggestions and kind help.
--
"I defer to your plainly more vivid memories of topless women with
whips....r"
R. H. Draney recalls AFU in the Good Old Days.
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