Re: First-time boot stuck at Uncompressing Linux

[Tom Cooper <tom_cooper bigfoot com>]

My guess is that you're running into the old "root partition must not cross
cyl 1024 on the hard disk" problem.
This is an issue with older systems where LBA mode is not available, CHS is
the only option, and the disk gemoetry exceeds 1024 cyl.

If you can create a partition for root that doesn't cross the 1024
boundary, you'll be set.

I once had an old machine where I wanted to install multiple OSs, and was
limited by disk geometry.  My fix was to create a small partition later to
be used as root, then install the "other" operating systems, then install
RH using the small root partition, and a much larger partition that _did_
exceed the 1024 limit.

This worked very well for me, but YMMV.

HTH,
Tom
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From:	Richard Dybowski [SMTP:rdybowski btinternet com]
>Sent:	Tuesday, February 01, 2000 10:02 AM
>To:	redhat-install-list redhat com
>Subject:	First-time boot stuck at Uncompressing Linux
>
>Hi
>
>I am a Linux newbe and I have attempted to install Red Hat Linux 6.1 for 
>the first time today. Everything seems to have gone fine during the 
>installation procedure right up to the "Done" dialog box. However, when I 
>booted the system for the first time, I got the following text :
>
>LILO boot:
>Loading linux .................
>Uncompressing Linux ... <cursor>
>
>and that was it! No further progress: the cursor just stayed at that 
>position. I thought that maybe the uncompression process had run out of 
>disk space, but when I checked Partition Magic 5.0, there was still 1068 MB 
>unused in the partition for the root directory and 12 MB remaining in the 
>/boot partition. I rebooted the computer but this time I only got as far as
>
>LILO boot:
>Loading linux .................<cursor>
>
>Can anyone help please?
>
>Richard

This message reflects the personal views and opinions of the author only,
and not necessarily those of any organizaion to which the author is
related.