You are right except that you can put both kernel and filesystem on the same floppy. you put kernel with dd if=kernel of=/dev/fd0 you get the number of next free bloc on disk. you create a filesystem, you put things on it and YES you compress it with gzip. then you put it with dd on the same floppy (dd if=filesystem of=/dev/fd0 skip=XXX) All is fairly well explained in the rootdisk-HOWTO pascal > -----Original Message----- > From: Maurice Hendrix [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 1999 2:05 PM > To: 'Kenny Kim Leung' > Cc: '@MailingList: Linux-Newbie' > Subject: RE: Rootdisk - Invalid compress format > > > I don't think it is possible to create a FileSystem and then > compress the > **RootDisk** as an image and still use it as is. I haven't > done this yet, > but I'm planning to create a root/boot disk soon. IIRC from > what I've been > reading you should create the filesystem e.g. on the ramdisk > and put all the > programs you need in that. Then check with 'df' the size. > Then fdformat a > floppy and make a filesystem on it with mk2efs. Finally cp > the contents of > the ramdisk to the floppy. You can use strip (man strip) to > get smaller > executables > > For the **BootDisk** you prepare a disk with 'fdformat'. Then select a > kernel and 'dd' it straight onto the disk. Somebody correct > me if I'm wrong. > > > ---------- > > From: Kenny Kim Leung[SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: 04 August 1999 13:22 > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: Re: Rootdisk - Invalid compress format?? > > > > no no no... not bad floppy. Tried other floppies as well. Any more > > guesses? > > > > Basically my procedure is sth like this: > > 1. zeroed out /dev/ramdisk, mounted it and created > everything on it w/ > > /bin > > /dev /etc /lib /mnt /proc /sbin /tmp /usr /var > > 2. umount it and then dd if=/dev/ramdisk bs=1k | gzip -v9 > > > /var/tmp/rootdisk.gz > > 3. checked the size of the .gz and it's within the capacity > of a floppy. > > 4. dd if=/var/tmp/rootdisk.gz of=/dev/fd0 bs=1k > > > > I'm wondering if it's the compression thing that doesn't > work?? I tried > > rawwrite another UNcompressed .img from redhat onto the > same floppy and, > > at > > least, it gets booted (though panicked at "no init"). > > > > At 13:16 08-03-99 ric, you wrote: > > >Very possibly a bad floppy. You can use badblocks to > check, or in a > > >pinch, scandisk. Most of the ways of making boot and root disks in > > >common use have _zero_ tolerance for any IO error, and floppies are > > >pretty easy to damage. > > > > > >Lawson > > > >< Microsoft free environment > > > > > >This mail client runs on Wine. Your mileage may vary. > > > > > > -K. Leung- > > (Finger [EMAIL PROTECTED] for PGP keys and others) > > ------------------------- > > ... have, like, a moment when just being myself > > and my life... right where I am... is, like, > > enough. > > >
