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From:	"Joydeep Mitra" <jolly_joydeep AT hotmail DOT com>
To:	opendos AT delorie DOT com
Subject:	Re: Fdisk and MBR - a question
Date:	Sun, 02 Dec 2001 22:55:01 +1100
Mime-Version:	1.0
Message-ID:	<F77Yu7AHfo98xKLVXfE0000ff8c@hotmail.com>
X-OriginalArrivalTime:	02 Dec 2001 11:55:01.0886 (UTC) FILETIME=[2C8449E0:01C17B28]
Reply-To:	opendos AT delorie DOT com

You could always install LILO into the MBR. Although it would be a good idea 
to have a backup LILO on a floppy because if it is damaged you would not be 
able to boot Linux and would probably have to reinstall it.

Joydeep



>Thomas A Webb wrote:
> >
> > Thanks for the response..
> >
> > I suspect you've put your finger on the problem, although the solution
> > isn't too clear at this point :-(
> >
> > The specific instance was an old 486 with Linux partitions, and if DRDOS
> > needs to read what's there in order to replace it, Ill probably have to
> > look for another solution. MS-DOS apparently doesn't attempt to
> > interpret what's there, because it works fine.
> >
> > The problem is this:
> >
> > When installing Linux, the mbr needs to be a POBT (Plain old boot
> > track). Many of the machines we recycle have had Windoze or os2 on them
> > in the past, and we need to be able to start fresh. In addition, there
> > are opportunities (several, actually ;-) ) to screw up a Linux
> > installation to the extent that it is usefull to start over. MSDOS works
> > fine for this, but I can't provide a download utility disk using MSDOS
> > because of licensing issues.
> >
> > I have found shareware "disk editors" that will do this, but they aren't
> > what I would call production tools. I have thought of creating a simple
> > utility ( in C ) that would simply pop a new mbr on the drive without
> > dragging us through a lot of nonsense, but I was hoping there is a
> > simple solution already out there. This is all that is holding up the
> > release of SlamDunk Linux procedures, and I would appreciate any
> > suggestions.


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