SPB-Linux FAQ ( -Version)

SPB-Linux is targeted as an emergency system for Windows users - and the following is written with the unexperienced Linux user in mind.

Using the Midnight Commander via telnet with the telnet client included in Windows 95 does not work properly.

Either run SPB-Linux on both computers and use the telnet client of SPB-Linux. Or use Win 32 Console Telnet for windows (in telnet.ini two settings have to be changed: in the section [Terminal]: term=linux and in the section [Keyboard]: Default_Config=linux).

Help, I can copy only one addon to the SPB-Linux bootdisk. It is a 1.68MB DMF floppy disk and there is free space on the floppy. I am working with Windows 95.

DMF floppies are a little bit tricky. They have only 16 entries in the root directory. However one long name may occupy several entries and it is not always obvious when long names are in use ( this_doc.txt is a "long name" under Windows 95 with standard settings). You can use SPB-Linux to create DMF floppies - avoiding these problems (SPB-Linux uses short names on VFAT drives if the name is in the 8.3 format and uses small letters). Renaming long filenames may or may not result in short names.

How can I change a CD if SPB-Linux is running?

Quit the Midnight Commander with F10, change the CD and remount the IDE-drives with enter (or use the commands mount and unmount).

I have plenty of RAM (32MB or more). Is it possible to have a bigger ramdisk?

Yes, if you use ramdisk2 (8MB) instead of the standard ramdisk (4MB); two variables in syslinux.cfg have to be adapted (use syslinux.cfg contained in ramdisk2.zip); download: ramdisk2.zip.

Is it possible to install SPB-Linux to a harddisk?

Yes, but potentially dangerous because the bootsector on the active partition has to be modified. - SPB-Linux uses the syslinux bootloader (syslinux-1.48.zip) which can be used only on FAT16 formatted harddisk partitions (NOT on FAT32 partitions; see details in the documentation of syslinux). On FAT16 partitions syslinux can be used as bootloader for DOS/Windows 9x (enter dos at the syslinux bootprompt) and SPB-Linux, if the original bootsector is saved with copybs.com and copied to \dos.bss.
a) Create a folder \spblinux in the rootdirectory of the harddisk and boot with the SPB-Linux floppy disk. The folder spblinux should now be visible as /c/spblinux or /d/spblinux or /e ...; assuming it is visible as /d/spblinux enter mount (+ enter) and look on which device (like hda2) the directory /d is mounted. Mount the bootdisk (F2) and edit (F4) the file /a/syslinux.cfg: change root=/dev/fd0 to root=/dev/hda2 if hda2 is mounted as /d (the change has to be made at two locations).
Now copy init.bz2 and utils.bz2 to the folder /d/spblinux and spblinux.cfg to the root directory; reboot from the floppy disk. If everything is ok the ramdisk and the kernel will be loaded from the floppy disk and the rest will be loaded from the harddisk.
b) Reboot with DOS/Windows, save the existing bootsector with copybs.com, install the new bootsector with syslinux.com and copy ramdisk and kernel to the root directory of the harddisk. Rebooting from the harddisk should now start SPB-Linux. Addons have to be copied to the folder spblinux.
c) Following the same path a bootable CD could be created (using syslinux -s)...

Click here, if you want to know more about the image on the left.

Back to main page - Christian Ostheimer, osth@freesurf.ch (feedback to SPB-Linux is appreciated)