If Linux does not like your system...

[KillerBug]

Ok, I just put together a 486 66 system and loaded Linux on a 500mb drive, loaded the software after about 2 hours, and looked good, then every time I tried to start a program, it locked up, I figure it is my video. Anyway, I figured out a way to go back to FAT without low-level formating. Here are the steps:

1.) Boot to a disket that will load CD-ROM drivers, must be DOS compatable.
2.) Go to the cdrom drive of your system.
3.) Type, "CD DOSUTILS" no " marks.
4.) Type, "AUTOBOOT" no " marks.
5.) Act just like you are installing the sytem new again, when you get to DISK DRUID, delete all your partions and click back, forward will not work.
6.) Now the partion table is totaly clean, nothing there, turn off system (you do not even have to cancel setup).
7.) When you boot to your WIn98 boot disk, type, "FDISK" and you should be able to take it from there.

[SoopaStar]

Why do all that? If you boot to a win98 boot disk with just fdisk and format on them you shuld be able to fdisk and delete that non-dos partition. I have done with this with a linux and BeOS partition....

Soopa

[Dominus]

Same here.

But if you still find it neccessary to do all that, you can cut out steps 1-4 by booting from the CD-ROM drive, though I don't think that 486 would be able to do that.

If you need help troubleshooting that linux system, just ask. Could you launch programs from the CLI? Or was the problem just in X?

[ANTONIO E GUERRA]

Try the following command: fdisk/mbr and it will fix the boot partition.

[KillerBug]

I don't know about the last one, but fdsik would not work, it says there are other partions, when you look them up it says they are undefined, and connot be deleted. If they can't be deleted, neither can the others.

[Andre]

The fdisk/mbr takes the mbr (master boot record) back to the old DOS times, so you can alter with the drive again.

[KillerBug]

Then you would be missing whatever the size of your swap file was!