compact flash woes

[Adi Linden]

Hi,

On a Linux box I use a USB flash reader to do all the CompactFlash card
manipulations. This worls great whether it be a multi partition Linux
system with ext2 partitions and lilo or a ramdisk based system using
syslinux and a ramdisk image.

I have used the CF-IDE adapter quite successfully for installing syslinux
on a DOS formatted CF card. However, formatting a CF using the CF-IDE
adapter using linux fdisk seems to have its problems.

The trouble is very specific to using fdisk and the CF-IDE adapter. Once
the partitions are done I have never had a problem with the CF-IDE
adapter. I.e. running mke2fs, mkdosfs, lilo, syslinux, etc all works fine.

I have not come across any CF-IDE adapters that are hotswap yet. This is a
big disadvantage when developing. That's another reason I try to stick
with the USB adapter (Sandisk SDDR-31 works well) for loading the CF on
the development system.

If the system is to be ramdisk based I think syslinux and an initrd are
the way to go. 

TTYL,
Adi

On Mon, 9 Jul 2001, Matthew Schumacher wrote:

> Adi,
> 
> I didn't know that you are the one that put together peeweelinux.  If I
> had known I would have bought the cf adapter from you because I like to
> support linux.  Anyway.....
> 
> I did a fdisk /mbr using a windows 98 boot disk and that seems to work
> fine, but when I run fdisk I get error reading fixed disk.  I got this
> error before the boot problem but didn't worry about it because it
> booted fine.  I can read the disk with partition magic.  I can make a
> dos partition and format it.  I can also see the formated disk and copy
> data to and from it, but still can't boot.
> 
> Any other ideas?  I am thinking about trying syslinux to make it boot.
> 
> Also, what is the correct way to put linux on a compact flash anyway? 
> Syslinux, with a initrd?
> 
> schu
> 

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