how to install linux over dynamic drive overlayed harddisk

[onlyvinay]

I bought a 10Gb harddisk which my bios doesn't support. I Used their s/w to create a dynamic drive overlay(DDO) and installed windows 2K on it. Now I am stuck, unable to install redhat 8.0 linux.

I tried foll 2 methods:
1> boot from linux CD directly.
2> boot rfom linux CD after DDO is loaded.

In both the methods, anaconda detects video card, etc correctly, displays 'starting xwindows' & the screen goes blank & computer freezes. Hard restart is the only way to exit then.

My hardware config:
Asus 7N266-VM MB (supports ATA/100 max)
Athalon 2400+ CPU
160 Gb maxtor hdd, ultra ATA/133

desperate for some help.

_Vinay_

[Dolda2000]

Seems to me that there's something with the autodetected video card drivers. Try installing in text mode instead.

[onlyvinay]

Thanks guru,
I tried installing in text mode & it almost succeded . It got stuck up at 3rd disk. Something wrong with the cd.
So as u said, its the autodetected video card driver's fault. But after linux is installed succesfully, how will I be able to start it in xwindows mode, cause the same probelm will exist then as well.
_V_

[Dolda2000]

I don't quite remember how it is that you configure your X settings in the text mode installation, but if you can choose your video driver, then choose the general vesa driver and it should at the very least start. Then you can download whatever driver you really want. If it doesn't let you choose, just select it not to start in runlevel 5 (ie. disable the graphical login option), and then edit your /etc/X11/XF86Config directly to make X use the vesa driver.

What card do you have, btw?

[onlyvinay]

I have an onboard GeForce 2 MX. Linux detects it correctly as GeForce 2 MX (generic). I installed linux in text mode & asked it to start in text mode by default. The installation completed, but there is one more issue I am facing here.
My bios doesn't support my harddisk which is 160 Gb. It detects only 32 Gb. Hence I am using an dynamic drive overlay(DDO) to get around. I was able to install windows fine. However, when it came to installing linux, I ran into problems. During linux installation hdd formatting part, it gave me some warning that my boot directory is mounted on non bootable partition or something. I just ignored and completed the installation. When I select linux when grub loader gives me option during startup, I get some error like unreachable memory & the grub loader comes back with its options.
I think I'll try again to reinstall everything, including windows, leaving some free unformated space for linux.

Any suggesions ? I don't like this DDO as well, would like to do away with it, if there is any way around.

thanks again
_V_

[Dolda2000]

I haven't heard of this DDO thing (I don't do Windows anymore), but I do know that you won't need it. Just reinstall, and when you do, create an extra partition, say 100 MB or so, that you create as the first one on the drive. That way it will be inside of the part of the disk that the BIOS can read from. Set its mount point to /boot. That way, all files that arre needed during the boot sequence will be put on that partition, and GRUB will be able to load them.