Re: boot floppy fails on different machine

[Peter Baxendale]

Thanks for the advice.

I did this initially:
tar xvfz grub-0.92.tar.gz
cd grub-0.92
./configure
make
cd stage1 
dd if=stage1 of=/dev/fd0 bs=512 count=1
cd ../stage2
dd if=stage2 of=/dev/fd0 bs=512 seek=1

As I said, the 486 hangs with the floppy light on, no messages on the
screen, whilst the Pentium (my build machine) worked ok.

Then, wondering if the different cpu was the problem, I tried:
./configure --target=i486 --host=i486
(with a fresh source tree)
and rebuilt the same way.
As far as I could see, it didn't make any difference to the flags used
in the build, and when I tried it the end result was the same.


Then I tried the binaries at ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/grub/ :
tar xvfz grub-0.92-i386-pc.tar.gz
cd grub-0.92-i386-pc/boot/grub
dd if=stage1 of=/dev/fd0 bs=512 count=1
dd if=stage2 of=/dev/fd0 bs=512 seek=1
This has exactly the same end result - hang with the 486.


Maybe as you say it's something to do with binutils. Checking this, it
seems I installed them from a  Redhat rpm, so I've no idea what cpu the
code is generated for. But I sort of assumed they'd all be ok for a 386,
even if badly optimised for this machine - am I wrong? And what about
the binaries on the grub ftp site? Surely they should work on any old
386/486?

I'm confused.


On Sun, 2002-05-19 at 08:51, Hans-Christian Armingeon wrote:
> Am Samstag, 18. Mai 2002 16:47 schrieb Peter Baxendale:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I've built grub-0.92 from the sources using my much updated Redhat 7.1
> > (binutils-2.10.91.0.2-3) Pentium 3 box, copied stage1 and stage2 to a
> > floppy and when I boot from the floppy I get the grub prompt. So far so
> > good.
> You recompiled binutils trough configure and make? Maybe the binutils are 
> pentium optimized.
> I had the same problem on my linux-from-scratch. It was built on an athlon, 
> and configure detectet an i586, and optimized for it.
> 
> You might have a look in the Makefile of your binutils sources, if you didn't 
> delete them. If you are totally unfamiliar with that, you can send it in 
> personal to me, and I'll do my best.
> 
> >
> > When I put the same floppy in my old 486 and reboot it hangs forever
> > with the floppy access light on, no messages of any kind. The floppy
> > works fine normally (boots basic-linux ok, etc).
> >
> > What have I missed?
> Check the march options in the makefile, or try configure --target=i486 read 
> the help for these options, --build=i486 --host=i486 and decide wether you 
> need them.
> 
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Peter.
> >
> Hope that helps,
> 
> Johnny
> 
> PS: I'm not a compiler secialist.