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From: volkoffb@ratserv.csus.edu (Brian Volkoff)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: PC Minix demo (questions)
Keywords: demo, 360k/1.2MB drives, 720k/1.44MB, help!
Message-ID: <1991Mar5.055145.7352@csus.edu>
Date: 5 Mar 91 05:51:45 GMT
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Greetings.

For the longest time I've wanted to get Minix running on my personal machine,
but have never gotten the chance to see if it would run or not.  With the
demo, I finally did.  Sort of.

I'm having a bit of a problem with the demo.  I have a 1.2MB Teac drive
(with a WD controller) in my 386SX.  I formatted a disk as 360k, then used
RAWRITE to copy the demo onto the disk.  Rebooting the computer I would
get a panic error, invalid root filesystem or somesuch.  I tried using
this same disk on three other clones (a 286, and two other 386SXs, all with
1.2MB drives) with no success.  Giving up on using the 5.25" drive, I tried
formatting a 3.5" disk and writting the demo to it.  I rigged up a way
of getting a 3.5" disk formatted as a 360k disk, copied it over, and voila!
it works.  Now my question... why???  Do I really need a 360k drive to 
use the 5.25" disk (or perhaps, do I need to format the disk on a real
360k drive? -- I have none, so I cannot try this)?

Now that I do have Minix running, is that a good indication that the full-
blown Minix will work?  I'd like to get the system up initially with the
least bit of hassle, but I'm willing to hack... thrash more likely :-) on
it for hours after I do have it going (or mostly going).

Thanks.