It doesn't matter to the _boot loader_ what the filesystem is on the
initrd ramdisk. But the kernel still has to be able to mount the initrd
ramdisk _before_ it can run linuxrc or load any modules. You _cannot_
boot linux, period, without _some_ filesystem _hard compiled_ into the
kernel, even with initrd, because the initrd _still has to be mounted by
the kernel_ in order to run linuxrc, access modules, etcetera. Since the
tomsrtbt root partition is a minix filesystem, you must have minix hard
compiled into the kernel if you want to use that for the initrd. You
could always use an ext2fs initrd if your kernel has ext2fs hard compiled
in, or some other filesystem, but the kernel _must_ have _some_ filesystem
hard compiled into it, in order to even mount an initrd. -Tom
