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Thread ID: 49375	2004-09-17 09:31:00	Booting from a CD without a bootdisk.	willie_M (5608)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
273204	2004-09-17 09:31:00	Hey guys, my mates got an old 486 and I wanna put DSL (damn small linux) on it. However, either the floppy disk drive is stuffed, or every floppy disk between my house and his is corrupt, or floppy disks just suck fullstop. I picking the last option. Anyway, I managed to get the CDROM working in dos before windows (95) loads. However there are 3 files that are boot files but I don't know how to boot from them... Theres BOOT.CAT, BOOT.IMG and KNOPPIX. How can I boot the system into DSL from those files? If no one knows that, how can I get to the boot partition on the hard drive? Cheers Willie	willie_M (5608)
273205	2004-09-17 09:43:00	None, you *should* have downloaded DSL as a .iso, and burned that to a CD using something like nero. Unless there's something else to complicate installing linux that i don't know of...	Megaman (344)
273206	2004-09-17 09:48:00	I would say those 3 files have to be burnt to a cd for the cd to be bootable. So, when u change the bootdisk in the BIOS, the CD will boot. They wont work by themselves, without being burnt to a cd first. Something like Nero would make a bootable CD. And one of the methods here www.duspinnst.com Either using CD creator or Nero	Spacemannz (808)
273207	2004-09-17 10:22:00	> Hey guys, my mates got an old 486 and I wanna put DSL > (damn small linux) on it. DSL is a live CD. This does not need to be installed on the hard drive. > However, either the floppy > disk drive is stuffed, or every floppy disk between > my house and his is corrupt, or floppy disks just > suck fullstop. I picking the last option. Whatever. > > Anyway, I managed to get the CDROM working in dos > before windows (95) loads. However there are 3 files > that are boot files but I don't know how to boot from > them... Those files are not in themselves bootable. So the system will boot from Win95 on the hard disk at present? > > Theres BOOT.CAT, BOOT.IMG and KNOPPIX. > > How can I boot the system into DSL from those files? You need to make a bootable CDRom disk. > > If no one knows that, how can I get to the boot > partition on the hard drive? Sorry. Thought you could already get to the hard drive. Win 95 loads does it not? Have a look in the BIOS and boot order CD, HDD0, Floppy I repeat that DSL is not meant to be installed on a hard drive. > > Cheers > Willie	Elephant (599)
273208	2004-09-17 10:40:00	OK.... my bad. I did not explain myself correctly. I'm a f88khead. The files are on a CD. Burned strate from an ISO. >However, either the floppy disk drive is stuffed, or every floppy disk between my house and his is corrupt, or floppy disks just suck fullstop. I picking the last option. IE cannot make a boot floppy >Anyway, I managed to get the CDROM working in dos before windows (95) loads. However there are 3 files that are boot files but I don't know how to boot from them... BIOS Does not boot from CD: too old My question once more. How can I boot those files?	willie_M (5608)
273209	2004-09-17 11:03:00	NO I dont think u can then if the mobo hasnt got an option in BIOS. Unless there's a BIOS update that will fix it. Or u replace the mobo on it, so it does boot from CD. BUT I cant see why it wont work if the files are on the CD already. Obviously it needs to boot directly from the CD for it to pick up those files, and for it to work properly.	Spacemannz (808)
273210	2004-09-17 11:09:00	Unless u copy the cd to the hdd? And then change the boot disk to hdd in the BIOS. Boot from the hdd then go into DOS. Then run the setup.exe or install file whatever it is to install it? BUT then you may need DOS to install on the hdd beforehand, which I take it u cant do, since the floppy maybe screwed! Or is DOS installed on the hdd, since you have managed to get the CD to work in DOS? In which case the above may work.	Spacemannz (808)
273211	2004-09-17 11:28:00	> OK.... my bad. I did not explain myself correctly. > I'm a f88khead. You do not need to put yourself down in my opinion. There is also no need to leetspeak either. > > The files are on a CD. Burned strate from an ISO. > > > However, either the floppy disk drive is stuffed, or > every floppy disk between my house and his is > corrupt, or floppy disks just suck fullstop. I > picking the last option. > IE cannot make a boot floppy When you say "IE cannot make a boot floppy." I hope you are not hoping Internet Explorer will make a "boot floppy" or do you mean IE ( for example} I can't make a boot floppy. > > > Anyway, I managed to get the CDROM working in dos > before windows (95) loads. However there are 3 files > that are boot files but I don't know how to boot from > them... > BIOS Does not boot from CD: too old > > My question once more. How can I boot those files? Simple answer is you can not. According to what you say the floppy drive does not work so therefore you cant boot from a floppy. The bios will not allow you to boot from a CD. You have been able to boot from the hard drive running Win95 Answers I have include buy and insert new floppy drive and boot from that using a Win98 boot disk. This will allow access to the hard drive. Probably cheapest option. Update the BIOS so the system will boot off a CD. This may not be easy for you.	Elephant (599)
273212	2004-09-17 11:36:00	> NO I dont think u can then if the mobo hasnt got an > option in BIOS. Unless there's a BIOS update that > will fix it. > > Or u replace the mobo on it, so it does boot from CD. > BUT I cant see why it wont work if the files are on > the CD already. Obviously it needs to boot directly > from the CD for it to pick up those files, and for it > to work properly. But the BIOS will not boot from a CD will it? The system apparently runs Win95 as the O/S and will boot from there. Cheapest option in my opinion is to replace the floppy drive and then boot off a Win98SE floppy. This should give access to a CDRom drive and the hard drive. Along with a RAMdisk of course.	Elephant (599)
273213	2004-09-17 12:00:00	ok, I want to boot from the cd drive . floppy disks suck, I cannot be forked forking around with them . The computer normally boots into win95 from the hard drive The BIOS doesn't have the feature to boot from CD I am able to get into command prompt through the win95 bootmenu I have enabled the cd drive (not using mscdex but installing drivers through dos) I want to boot from command prompt . . . . maybe I should have just asked that . So since its not looking good for booting from CLI, how else, apart from using floppies, or flashing bios could i boot . Could I append something to AUTOEXEC . BAT to make it point to the CD? Could I get to the boot partition and insert the boot files for the cd and just put the bastard on the hard drive?	willie_M (5608)
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