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Topic: newbie question. . .

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cphp

Group: Members
Posts: 25
Joined: Mar. 2005

Posted: Mar. 29 2005,01:42

Actually, 2 newbie questions.

1.) The page mentions a "live" cd. Is that any different from a regular CD-ROM? and if so, how do I "boot" from a cd. . .just insert the CD and start the computer? Or do I put the CD in after starting Windows XP? And. . .how would I switch between Windows and DSL -- any way without re-booting?

2.) How do I run it from inside Windows?

I couldn't find pages that address these problems for people who know nothing about it like me

Either direct me to such a page, or help out please :P

The reason I chose DSL is because I want to try Linux but I don't have space to run a dual-boot Windows XP and Mandrake or something, plus I don't want to install it to my HD, so the CD sounds great, just confused about the live business ;);)

mikshaw

Group: Members
Posts: 4856
Joined: July 2004

Posted: Mar. 29 2005,02:20

1) "liveCD" means the system runs straight off the CD, into ram. A regular cdrom is typically a software program which is first installed to harddrive and then run. The disk itself is no different though....it's just burned in a way that makes it bootable.

2) You can't run DSL in a standard XP system...you need to add software to windows which will allow you to do this. Check out the "DSL embedded" forum for more help on this. Keep in mind that since you are running one operating system on top of another (particularly XP), you'll hear a loud sucking sound as your RAM disappears.

If you don't have the disk space, i recommend you first try it as a liveCD. Just put the disk in the drive and reboot. You'll need to make sure the bios is setup to boot from cd before harddrive.

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http://www.tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/html/index.html

cphp

Group: Members
Posts: 25
Joined: Mar. 2005

Posted: Mar. 29 2005,02:45

Thanks....I finally found the documentation so I feel badly about having posted, since most of my questions are answered there. . .but. . .

How do I make sure my BIOS is set to boot the CD before startup? And then to get to Windows I just re-boot without the cd, right?

Also. . .to run it with Qemu do I download the ISO and then how do I open it with Qemu. . .so totally confused. . .

mikshaw

Group: Members
Posts: 4856
Joined: July 2004

Posted: Mar. 29 2005,03:32

First I'd just put the CD in and reboot, and see if it detects it as bootable. If so, it may boot automatically or ask you to press a key to boot to cdrom.

A good number of machines will tell you, as you begin to boot up, what you need to do to get into bios. Generally it is a message which says something like "Press <KEY> for setup". Otherwise you may need to consult the documentation for your specific motherboard.
Once in bios you'll need to find the setting for "boot sequence". Again, where this is located depends entirely on your bios.

if you're running a live CD all you need to do is reboot (remove the CD when asked), and you'll boot back into windows.

I don't know diddly about embedded DSL....i don't have windows =o)

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http://www.tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/html/index.html