iB::Topic::Problems booting from install CD

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Topic: Problems booting from install CD, Old Compaq laptop fails to boot from CD

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Blu

Group: Members
Posts: 1
Joined: Oct. 2005

Posted: Oct. 17 2005,09:52

Hello all.

I've been trying to install DSL on a fairly ancient Compaq Pentium I 150MHz, 128MB, 2GB HDD, removable CD-ROM laptop that presently has Windows 98 on it.

At the moment, I'm failing fairly abjectly at the first hurdle: I can't even get the laptop to boot off the install CD.

I've burned discs from various ISOs - v1.5, v1.5.syslinux, v2 ORC1 - and on two different brands of blank CD-R, at low burn speeds (down to 4x). I've tried one of the CDs in another, tower PC and it boots to the logo screen with no bother. I have yet to try the laptop with a commercially bought bootable CD, to see if that works, however. I can read the files on the CDs ok once the laptop has booted into Windows.

I realise this is not strictly a DSL problem, but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions anyway. The BIOS is already set to boot from CD first, before you ask!

Thanks.

Delboy

Group: Members
Posts: 144
Joined: Nov. 2003

Posted: Oct. 17 2005,13:24

Blu, Some CDrom drives just don't boot all installation disks. Try the 'poor mans install' method (search forums).
(Assuming you have a working floppy drive:):-
- Within Windows explorer, copy the v1.5 burnt iso list of files and folders from your DSL CD to the top of your hard drive C:\
- Download the latest (v1.5) 'boot.img' file from repository then write to a floppy disk using rawrite (forums), to make a boot floppy.
- Ensure bios is set to boot A:\ before C:\ otherwise DSL will be overlooked.
- Insert into floppy drive and reboot. The .img file will look for and find DSL knoppix files on C:\. preventing windows from starting up.
- Beware of storing prospective DSL extension files in the top of the C:\ drive (put them in a subfolder for now) otherwise the boot will try to load them all into RAM (although with 128MB you might be OK with this.)
- It will boot up 'Live' as if from a CDrom. Once you have got video, mouse & keyboard configured, you are in position to do a proper frugal install, hard disk install or just play. Use floppy again to reboot.
Note: this will not mess up your windows installation on C:\
My P1 133mhz 40MB notebook is working very nicely with v1.5 hard drive installed at the moment. Your spec. sounds fine.

1 replies since Oct. 17 2005,09:52

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Damn Small Linux Board » Damn Small Linux » Laptops » Problems booting from install CD