Shoot

I was browsing distrowatch.com and saw OpenNA Linux. It was talking about how secure it was so I downloaded it. Then I burned it to a cd-r. My problem is that the computer I want to install it on does not boot from cdrom. So I went to their website to try and find a boot.img file to make a boot floppy. That's when I found this:

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2. Download the files you need

To install OpenNA Linux, you will need to download the ISO image of the installation CD-ROMs, even if you are planning to install only using your hard drive. Using a CD-ROM burner, you can transfer the ISO image to a blank CD-R. It's important that your machine can boot from a CD-ROM drive or you will be *unable* to install the operating system.

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So now I am screwed, or am I? Is there any way of making my own boot floppy or can I use another one from a different distro and just point it to the cdrom. I have already downloaded and burned this and don't want it to go to waste. There's got to be some way to make a boot floppy to tell your machine to boot from the cdrom. If I'm screwed, so be it, but if anyone can help me out here, please do.
Thank you.

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Originally posted here by h3r3tic
I. My problem is that the computer I want to install it on does not boot from cdrom.

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Before looking at anything else at present, what's the problem with you BIOS, that you can't change the boot sequence ?

The CD (at least for mandrake and Redhat) usually have a utility that will allow you to create a boot disk. I know nothing aboutn that particular linux flavor though so...GOOGLE :)

Happy Googleing!

I think that the BIOS is just real old. I have downloaded the latest firmware update. It is just an old computer. When I go into the BIOS it doesn't give me many options. It just gives me the option to check network drives and to check local drives(I guess including floppy). Maybe I'm just in the wrong setup. This BIOS has you type ctrl+s to get into the setup. Maybe there is another key combo I can hit to get to a diff setup. When there is no operating system installed the comp goes to this screen with a picture of a floppy being inserted into a drive. So I just thing that there is not cdrom boot support. Does anyone with a cdrom bootable computer want a copy of OpenNA Linux? I actually have a computer that will boot from cdrom but it is already occupied by windows. I have another one with redhat on it but I only allocated half the drive space so that I could install other distros of linux for experimentation. I'll probably just blow the whole thing off. I actually haven't checked the disk of the burnt cd. Maybe it has some boot.img file on it. Oh well.
Thanks.

Do I know you from anywhere else? Like Galactic-Quest, CyberArmy, or a Yahoo Group? Perhaps Sigmax, or Ankit Fadia's old board?

You might be able to install by booting from a boot floppy from a
different distribution. It would probably be more likely to work if it
had the same kernel as your cd. You might also succeed with LOADLIN.EXE.

Loadlin always ships with red hat, and probably others. It will boot a linux
kernel from DOS. You boot DOS from a bootable DOS floppy that has loadlin
on it. You specify the location of the linux kernel from the command line.
There's more than one way to skin a cat.
:cool:

You probably can't be arsed, but persevere, it's the only way to learn. You have many options. Have you considered vitual PC's, using either VMware or Connectix, with Linux as a guest O/S, on your host. It is sometimes difficult for me to try to explain things, as I am very much into hardware, in a hands on sense, and am much better when I can actually check out a machine. What BIOS is in the M/C you want to install Linux to?

Thanks rcgreen, that seems like a good solution. What if I booted from a win98 boot floppy then inserted a floppy with loadlin.exe on it. would this work, or would it have to all be in the same floppy?

knoledgesponge, were you talking to me because I haven't really been to much of any of those places. I guess you have me confused with someone ;)

jm: my Boot agent is "Intel(R) Boot Agent Version 4.0.22" I hope I didn't waste your time because I just saw something: it says:
Boot Order..............................Use BIOS Setup Boot Order
So I guess what I am in is not the actual bios. I'll try a quick google search on this boot agent to see how to get into the actual bios, in the meantime, any ideas?

edit
Sorry everyone. I was going to the wrong setup on boot. I finally figured it out. This BIOS is complicated though. Thanks for the replies. I would delete this thread but I feel that it may help someone in the future.
Again I'm sorry and thank you very much. At least I learned how to enter my BIOS setup(F1 key).

Have a read at this. It is the BIOS key combinations for various BIOS types and machines. It may be of some help

http://www.techadvice.com/tech/B/BIOS_Enter.htm