Linux Installation

[hunterfs]

I am new to Linux and trying to install and become familiar with it. I am having the following issue trying to install the os after downloading from Red Hat. System boots properly and media check appears to run ok but when it asks for where the local media is (I select local CD-ROM) the sys install tells me that a Red Hat Linux CD cannot be found. I find this interesting since it boots Linux from this same CD-ROM. Anyone have any idea's or suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

 

[lullysing]

Is the cdrom "mounted" ? because it may sometimes boot from it, then unmount after boot, then when you click it's saying it's not mounted/present.

Did you also try the ol'eject/regurgitate maneuver with the Cd player?

 

[hunterfs]

OK, here is my ignorance

How do I verify the cd-rom is mounted and it not what is the command to mount said CD-rom

 

[edemiere]

To check if it is mounted, you can type:

mount

And that will display what devices are mounted and at what mount points.

To mount an unmounted CD-ROM, you would have to type:

mount /cdrom

Now, the /cdrom portion of that assumes that the CD-ROM itself is defined as cdrom in the /etc/fstab (fstab = filesystem tab) where mount points are defined.

To read what mount points are defined, you can type:

cat /etc/fstab

You will probably see one in there called cdrom, so, assuming you have a disc on the drive, you can type what I mentioned earlier to mount it. If it is defined as something else, then just replace cdrom with whatever it is defined as. (fyi, cdrom is the usual default, but that doesn't mean someone else didn't redefine it).

Cheers!

 

[hunterfs]

Let me back up a minute and explain what I have done/have,

Downloaded Linux ISO images from Red Hat.
Burned ISO images to CD-ROM
Booting from Disk 1 of CD-ROM
Linux install program starts and I select graphical mode.
Answer prompts about language and keyboard and then prompted from were files are located, select CD-ROM and then get message "No Red Hat Linux CD was found which matches your boot media"
Death, no option but to reboot.

Same happens when I choose the linux text install, the graphical starts, am I doing something wrong???

Thanks!

 

[Faroon]

Yo, try booting from a floppy see if it changes anything.

 

[hunterfs]

one more question: when you create the cd-rom disc's from the download's should you see the actual one file iso image that was download or the entire linux install directory tree?

 

[Faroon]

you'll see lots of files, like the READMEs and stuff, and folders. How did you burn your iso? did you just burn that file onto a cd as raw data? you have to burn it using the "burn image" feature.

 

[hunterfs]

Just double-clicked on the image and cd image creator started. I see lots of files and readme's and the like; although I am suspicious of the fact that I cannot copy files from the cd to my laptops hard drive. I suspect the cd is bad and am re-doing. Also I am unable to use the rawrite feature, thanks to Microsoft XP systems, that are all about my office. And no DOS diskettes anywhere.

I normally use Nero to create and burn my images but the first time I tried it with the downloaded ISO images it did just that, burned only the image. Has anyone used Nero before to create these downloads on cd? Would be interested to know how you did them.

Thanks

 

[Faroon]

i used nero, it works fine. As I said, use the "burn image" thing found under File (or other menus, you'll find it). And rawrite should work. If not, you can use the ntrw.exe program (in dos though) to make a linux boot floppy. Well you shouldn't need the floppy if you burned the iso right.

 

[hunterfs]

what options do I have if I only have windows based systems?

 

[Faroon]

I am talking about windows based systems. You burn the iso from Nero running on Windows. Then assuming you have a free machine that you want to install RedHat on, just put the cd in and boom. If you're talking about ntrw.ext and rawrite, these runs under Windows too. ntrw.exe runs in the dos prompt though.

 

[hunterfs]

Faroon,

That is where I am running into problems. Have a virgin machine that I am booting from the CD, it boots to the linux boot prompt and then the graphical install and then I get the error message "No Red Hat Linux files for the installation on boot media".

Also when I try to create a floppy disk image to boot from, using rawrite under Microsoft XP, i get the error that it is not a valid Win32 application. I am lost. Figuring that I have a corrupted image I am re-burning using Nero. Also need to find the MD5sum app to verify download is good and not corrupt.

Any other ideas,
Lost, I mean Frederick

 

[Faroon]

What file did you download? The SRPMS or the i386? I used the i386 files. Anyways here's an installation docs

http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-7.1-Manual/install-guide/s1-steps-install-cdrom.html

try it. And rawrite has to be run under msdos prompt i think.

 

[hunterfs]

Faroon,

I downloaded i386 files from the Red Hat website over my companies t-1 line. Figured it was faster than DSL at home. Anyway, thanks for the link to the manuals, have been reading them most of the morning without success. Yes they provide good info but nothing that relates to my current situation. Yes I have been trying to run rawrite under the windows command prompt the only message I get is that it is an invalid Win32 application (thanks, Bill). Sorry had to throw that shameless short in at the Redmond king. If I have to build an MS-DOS box I will be SOL since there are no DOS disk to be had in the place.

I guess I just don't understand why this install is such a B*&$%.

Frederick

 

[hunterfs]

Another question, on the downloaded iso images when you burned the image to cd the install instructions mentioned to name each cd cd1,cd2,cd3. When I burned the images I got cd name of Red Hat i3. Might this have something to do with the problem?

 

[Faroon]

I don't think the name matter much, it's the content that's important. I just burned the cds, made a boot disk using boot.img and ntrw.exe, boot the pc with the floppy since my pc can't boot from cd, and that's it. The name on my cd is "Red Hat i386 9". Can you install windows or any other OS on that machine? This is very strange, if you can boot from that cd, then i guess it's burned properly. Now i'm stuck. Dude I know you can run ntrw.exe under the command prompt, please try it. That's what i did.

 

[hunterfs]

Faroon,

I have noticed a couple of things, one I am not seeing the entire CD-Header as you describe it. My CD only reads "Red Hat i3" maybe this has something to do with it. Also when I burn the image via Nero, via burn image option" I receive a Nero incorrect block size message that it is unable to correct, so I just select ignore. Did you see this message when you created your cd's? Also I am unable to find ntrw.exe on the system, did you get this off the MS Resource Kits disks?

Also, please accept my apology for the ranting/frustration in the last messages yesterday...between this install issue, the announcement the office is closing and some network problems, it just got to be a little much.

Thanks,

 

[Faroon]

ntrw.exe is a program i got from somewhere.. search for it on google and you'll get it. And no there was no error message for me when i burn. And ya you're right under windows machine the cd only have "Red Hat Linux_i3" but on my Redhat box it said "Red Hat Linux i386 9". Try booting with a floppy now and tell me how it goes. Also, check the bios to see if there's any funny things like wrong cdrom model. The frustration is normal so no need to appologize. I do worse things when i get frustrated, and that occurs alot since the time I entered the Linux/Unix world.

 

[hunterfs]

Faroon,

I will not get frustrated today...but these systems are going to surely test my patience.

Found the ntrw.exe program and downloaded from OpenBSD mirror site. transfered it to my laptop running XP and have executed the program in the hopes of getting the boot image file to a floppy. enter the command ntrw bootdisk.img a: and I receive an error message of the parameter is incorrect. Am I using the wrong file? info from openbsd implies that your image file should be .fs.

Frederick