Mandrake Linux Install CD not booting

[canguro]

Hello,

I am new to Linux, but eager to break new ground. I have Win 2000 on my PC, with 256 MB RAM, a Pentium 4 using 2 Ghz, and 28 GB free space.

I downloaded the 3 ISO images for Mandrake 9.0 from this site:

http://www.linuxiso.org/distro.php?distro=29,

where the first is the Mandrake 9.0 CD 1 Install ISO image.
I first save all 3 ISO's to my hard drive and then created 3 separate CD's ('install' on CD 1, etc.). I placed CD 1 in the CDROM drive and shut down my PC using 'Restart', and when the re-boot took place I pressed DEL and made sure the 'First Boot Sequence' pointed to CDROM. I exited to continue the process. Seems that the CD drive was recognized (I heard it working), but somehow no boot took place from the install CD. Win 2000 came up as usual.

Any ideas from those gurus out there?

Your help would be appreciated to get this hopeful new Linux convert off the ground!!!

Many Thanks!

 

[smah]

Sounds like you did everything right. Insert CD1 while you have win2k running. Does it autoplay?

There are also two other possibilities - that the cd burn failed for some reason or the dowload became corrupted. Check the MD5 sums of your downloaded iso's. If you don't have the MD5 checking program, you can download one here:

http://www.geocities.com/ballarke/Applications/MD5Win32/

 

[canguro]

smah,

Thanks for your reply. It did occur to me that perhaps the download might have been corrupted. Would it have been better for me to have gone directly to a 'mirror' first? Also, I can see the MD5SUM's for the 3 downloads and they are:

f7a093af34b8cbe1abc165213fea9deb Mandrake90-cd1-inst.i586.iso

05a3ccafaacc37d6d1e2f260fc274549 Mandrake90-cd2-ext.i586.iso

1a2fd731fb6e30d39b0b99f504b231b3 Mandrake90-cd3-i18n.i586.iso

Being a 'newbie' I don't know how to interpret the MD5SUM's. Do they look OK?

Thanks again for your feedback!

 

[hads]

MD5 sums check that two files match, what you need to do is do an MD5sum on the files you downloaded (with the tool found above or another) and compare the result to the matching MD5sum on the site where you downloaded the files.

One thing that is common, did you make sure you burnt the files as ISO (image) files? Many people forget this and just copy the file to the CD. What do you see on the CD if you put it in the drive while you are running in windows? Also, which CD-writing software did you use?

Hope this helps.
01101000011000010110010001110011

 

[canguro]

hads,

Thanks for the ideas. You say "do an MD5sum on the files you downloaded (with the tool found above or another)". No disrespect meant to you, but this sounds like linux lingo. How do I do it? (I think you're assuming I'm familiar with the process.)

With respect to the CD's created, I first downloaded all 3 images to 3 folders in Windows called Disk 1, Disk 2, etc.
Then, I burnt the 3 separate CD's using Easy CD Creator.

How do I tell if I burnt the files as ISO (image) files?

Any ideas you have are greatly appreciated.

Again, thanks

 

[canguro]

hads,

When I place the 1st CD in the CD drive and check it in Windows Explorer, it shows a file name of

Mandrake90-cd1-inst.i586.iso

and a type of "ISO File", with a byte count of 711,264 KB.
Does this indicate anything negative about the 'burn'?

Thanks

 

[hads]

Doing an MD5 has nothing to do with linux (in this instance). Have you been to the link provided above by smah? It has a downloadable MD5 app that integrates into Windows explorer.

>>How do I tell if I burnt the files as ISO (image) files?
>What do you see on the CD if you put it in the drive while you are running in windows?

If you see an ISO file on the CD you have not created the CD correctly if you see many files you most likely have.

I haven't used it but here is a page on burning ISOs with EasyCD

http://www.wizardskeep.org/mainhall/tutor/cdcriso/cdcrtiso.html

It's for an oldish version by the looks but should still be similar.
01101000011000010110010001110011

 

[hads]

Doh, too slow.

Yes. You need to follow the guide on the link I just posted.
01101000011000010110010001110011

 

[smah]

OK, step by step:

Install the MD5 app that I referenced above. Once installed, you should be able to right click on each of your downloaded iso files and get the MD5 sum. Compare these with the sums listed on the website where you got the iso files (I assume that this is what you listed above). If the MD5 sums of the files, match those on the website, this tells you that the downloaded files are good with no errors or corruption.

Next, burn the iso files to CD. An *.iso is an image of the cd. When correctly burned, the cd will have multiple files and folders like any other cd. I don't use Easy CD, so I can't give specific directions, but follow the link that hads gave. Also look through the help files for 'burn image' - the directions should be there for image files (iso is only 1 type of image, there are others). If the cd is burned correctly, it should autoplay in Windows - I don't recommend installing this way, just a test to see if it burned ok.

As you said, set your cd drive to be the first boot device and reboot. It should automatically start the installer.

 

[smah]

Oh yeah, as you noticed from the size of the iso files, you will need cd's with at least 700 mb capacity. Plain old 74 minute, 640 mb cd's won't work. There have been a few complaints about this and Mandrake is working to redistrube in 640 mb files, but I don't know if it's been done yet. Enjoy the penguin.

 

[smah]

That wasn't even close-- how about "redistribute"

 

[canguro]

hads and smah,

Thanks for the ideas. I am re-tracing my steps and will attempt the MD5SUM checks and also pay close attention to the proper method for burning the CD's

Thanks again.

 

[canguro]

smah and hads,

Your ideas are starting to bear fruit. I was able to verify that the MDSUM's of all 3 files were correct. Also, I used Easy CD Creator to re-burn the CD's, and this time I got multiple files on the CD's. So I guess I'm off to the races!

One thing does puzzle me, though. I think I should have no problem booting with CD 1 ('install' CD), and I think it should pretty much guide me thru. But, how do I use the other 2 CD's? For example, I notice that CD 2 seems to have a 'folder' named "boot". Does this mean I power-down and then do another boot -- this time with CD 2, or should I have Linux 'up and running' and put CD 2 in the drive and load the programs with Linux already up?

Please advise.

Many thanks again.

 

[smah]

Just boot with CD1, the installation program will ask for cd2 when required. Dependending on what packages you choose to install, you may not even need cd3 right now. you will eventually though.

 

[Canadian0812]

On some of the newer motherboards,if you want to boot from the cdrom, you have to press the Esc key during boot. This will bring up a dialogue box where you confirm your choice. If you fail to do this, the computer will continue with the normal boot process regardless of what you have configured during Setup.

Canadian0812

 

[canguro]

Canadian0812

Interesting idea. That could be very useful. I will keep that in mind.

I assume that Linux should guide me thru the rest of the way, and that the 'install' process of Linux will be smart enough to check my current partitioning (or lack of partitioning) status and permit me to set up a dual-boot.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[smah]

Yes, Linux will install and recommend partitioning. Just make sure your carefully read the prompts & messages so that you don't hose your current OS. At the end of the installation, Lilo will be installed which will allow you to multi-boot.

 

[canguro]

smah,

Thank you for the clarification. Your confirmation of the process sets my mind at ease, since it is my intention to leave Win 2000 intact and continue to make use of it while I gain confidence in Linux.

I will look for the details you have alerted me to as I perform the Linux install.

Thanks again.

 

[adkmom]

Hi all- new user here,

I have a similar situation that I'm hoping someone here can help with.

I have 2 HD's- 1)master 60GB w/XP Pro (brand new install, clean), 3 partitons-all NTFS. 2) slave 40GB,(extended partition which I plan to fill with three logical drives)-empty- first partition of 15GB-NTFS for extra XP storage,second part. of 10GB-FAT32 for file sharing between Windows & Linux,13+GB still FREE SPACE- no formatting at all yet. I do all of the part./format. within XP's drive manager.

Here's where I get confused. Do I go ahead & format it but assign no drive letter? Do I leave it as is & load to this free space even though it's not officially formatted?
With regards to FAT32 & NTFS- can Mandrake 8.2 read/write to NTFS or is it absolutely mandatory to have an FAT32 section to share files w/XP?

I can see already that I'm in good hands in this forum- look forward to your advice,
T
PS- appreciate your time & any other helpful hints for a Linux newcomer

 

[smah]

When you install linux, you will partion & format the free space on your second drive - there will be several partitions created in this free space. Be careful that your working with the correct partition.

In linux you will be able to read ntfs partitions (after mounting) but not write to them. XP will not be able to read or write the linux partitions. That's why it's convienient to have the Fat32 partition - because both os's can read and write to it.