I just came from the Redhat.com website in an attempt to learn how to
make a bootable floppy/CD from which to install Linux to learn UNIX.
Unfortuaneately the site doesn't recognise the possibility that
someone may want the dos/windows versions of the unix commands to do
this.

Here what I have:

P3-500Mhz FDisked system 10 Gb HD w/ CD
DOS bootdisk w/ CD drivers
Complete set of Redhat 9.0 CDs burnt from a download from MUN (not
formatted with system files).

Here's what I need:

The non-unix instructions to create a bootable floppy / CD that the
autoboot will recognise and get the installation underway.

Please point me to a FAQ or website that contains this info.

On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 12:11:40 -0300, T Mac Lean <macleant@dal.ca> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> I just came from the Redhat.com website in an attempt to learn how to
> make a bootable floppy/CD from which to install Linux to learn UNIX.
> Unfortuaneately the site doesn't recognise the possibility that
> someone may want the dos/windows versions of the unix commands to do
> this.
> 
> Here what I have:
> 
> P3-500Mhz FDisked system 10 Gb HD w/ CD
> DOS bootdisk w/ CD drivers
> Complete set of Redhat 9.0 CDs burnt from a download from MUN 


> (not formatted with system files).

What does that mean? 

> 
> Here's what I need:
> 
> The non-unix instructions to create a bootable floppy / CD that the
> autoboot will recognise and get the installation underway.
> 
> Please point me to a FAQ or website that contains this info.
>

If you can boot from a CD you should just insert the first RH CD and
start up the system unit. If not, check your BIOS and re-configure accordingly.

An abbreviated OS is created in a ram disk (in memory only) at this point
and the install proceeds using this little, temporary, Linux OS.

There's no need for DOS commands at all.

AC

On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 12:11:40 -0300, T.Mac wrote:


> I just came from the Redhat.com website in an attempt to learn how to
> make a bootable floppy/CD from which to install Linux to learn UNIX.
> Unfortuaneately the site doesn't recognise the possibility that someone
> may want the dos/windows versions of the unix commands to do this.
> 
> Here what I have:
> 
> P3-500Mhz FDisked system 10 Gb HD w/ CD DOS bootdisk w/ CD drivers
> Complete set of Redhat 9.0 CDs burnt from a download from MUN (not
> formatted with system files).
> 
> Here's what I need:
> 
> The non-unix instructions to create a bootable floppy / CD that the
> autoboot will recognise and get the installation underway.
> 
> Please point me to a FAQ or website that contains this info.

The instructions to create the Red Hat Linux boot floppy are on the first
installation CD (and this CD is already bootable when created correctly),
look in the 'dosutils' directory. Additional help to create the boot
floppy can be found here;

http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-9-Manual/install-guide/s1-steps-install-cdrom.html#S2-STEPS-MAKE-DISKS


-- 
"In short, without this exclusive franchise, called the Windows API,
we would have been dead a long time ago." M$ Senior VP Bob Muglia '96

Thanks for the replies.  I missed the section on RAWRITE because I
followed the instructions immediately previous to that.  However, I am
no father ahead.

Yesterday, when I ran into the impasse I mentioned I used the
autoboot.bat in the dosutils directory and got to the point where it
says, "The REDHAT Linux CD was not found in any of your CDROM drives
...." and then won't let you out of the install program unless you back
out of each of the previous screens.  Creating the bootdisk just used
another path to the same destination.  I'm beginning to see why linux
is not catching on even among intermediate to advanced users. 

I am assuming that the installation is halting despite the presence of
the complete installation directories and files on the CD because the
media is not formatted as an installation boot CD.  The only section
on the RedHat.com site about creating an installation boot CD image
that I have found uses unix instructions.  Am I missing the DOS
equivalent somewhere ?





On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 12:11:40 -0300, T. Mac Lean <macleant@dal.ca>
wrote:

>
>I just came from the Redhat.com website in an attempt to learn how to
>make a bootable floppy/CD from which to install Linux to learn UNIX.
>Unfortuaneately the site doesn't recognise the possibility that
>someone may want the dos/windows versions of the unix commands to do
>this.
>
>Here what I have:
>
>P3-500Mhz FDisked system 10 Gb HD w/ CD
>DOS bootdisk w/ CD drivers
>Complete set of Redhat 9.0 CDs burnt from a download from MUN (not
>formatted with system files).
>
>Here's what I need:
>
>The non-unix instructions to create a bootable floppy / CD that the
>autoboot will recognise and get the installation underway.
>
>Please point me to a FAQ or website that contains this info.

On Tue, 22 Jun 2004 11:35:15 -0300, T.Mac wrote:

<snip>

> I am assuming that the installation is halting despite the presence of
> the complete installation directories and files on the CD because the
> media is not formatted as an installation boot CD.  The only section on
> the RedHat.com site about creating an installation boot CD image that I
> have found uses unix instructions.  Am I missing the DOS equivalent
> somewhere ?

It's quite simple, you download the ISO's then follow the directions here;

http://www.e-smith.org/docs/howto/CD_burning_howto.php3
http://www.linuxiso.org/viewdoc.php/howtoburn.html



-- 
"In short, without this exclusive franchise, called the Windows API,
we would have been dead a long time ago." M$ Senior VP Bob Muglia '96

    I guess you missed the point where most distros produce a
"bootable" CD, just like Windows 2k and XP.  Your P3-500Mhz system
should be able to "boot" from "CD" provided you've adjusted the BIOS
to search the CD-Drive for a bootable disk 1st or 2nd - as long as it
is before the hard-disk, but being an empty hard-disk, it should find
it anyway.  Just like 2k/XP, no "DOS" required.  Since my PII-400Mhz
is CD/BIOS bootable, I'm almost positive your P3-500Mhz is also.
    Also, there are no DOS/Windows versions of UNIX commands, but
there are DOS/Windows equivalents of UNIX commands.

-- 

Star Fleet Admiral Q @ your service
--------------------------------------------------------
"T. Mac Lean" <macleant@dal.ca> wrote in message
news:ksfgd0p4gif9v8ikt4vtq1el2rj8qb1pms@4ax.com...
>
>
> Thanks for the replies.  I missed the section on RAWRITE because I
> followed the instructions immediately previous to that.  However, I
am
> no father ahead.
>
> Yesterday, when I ran into the impasse I mentioned I used the
> autoboot.bat in the dosutils directory and got to the point where it
> says, "The REDHAT Linux CD was not found in any of your CDROM drives
> ..." and then won't let you out of the install program unless you
back
> out of each of the previous screens.  Creating the bootdisk just
used
> another path to the same destination.  I'm beginning to see why
linux
> is not catching on even among intermediate to advanced users.
>
> I am assuming that the installation is halting despite the presence
of
> the complete installation directories and files on the CD because
the
> media is not formatted as an installation boot CD.  The only section
> on the RedHat.com site about creating an installation boot CD image
> that I have found uses unix instructions.  Am I missing the DOS
> equivalent somewhere ?
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 12:11:40 -0300, T. Mac Lean <macleant@dal.ca>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >I just came from the Redhat.com website in an attempt to learn how
to
> >make a bootable floppy/CD from which to install Linux to learn
UNIX.
> >Unfortuaneately the site doesn't recognise the possibility that
> >someone may want the dos/windows versions of the unix commands to
do
> >this.
> >
> >Here what I have:
> >
> >P3-500Mhz FDisked system 10 Gb HD w/ CD
> >DOS bootdisk w/ CD drivers
> >Complete set of Redhat 9.0 CDs burnt from a download from MUN (not
> >formatted with system files).
> >
> >Here's what I need:
> >
> >The non-unix instructions to create a bootable floppy / CD that the
> >autoboot will recognise and get the installation underway.
> >
> >Please point me to a FAQ or website that contains this info.
>

"Star Fleet Admiral Q"
<Star_Fleet_Admiral_Q(NO-SPAM)@(FORGET-SPAM)hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:ju3Cc.31238$MW4.16528@nwrdny03.gnilink.net...
>     I guess you missed the point where most distros produce a
> "bootable" CD, just like Windows 2k and XP.  Your P3-500Mhz system
> should be able to "boot" from "CD" provided you've adjusted the BIOS
> to search the CD-Drive for a bootable disk 1st or 2nd - as long as it
> is before the hard-disk, but being an empty hard-disk, it should find
> it anyway.  Just like 2k/XP, no "DOS" required.  Since my PII-400Mhz
> is CD/BIOS bootable, I'm almost positive your P3-500Mhz is also.

I can second that: I've recently installed Linux on my laptop (P3 500 w/
CD-RW/DVD drive). I'd made the installation CDs from ISO images (by
double-clicking on the .iso file in Windows explorer which fired up EZCD
creator which did the rest).

However I have in the past copied someone else's Linux installation CDs and
somehow ended up with non-bootable CDs. Do you have a Windows install CD?
Does your PC boot from it? If not you probably need to change (in the BIOS)
the order in which your PC looks for devices to boot from (as others have
mentioned). If it boots from a Windows CD but not from your Linux one you
probably need to burn a new CD making it bootable.

Another gotcha could be that some (very) old CD drives will read CD-Rs but
not CD-RWs (in case your Linux is on CD-RWs).