Creating a Floppy Boot Disk

If your system cannot boot from the CD-ROM you will need to create a floppy boot disk. The CD-ROM contains all of the image files and utility programs needed to do so.

The floppy boot disk images are in the CD-ROM's images/ directory.

Following is a list of different images and their respective installation methods:

cdrom.img

To install from a local IDE or SCSI CD-ROM drive. This image must be used in cases where you cannot boot your computer directly from the CD-ROM.

network.img

To install from an NFS, FTP, HTTP repository on your local LAN or via a PPPoE (DSL line) network connection. The network configuration of the machine on which you wish to install may be manual or automatic.

pcmcia.img

Use this image if the installation medium is reached through a PCMCIA card (network, CD-ROM, etc.).

Note

Some PCMCIA devices now use common network drivers. If the PCMCIA device does not work, try again with network.img.

hd.img

Use this image if you want to perform the installation from a hard disk. You need to copy the contents of the CD onto the hard drive (either on a FAT ext2FS, ext3FS or ReiserFS partition).

hdcdrom_usb.img

This image allows you to perform an installation through a USB storage device, such as an external CD-ROM or hard drive.

network_gigabit_usb.img

This installation image allows you to install from an NFS, FTP, HTTP repository using a Gigabit network adapter (GbE) or a USB one.

The images/alternatives/* directory provides more or less the same boot images, but with a different (older) kernel. Actually it provides a 2.2 kernel (Mandrake Linux 8.2 onwards uses kernel 2.4) which might help you to get started on older systems.

Creating a Boot Disk Under Windows

In order to do so, you need to use the rawwrite program. You will find it in the CD-ROM's dosutils/ directory.

You may have noticed that there is a DOS version of the same program called rawrite. It is, in fact, the original version of the program. rawwrite is a graphical front-end to it.

Start the program, as shown in Figure 2.1.

Figure 2.1. The Rawrite Program

The Rawrite Program

Select the boot image to be copied and the target device. In almost every case, the target device is the A: drive (that is, the first floppy disk drive).

Then if you haven't already done so, insert an empty disk into your chosen floppy drive and click on the Write button. When completed click on the Exit button: now you have a floppy boot disk to install your Mandrake Linux distribution.

Creating a Floppy Boot Disk Under GNU/Linux

If you already have GNU/Linux installed (another version, or on another machine, etc.), then carry out the following steps:

  1. mount the CD-ROM. Let us suppose that the mount point is /mnt/cdrom;

  2. log in as root (to do so, open a terminal window, run the su command and enter your root password);

  3. insert an empty diskette into the floppy drive and type:

    	      $ dd if=/mnt/cdrom/images/cdrom.img of=/dev/fd0 bs=512
    	    

    Note

    Replace /dev/fd0 by /dev/fd1 if you are using the second floppy drive and, of course, the name of the image with the one you want. When this operation is completed, your floppy boot disk will be ready to use on your floppy disk drive.