Linux/Laptop

[Nobody's Hero]

Hi All,

I am running Linux RH9 on a toshiba laptop PII. I want to wipe out linux and load up windoze for my mom to use (birthday gift). When I put the win2k cd in the cd rom drive and reboot, it still loads the linux os. Why doesnt the system recognize that there is an OS cd in the drive? Shouldnt the firmware recognize this and boot from the cd and load windoze? Any ideas what I need to do to load the windoze OS?

[Vernon Brown_4]

You probably need to get into the BIOS by hitting F1 during the early boot process and change the boot device sequence; I think it is on the second BIOS screen that you get to by the right arrow key on your keyboard.

Change the sequence so that the CD you want to boot from is at the top of the list or just after Floppy Disk.

Vern

[Nobody's Hero]

Yes I tried that, f1 shift f1, f8 f10...still boots the grub loader right to linux. Birthday is tomorrow, need to get this loaded and all help is always appreciated.

[Vernon Brown_4]

Maybe try holding down the control key during the boot process to get into the BIOS screens; bottom line; you have to get into the BIOS to change the boot device sequence :o)

Vern

[Nobody's Hero]

Yes, it is a toshiba tecra 8000 PII.
tried cntrl f1, cntrl shift f1, f8 f9....wont get to the bios.

thought about going into the grub loader and edit to boot from cdrom, but I am afraid I'll go into limbo with no OS at all.

[Vernon Brown_4]

You could try booting with a floppy disk in the floppy drive; might could get to something from the error message if it is not a system floppy.

Maybe make a Windows system floppy boot disk on another Windows computer:

format A: /s

There's got to be some way to get into the BIOS.

[Nobody's Hero]

OK, control shift esc got me into the bios.

Boot priority = CD-ROM > lan > FDD > HDlooks like cd-rom is first, not sure why it wont recognize the cdrom media as a boot OS install disk.

[Nobody's Hero]

how do I make a windoze floppy boot disk?
I have a win2k PC here.

[Nobody's Hero]

the format a: /s command gives me an invalid argument. I am running win2k. Is there a different command to create a boot disk in win2k?

[Vernon Brown_4]

Not sure about win2k; I'm using win XP duel boot with Fedora Core 1 and SuSE 9.

format a: /s should work; maybe try \s.

I would try messing around with the boot sequence in BIOS; maybe it's getting the last one first. I don't think GRUB hides from the BIOS.

Vern

[Nobody's Hero]

OK, well being an HPUX systems admin, I learned something about windoze. Cant use the command to make a win2k boot disk. Have to run makeboot.exe, I downloaded it from the web. Another problem, I have no floppy drive in my laptop, only cdrom. Maybe mom at 70 years old will learn linux?

[Nobody's Hero]

tried messing with the boot sequence in the bios. the cdrom entry, wont move to the end. best I could do was, lan at the end, cdrom second from last. tried reboot, still goes to grub.

[Vernon Brown_4]

Just a long shot; did you try another bootable CD?

[Nobody's Hero]

yes vernon, linux boot cd will fire up, no windoze though, no 98, nore win2k. but thanks.

[Nobody's Hero]

OK my girlfreiend here and myself feel a bit stupid. she supports novell, me hpux...windoze dummies.

[KapilRaj]

Good ... I have worked on all that u hv said . u may go to the my computer ==> Right click == > format (Now is there an option to copy system files...

Oh ... I remember I think there is a command called rdisk ... sorry am not sure whether this is the right one.


Kaps

[Nobody's Hero]

are you saying i need to run fdisk on my linux laptop and create a dos partition?

[Vernon Brown_4]

Just to make sure that Windows install CD is Ok maybe try it in another PC to see if it boots there ??

[Nobody's Hero]

already tried that,but thanks.

[KapilRaj]

I said "rdisk" not "fdisk"

Regds,

Kaps

[Francisco J. Soler]

Hi Robert,

I think you must create a ms-dos boot floppy but with cdrom support, so you can boot from floppy and then access to cdrom and execute the setup from it.

But, are you sure you love your mom?, this kind of choice appears like you hate her, this is not a gift this seems a penalty. ;-)

Cheers
Frank