I did a netinstall of Debian booting from debian-31r0a-i386-netinst.iso on CD-ROM. Debian replaced WindowsXP and now it is the only operating system installed.

Now, I would like to re-install Debian. I'm using the same CD-ROM that I used for the initial installation. However, when I restart the machine, Debian continues to boot from the hard drive. I checked the BIOS settings and the boot order is CD-ROM, floppy, hard drive.

I have no idea why I can't boot from the CD-ROM, especially since it worked before. How do I reinstall Debian on top of Debian. Both versions are the same.

(Note: This is not a production or development system; it's just a lets-see-how-Linux-works-as-a-webserver system.)

Thanks!

Joan

Not wishing to point out the obvious, but are you sure the CD is free from scratches and such? Check if you can read the CD on another machine. If you're sure the boot order is set correctly in the BIOS and CD-ROM itself in the machine is still working correctly (which you could check by accessing a CD whilst the system is running), the only other reason would be the CD being damaged. It's the hardware that controls loading from the CD, not the existing Debian install, so it shouldn't be an issue of what's already installed...

Thanks for the reply fouldsy. I figured out the problem, and as usual, the problem was myself. The CD was fine and the boot order was fine. I have two "CD" drives installed: a CD-RW and a DVD-ROM. I put the CD in the CD-RW drive when it should have been in DVD drive. The CD drive is on top, and my hand instinctly goes there to insert a CD. :-)

Sorry for troubling y'all.

Joan