hello. I try to installed mandrake on a compaq 2.80 intel celero proessor
it has winxp home but when i reboot my comp. and i hit enter it reboots
i now i have the bios set to boot frome the cd I try boot frome the floppy and it still reboot
i know the cd I burnd is becouse I but it on a frinds computer and it installed fine
thank y

hi,

I am new to this form and new to linux but I'll do my best to answer your question.

I tryed to install mandrake linux on compaq presario and the cd-rom drive was jamed and the DVD Rom drive wouldn't work. Maybe beacause it was so used.

The first cd of mandrake has a utility that will create a boot disk for you.

1. In the CD go to dosutils folder and click rawrite
2. press [...] button and point to the image file boot.img
3. put in a black floppy and it will write the info on to the disk
4. go to bios on your compaq and set the bios to boot from floppy
5. put in the floppy and mandrake cd1 in your computer
6. when system boots from the floppy it will try to read from the cd-rom drive and take you to Graphical instalation screens.
Then you will have to partition the drive and the rest...etc.

If the system can't read from the cd-rom drive and you say the cd is good and it works on your friends computer then

1. take out your hard disk from your compaq and disconnect the hard disk on your friends computer and connect your hard disk to his computer. Be sure to set the disk in a place so it doesn't move around when the computer is on.

2. put in the mandrake cd and install the operating system on the hard disk.

3. when your done remove your compaq hard disk from your friends computer and connect your friends hard disk back.

4. connect your hard disk to the compaq computer and boot computer
5. when you get to the blue screen choose the secound option "linux-nonfb"
6. You might get an error "Block move Error 0xAE" Just press enter and linux will load.

I did the same thing and mandrake detected the cpu and other things and now I am trying to connect it to the net.

-enjoy

thank you i will try it