I am attempting to install slackware64-14.2 on an Intel x86-64 board. I already have Windows 7, Artix Linux and CentOS 8 installed in separate partitions. The BIOS is set for UEFI boot.

I downloaded slackware64-14.2-install-dvd.iso and verified it with md5sum. I burned the ISO to a DVD.

I try to boot the DVD, I get the grub menu, I select the huge kernel and after a few seconds of delay I get this:
error: failure reading sector 0xab0 from 'fd0'.
error: you need to load the kernel first.

Press any key to continue...

After a few seconds, it goes back to the grub menu on the previous screen.

It looks like it is trying to read from a floppy disk drive but this machine doesn't have one. How can I tell it not to look for a floppy disk drive?

Charles Bailey

That's a 5 year old dvd. Folks all over have installed it without issue, so it's not the code.

That leaves you with the individual dvd, the download, the bios, or hardware. Can you test that stuff? If not, give us a detailed account of what you're working with.

Some BIOSes have a bug where a bootloader may fail if a non-existent floppy drive/controller has been configured in the BIOS.

As you don't have a floppy drive, make sure the BIOS settings reflect that.

This is on an Intel DH77KC motherboard.
I had the BIOS set for UEFI-only boot. I tried changing it to UEFI+Legacy boot and now the Slackware DVD boots and I can get into the setup program.

Mark this solved, then.