Linux - NewbieThis Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question?
If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
I'm assuming two machines are involved, the one you're installing to, and a second one you used to burn the CD's. I'm assuming this because I can't figure out why the machine that did the burning wouldn't be able to read it's own creations.
Do you know that the CD on the old machine actually works? Try reading several different CD. If that doesn't work, try a CD drive cleaner and check the ribbon and power cables.
Is the BIOS on the old one set to boot from CD?
Depending on the age of the CD drive, you may need to specify Mode 1 when you burn your CD's. Some older drives can't read CD's burnt with the Mode 2 setting many newer programs have as the default.
I downloaded and burned the CDs with Win XP. I used the native XP burn software. I also did a md5sum on the files I downloaded and the files on the CD once I burned them.
The CD-ROM on the old machine does work. I installed RH 7.2 from some CDs I had from a few years back. But I wanted to upgrade to Fedora (RH9) with a complete re-install.
I'll get back to the forum after trying out the suggestions.
In addition to the other posts, be advised that some machines will not boot some CDs...even if the CD is bootable.
Some boot CDs use an odd format, and the CD Reader won't boot off of it no matter what.
I have a modern Pioneer CD-DVD drive that reads almost anything, but I can't get the Debian boot CDs to boot no matter what.
But, with the other things mentioned I suspect something else...you'll need to troubleshoot the problem. Others have already given you some tips...try this also:
I don't think I burned the files as images. I used the Win XP built in burner and it did not prompt me for anything special. Should I get another burn tool? Any recommendations?
Also, I hit F2 on the startup of the new machine to get to the settings and it prompted me for a password. I have no idea what it could be! Any way around this?
BTW, the old machine is a P1, 128MB, Packard Bell!
i've never used the winXP burner. i would guess there's an option somewhere to burn the files as images, though. check through the menus.
in windows i've used Nero 5.x with good success. it came with my cd burner, but otherwise it's not freeware. if you search google you might find a windoze freeware burner. check through XP first for the image burning option, though.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.