Computer won't recognize netinst CD
 

I am trying to install Debian on my old computer. It used to run Windows 98, but it was reformatted. (I don't want Windows back, thank you.)

I burned one of those "netinst" things on a CD-R (on my new system, which uses XP) as an image in Nero. But the old computer doesn't recognize the disk. Also, When I put the disk with the image burned onto it in the XP system, it reads it as a blank disk.

Did I do this right? Could it have something to do with 1) I used a CD-R or 2) the "architecture" was wrong? Or is it something else?

The target system is based on an AMD Athlon 700 processor. The image was for an "Intel x86" architecture. The BIOS is set to boot from the CD-ROM first. The drive in there now is not the one that came with the system.

If XP can't read anything on the disc, then it sounds like it didn't burn correctly. A CD has a standard filesystem that is readable by all modern OSes. XP should show a bunch of files on the disc.

You might want to check the md5sum of the ISO you downloaded before re-burning. You can download a free program for Windows from << www.md5summer.com >>. When somebody puts a file on the internet, they usually post an md5sum of the file. This is like a fingerprint. After you download the file, you check the md5sum of the file you downloaded with the one posted... If they match, you know you have an exact copy of the file. If they don't match, something happened in the download and you have a corrupt file, and know to download it again.

sounds like you burned a coaster to me.

If you're burning rom ISO with Nero, do the following:

Open nero and click on the file menu
Choose the option that says something like "burn ISO image" or "create CD from ISO" or something. I don't remember exactly what it's called, but there IS an option to create from ISO. Don't do this through the burning wizard, do it from the file menu...

That ought work better for you...

Let me konw if you can't find the option to which I refer...

Good luck!

Mr. Blum, I tried file>burn image... . I get an "open" dialog that shows .iso and .nrg files. It tries to make an .nrg every time I burn. I tried it again, and the same thing happened. Then I tried burning the .nrg, and it insisted I make another .nrg. I still can't get it to work.

Ranger Nemo, I got the image from a FTP site. How can I get the md5sum if it isn't right up there?

Hmmm, I'd look in ALL of the various settings in the burning dialog that comes up after you select the .iso. There must be something in there tellling to do what you described rather than actually burning the CD.

Also, check the settings (in Nero) for the burner. Make sure it recognizes it, and that all the settings look correct...

Let us know...

You must specify iso image and point to the iso image.

The only options that aren't grayed out are a checkbox marked "write", a checkbox marked "Write at once", and the "Number of copies" field.
The problem might be that Nero doesn't recognize my burner/driver. Under "choose recorder", the only option is "image recorder."

TigerOC, I specify [image files *.iso/*.nrg] which is the only choice beside all files. I do point to the .iso I want, and it still makes an .nrg.

yep, it doesn't see your burner. See if you can figure out why, and you'll be on your way to fixing this...

Sorry I dont have any suggestions for that...

you might try 2 windows apps called:

Daemon Tools
CloneCD
DTools = turns an *.iso into a virtual CDROM
CloneCD clones that virtual cd

I don't blame you for not having suggestions... Ahead (the company that makes Nero) didn't either! (Except for autodetect, which I tried.) Should I get a different program?
By the way, RecordNow, the one that comes with XP, is such crap that it doesn't support images.