[H-GEN] Debian install floppy boot problem

[john duncan]

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Greg Black wrote:

>I have been attempting to install Debian on my laptop from the
>CD[1] that was distributed by AUUG late last year.  I made a
>floppy from "rescue.bin" and booted the system from it.  I read
>all the help screens attached to the various function keys and
>then tried various incantations to start the install process.
>
>In each case, I got various messages (somewhat over a screenful)
>ending with the following eight lines (typed by hand, hopefully
>without too many errors):
>
>    PCI: Probing PCI hardware
>    Linux NET4.0 for Linux 2.2
>    Based upon Swansea University Computer Society NET3.039
>    NET4: Linux TCP/IP 1.0 for NET4.0
>    IP Protocols: ICMP, UDP, TCP, IGMP
>    TCP: Hash tables configured (ehash 262144 bhash 65536)
>    Starting kswapd v 1.5
>    Serial driver version 4.27 with HUB-6 MANY_PORTS MULTIPORT SHARE_IRQ enabled
>
>And then everything just stops.  No further noises, no blinken
>lights, no responses to any magic key sequences that I can think
>of, nothing.
>
>Am I doing something really stupid, or should I conclude that
>Debian just won't even boot on this box?
>
>If anybody can make useful[2] suggestions for me to try, I'm
>keen to hear them.  Alternatively, if some Debian guru is
>willing to play at doing a Debian install at the meeting on
>Saturday, that would be nice.
>
>Greg
>
>[1] The CD in question is labelled ``Debian GNU/Linux 3.0
>    "Woody" installation disk (CD 1) Intel i386 and above''
>
>[2] Useful suggestions, in my case, don't include downloading
>    ISOs from the Net.
>
>  
>
Hi Greg,
                 You could try a net install, for this you need rescue.bin,
root.bin and four driver bin's. After the rescue.bin is loaded into the
ramdisk it asks for root.bin. and later for the drivers. Get them from
the Debian website. The base system is about 37 MB.
                   That way you should see if your hardware is supported
before installing. The only tricky bit to remember is to initialise
your / Linux partition first before any other Linux ones's you create.

                                                     HTH,
                                                          John Duncan


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