Re: Help loading Debian

[roach <robert_spencer@mighty.co.za>]

On Saturday 02 July 2005 22:24, Jim Kern wrote:
> This is my second attempt in a year to get Debian on my machine.  Why is it
> so dificult.  I have downloaded the ISO image of the net install and burned
> it to a CD.  Is this CD supposed to be bootable?

Yes.

>  Anyway when I insert the
> CD in an i386 based machine it looks at the CD and returns not boot record
> found.

That sounds like a hardware problem to me.

>  I have tried to look at your site to find a simple proceedure to
> get this on my machine.

You should have looked on the CD. The instructions should be there.

>  I almost seems as though you want it to be hard so
> that people buy the disks.

Debian doesn't sell CD's or DVD's, hence not guilty.

> I hope not but I feel I am helping you if I am
> honest about it.  Anyway I hope you can point me in the right direction.

I'm sorry your having problems.

Here's a debugging list to get started:

1. Are you downloading the netinstall iso from a reliable site?
  A lot of mirrors are unfortunately broken.
2. Have you verified the md5sum of the CD?
3. Has the iso image been properly burnt?
  Check to see if there is a single file or multiple files on the CD. It
  should be the latter.
4. Is it in fact a CD? Some PC will not boot from a DVD. Stupid, but true.
5. Have you been able to boot any other linux distro with that drive, on that 
PC?
5. Is it definitely a i386 netinstall iso?
  If it's the wrong arch. it won't work.

If all else fails you can always try http://www.debian.org/distrib/floppyinst

-- 
Robert "roach" Spencer
Pietermaritzburg
South Africa