Installation mystery - hardware problems?

[resolve]

I am unable to install any OS on my old PC. I can get into the BIOS menus, but the pc won't boot from the CD. I have tried two different CD drives, no luck, neither with the newest xubuntu nor with arch.

I took the hard drive from the pc, inserted it into a new pc, and installed arch on the drive. Put it back into the old pc, but to no avail.

When I fire up my PC now, I am left with the error message: Invalid boot diskette - insert boot diskette in A:

But I don't have any boot diskette, and the message keeps showing up even after I have unplugged the floppy drive.

If anyone has any idea how I can figure out what is wrong, or if there is any way I can have my pc boot the arch drive, I would be most grateful. All ideas greatly appreciated. Thx.

[rokytnji]

Go ahead and plug the floppy drive back in. Download and make a bootable floppy of Smart Boot Manager and boot up the hardrive with it.

SourceForge.net: Smart BootManager

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SmartBootManager

Simple User Guide for Smart Boot Manager 3.x: How to use Smart Boot Manager 3.x?

[resolve]

Thanks a lot! But I have a few more questions to the smart boot manager.

I am using a diskette drive on an old laptop with windows 98 on it to format the diskette and install the smart boot manager, but the installation process is a bit unclear.

1. There are several files listed for download on source forge. Which one should I get, and how to install it with rawwrite to the floppy? When I click on rawwrite, it says to select an image to write onto the floppy, but I didn't download any image?

2. Do I have to install lilo on my drive with arch? I have never used lilo, so if I could use grub, I think it would be easier for me.

[resolve]

okay, I'm about to pull all my hair out and slam my head in the door, because the instructions are bloody impossible to understand. I need help!!!

First, I am not sure which file to download from SourceForge.net: Smart BootManager: Files , so I took the tar.gz one.

I have problems when following the readme on how to install smart boot manager to a floppy.

I get:
make[1]: *** No rule to make target `/home/reploid/bootmanager/release/main.bin', needed by `main.h'. Stop.
and:
reploid@linux:~/bootmanager/release$ make install
make: *** No rule to make target `install'. Stop.

How the hell do I make this floppy????????? I've been working on these computers the past DAYS now, swapping hard drives, burning discs, and now I have to break my head over instructions that are f-ing incomprehensible???

[resolve]

Does anyone have a suggestion for another way to create a boot floppy? Link?

The smart boot manager won't compile properly.

[rokytnji]

Be cool dude , I've been out cruising on my Bike all day, I'll walk you through making a smart boot manger floppy. Keep your hair and don't bang your head, ya need it to think. Now take a deep breath, pour yourself a drink of choice, (ya can tell I had a good time today) and click on this link

Smart Boot Manager Download

1.download sbminst.exe (DOS executable)
cwsdpmi.exe (support file) and formatted a 1.4mb floppy and installed those 2 downloads to floppy. Used the 3.7 column Smart Boot Manager Download

2.2.1. Restart the PC, boot from the floppy and run:
A:\>sbminst

3. Read the displayed screen for guidance and run the following command:
A:\>sbminst -t us -d 0 [make sure to put a space before -t, us, -d, 0][- is a dash, 0 is a zero]
Enter Y when asked to confirm.
The above command converts the floppy into a standalone boot manager.


4.Reboot the computer and select Hardrive, Cdrom, whatever you want to pick from the list to boot 1st.

I forgot how I learned how to do this, but I thought it had the instructions at the site. Otherwise I woulda told ya.

[resolve]

Thx, man, sry if I came off as demanding, I am grateful that you took your time to help me out with the boot manager - I got it working.

Soon afterwards, the old power supply died on me. Not even sure if it is worth the cash buying a new one to revive that old box.

Oh, the irony.

[rokytnji]

No prob. Man. I am in the repair business, and I found out a long time ago, that throwing wrenches don't fix nothing, and suprisingly didn't make me feel any better. Maybe you can skin up a old used power supply from a junk box if yer lucky. Good Luck.