Need help on installation

[still_learning]

I have this old Packard Bell 486 sitting in my room. I've already run Windows 98 on it. It only has a 450-500 meg hard drive. I downloaded mandrake linux 9.0 from http://www.linux-download-cds.com/in...mandrake-linux a while ago (now it is currently 9.1) but i want to use linux as a stand-alone operating system. i am wondering how can i install it with only MS-DOS (i had to format the hard drive to make room)

[jasonlambert]

If you start the PC, putting the CD into the drive before any OS begins to load, the machine should automagically boot from the CD rom, and prompt you to begin installing linux.

I dont know if 1/2GB harddisk will be enough space for mandrake, execpt on a cut down install.

Jason

[flw]

As j mentioned, with a 500 meg drive the best you'll get is cmd line only and few services. Also the PC you mentioned a "Packard Bell 486" may not boot off a CD due to its age but worth a try.

[e_dreamer]

I had a packard bell 486 as my first PC, it was one of the last 486's packard bell made, and that didn't boot from a cdrom. in order to install linux, you would have to use another computer, that has a working OS on it, to create boot diskettes. There is some how-to information on most linux distro cd's. Once the boot diskette(s) is created, you need to boot the old 486 from it, and follow the instructions.

mandrake 9 is a bit to bulky for a 400/500mb (510mb by any chance?) hard drive. The best idea would be to get hold of an old slackware distro (they are still available from most of the slackware distro ftp mirrors) because these were generaly made quite a while ago, they don't require much space, because of the kind of hardware available when they were made.

good luck

[still_learning]

i know that is the first computer i ever used. i'm only 14. i started using it when i was 4 or 5. taught me a lot. is there a way i can hook my newer computer up via COM1 or COM2 ports, parellel ports, or something else. what about can i install linux on a cd-rw or cd-r (if i have to) formatted with adaptec direct cd then burn it to cd-r that's not formated with direct cd and copy the files onto the hard drive via DOS?

[flw]

What would work for you, if you are ok with learning cmd line and only the very basics is a linux ram disk on floppy. Your machine boots off a floppy in to a striped down version of linux cmd line. I don't have the url now but if you want it, let me know and I'll dig it up for you.

[flw]

Update- the url is http://www.toms.net/rb . The FAQ will give you the instructions on how to do it from a Windoze PC and whats is really for like:

1. Rescue recovery panic & emergencies

2. Tools to keep in your shirt pockets

3. Whenever you can't use a hard drive


Hope this is of some help,

[still_learning]

does it have a cd-rom driver? that's my problem. i have to be able to have a floppy with a cd-rom driver the computer will detect. right now i'm learning DOS and how to upload driver (i'm not very good with DOS). how do i get a cd-rom driver on it so it will be detected and i will be able use the cd for installation

[CopperTop]

You just need a DOS cd rom driver? Why not download a copy of a Win98 boot disk - it has cd rom support on it. You can find one at bootdisk.com.

[chefmn]

http://bootdisk.com,

http://new.linuxnow.com/docs/content...-HOWTO-11.html
also has premade boot disks,

And it also sounds as though he may be a little confused, if you are going to do anything with linux on the PC, it needs to have a non-dos partition(thus you cant copy files in dos because you wont be running DOS). but with your limited hard drive space, you are only going to a command line interface to work with, I would stick with the idea of just booting to linux via a floppy if learning linux cmd line is what you want to do.

the question is what are you trying to accomplish,