Linux-Noob Forums - Can't Install from DOS. Please help me.

HI. My lapotop has no floppy, no cd-rom, no network, can't boot from usb.

So my only way is installing from dos using Loadlin.exe.

While in windows, i created

a) 4.5gb ext.2 partition for Slackware

B) 500mb swap linux partition

c) temporary 2gb fat32 partition - i extracted there contents of both 2 installation .iso files (10.2 version) - so that it would be accessible from dos and from setup.

Here's what i did:

1) I copied bzimage file to c:\ (c is fat32). I took bzimage file from BareAcpi.I directory on cd1

2) I copied initrd.img file to c:\ from \isolinux direcotry on cd1

3)Start Win98, At the very beginning press F8, and choose "command prompt only"

4) Started Loadlin, using this command:

Code:
loadlin.exe c:\bareacpi\bzimage initrd=c:\initrd.img root=/dev/ram rw load_ramdisk=1

Here is what i get:

Code:
.....

...

.. 

Uncompressing Linux...

invalid compressed format (err=1)

 --System halted

I took this parameters from some guide on loadlin.

I also tried some other parameters, but notheing works.

I'm newbie in linux.

PLEASE HELP ME.

Helo junglemike

Have the same problem. Over the years have had maybe 4 successful

installs from hard drive, and 75 or 80 failures. Old timers blamed failure

on my antique hardware. Blaa humbug. Now have modern stuff and

the success rate has not improved. On successive attempts install quits at

different points, different error codes. (Using the same .bat files so no

typos from hand entry's) The authors of the installers are not motivated

to produce a reliable product. Often get to the normal start GUI but the

installer is too limited to go back to the very same folder it was spawned

from and finish. Perhaps some Guru can explain how to point the installer

back to the source .iso file.

A8N32-SLI deluxe

AMD 64 X2 4800+ 2.4GHz

2gig memory

320gig Sata 2

Buncha 80gig IDE

GeForce 7950 GT

700watt power

1995 floppy drive

Not too cheep to get a burner

Just hate optical devices.

Cheers:

ratsarsed

Use a rotary telephone and never need to Press # 1 to Speak English