Hey, I want to install Linux. I have a CD with the Mandrake 7.2 version on it. But I can't get my computer to boot from the CD drive. I went into the BIOS sartup and set the computer to check the CD drive first. It still doesn't work. The CD drive seems to be working fine (I can access from windows). So what's going on? Oh yeah, on somewhat unrelated note, I can't make a boot disk using the 3.5" floppy because windows refuses to recognize the drive when I put a disk into. However, when I check the status using System it tells me it recognizes the drive and that it is functional. Very frustrated, Pete.

Check for a 'boot' directory on the cdrom. If it is there, there may be an install script that can be run from there, right off of the cdrom. One word of caution, do NOT let linux mess with your MBR. Hope this helps, good luck.

If windows will see the Mandrake CD when you put it in your cd-rom then you can make a Linux bootdisk in windows. On the Mandrake CD there should be a "dosutils" directory. In that directory there will be a program called "rawrite.exe". There is also a README file in there, read it first :). Run the rawrite program and it will ask you where the boot image is. On the cd there should be a directory named IMAGES or something like that, in that directory the should be a file named "boot.img", that is your "boot image". So, when rawrite asks you where the boot image is you tell it d:\images\boot.img It will then ask you to put in a floppy disk and there ya go, you have a boot floppy!!! Now boot to that floppy and put the cd in and you will be installing linux.