Installation anomaly perhaps?

Total Noob · #1 September 21st, 2007, 04:31 PM

I read that the best way to install Linux was a clean install, using an image disk, ie, starting with a file stored on line and downloaded as an ISO file, and burned as an ISO file using an instruction "burn ISO." Then I was to instruct the BIOS to boot off CD, put my ISO disk into the tray, off/on, and that should do it.

Long and short, I could not access the BIOS on my IBM Aptiva computer (no instruction how to do so on booting), and the image disks didn't do anything on their own.

But I later tried both Arklinux and Ubuntu disks that were just copies of their installation files taken off of FTP as I recall, which I had downloaded and burned as normal files, before hearing about the ISO stuff. And, sure enough, they both installed completely without me making any BIOS changes (because I couldn't figure out how to).

Did I misunderstand something, or was there an anomaly?

Thanks.

jmtjet · #2 September 21st, 2007, 04:43 PM

I don't think you misunderstood anything, you just kind of stumbled into the installation procedure.

As far as changing anything in the BIOS, with the new BIOS scheme you usually don't need to change the boot sequence. The BIOS will "see" the disk in the drive and give you the option of booting to it(if it's a bootable disk). Now that you're up and running with Linux, have fun.

Total Noob · #3 September 21st, 2007, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmtjet

I don't think you misunderstood anything, you just kind of stumbled into the installation procedure.

As far as changing anything in the BIOS, with the new BIOS scheme you usually don't need to change the boot sequence. The BIOS will "see" the disk in the drive and give you the option of booting to it(if it's a bootable disk).

Thanks for your help, but now I'm very lost. If I didn't misunderstand what the instructions are, and did what I saw I was supposed to, why didn't it take? The computer is a 733, AMD chip as I recall, lots of ROM, but it wouldn't tell me what function key to access the BIOS as my even older 300 Aptiva and everything older than that does.

Also, the disks that ultimately worked weren't intended to be bootable; they were just burned files on disks that I made in error before I read about ISO's. They didn't boot my older computers even with BIOS resets.

Or am I way, way off?