Creating the Boot Disk and Booting

Securing and Optimizing Linux: RedHat Edition -A Hands on Guide
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# 3.2. Creating the Boot Disk and Booting

The first thing to do is to create an installation diskette also known as a boot disk. If you have purchased the official Red Hat Linux CD-ROM, you will find this floppy disk named Boot Diskette in the Red Hat Linux box and you don't need to create it. From time to time, you may find that the installation will fail with the standard diskette image that comes with the official Red Hat Linux CD-ROM. If this happens, a revised diskette is required in order for the installation to work properly. In these cases, special images are available via the Red Hat Linux Errata web page to solve the problem www.redhat.com/errata. Since this, is a relatively rare occurrence, you will save time if you try to use the standard diskette images first, and then review the Errata only if you experience any problem completing the installation.

Step 1. Before you make the boot disk, insert the Official Red Hat Linux CD-ROM Part 1 in your computer that runs the Windows operating system. When the program asks for the filename, enter `boot.img` for the boot disk. To make the floppies under MS-DOS, you need to use these commands assuming your CD-ROM is drive `D:` and contain the Official Red Hat Linux CD-ROM.

Open the Command Prompt under Windows: Start | Programs | Command Prompt

                 C:\> d:
                 D:\> cd \dosutils
                 D:\dosutils> rawrite
                 Enter disk image source file name: ..\images\boot.img
                 Enter target diskette drive: a:
                 Please insert a formatted diskette into drive A: and press --ENTER-- :

                 D:\dosutils>

The rawrite.exe program asks for the filename of the disk image: Enter `boot.img` and insert a floppy into drive A. It will then ask for a disk to write to: Enter `a:`, and when complete, label the disk; for example, Red Hat boot disk.

Step 2. Since we'd start the installation directly off the CD-ROM, boot with the boot disk. Insert the boot diskette you create into the drive A: on the computer where you want to install Linux and reboot the computer. At the `boot:`, press Enter to continue booting and follow the three simple steps below:

Choose your language

  You can choose your prefferd language for the Linux OS from a list. For example, English, Danish etc

Choose your keyboard type

  You can choose your Keyboard type. For example `US pc104`, norwegian etc

Select your mouse type

  You can choose your mouse type. For example Logitech two button, Microsoft three button mouse etc

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