How to create a boot floppy for puppy 511, from the top

[Alexander2995]

Hello, All,
I'm afraid that I am a bit of a computer ignoramus. I have downloaded puppy linux version 511 to cd, and it works beautifully on a computer that doesn't really need it. The machine I'd like to run it on, a venerable Tiny Computer operating windows 98, unfortunately won't boot direct from the cd, needing a boot floppy that the 511 version, equally unfortunately, won't create. I've downloaded divers wakepup2 pet files to the computer, but after a series of false starts am now a bit stuck. Assuming that I am running windows 98, have a wakepup file, let's say wakepup2-20080927.pet, sitting in my mozilla download folder, and a new and unformatted floppy sitting in the computer's A drive, what exactly,and in very simple language, do I have to do to end up with a functioning boot disc, and, once it has been created, what are the steps needed to get it to find and run the system cd. Could I, for example, create a windows 98 boot floppy (something I can do) and cannibalise that in some way? I'm sorry to be asking such a pathetic question, but I'd be really grateful for your help,
Best Wishes,
Alex

[kilgour]

Maybe it will help you?
http://www.icpug.org.uk/national/linnwi ... innwin.htm
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=39499
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=8292

[Crash]

Getting Puppy to run for the first time is always the trickiest step, and your question is entirely valid. Luckily, Win98 is pretty friendly to Puppy Linux.

From Win98, you should be able to exit to the DOS prompt and run some boot code to get to Puppy Linux. You need to copy the contents of the CD to the Win98 hard drive - I usually copy it to a subdirectory with a name like \p511 or such. You will need 200 MB or so of hard drive space to do this. The only other file you need is LINLD.COM (see attachment). It goes in the root directory on the hard drive. Then you make a short one-line batch file in the root directory to invoke the boot sequence:

Code: Select all

LINLD.COM image=p511\vmlinuz initrd=p511\initrd.gz "cl=root=/dev/ram0 PMEDIA=idehd acpi=on psubdir=p511"

I've done this with a Win98 rescue disk too. I just delete or rename the autoexec.bat and config.sys files, and put a copy of LINLD.COM on the floppy's root directory. Then I re-boot the Win98 rescue disk and again run the boot line above. You may need to delete some unnecessary files on the floppy to make room for LINLD.COM - I forget.

Once you have Puppy running on the computer, you can play with the Wakepup.pet file, but for most of what I do, just booting on the hard drive is good enough.

[looseSCREWorTWO]

Try Crash's suggestion first and keep my idea as "Plan B" if things don't work out. If you install Puppy to a CD (not a DVD) you should be able to insert the Puppy CD and the WakePup2 Floppy, then Reboot the computer from the Floppy. It should detect Puppy on the CD Drive and use it to run the computer. If this doesn't work, try the steps below to boot from a Floppy and run Puppy from a USB Flash Drive. This works, even on old PCs that won't boot directly from a Flash Drive.

STEP 1 - Create a WakePup2 Floppy
The wakepup2-20080927.pet file works reliably with Puppy 431 and 431 Retro, so stick with that. Run Puppy on your "good" computer and use it to create a couple of WakePup2 Floppies.

STEP 2 - Put Puppy on a USB Flash Drive
Either by running Puppy on the "good" computer and using the Universal Installer to put Puppy on the Flash Drive, or else by using this method:
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/put-lucid- ... m-windows/

STEP 3
With the above Flash Drive plugged in to your Win 98 computer, boot from the WakePup2 Floppy. At the first list of Boot Options, just hit Enter and see how you go. The WakePup2 program should detect Puppy on the Flash Drive and use it to run the Win 98 computer.

If you get to this point you will have to decide on a few things before installing Puppy to the HDD. Here is some useful reading:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=29356

I've found the following versions of Puppy work on a wide range of older PC's:
- Puppy 431
- Puppy 431 Retro (Linux kernel 2.6.25.16)
- Puppy 431 Retro (Linux kernel 2.6.21.7)
- Puppy 412
- Puppy 412 Retro

Good luck with it.

[Burn_IT]

I use Grub4Dos nowadays. It can be run as a Dos program or installed into the boot sector.
Make a Dos boot disk
config.sys:

Code: Select all

install=c:\grub.exe

on a linux only or using grub to select.
You can use the menu system in config to choose what to boot, or use grub menu.lst if grub installed to boot sector.

Grub4Dos menu.lst

Code: Select all

# This is a sample menu.lst file. You should make some changes to it.
# The old install method of booting via the stage-files has been removed.
# Please install GRLDR boot strap code to MBR with the bootlace.com
# utility under DOS/Win9x or Linux.

color yellow/green white/red white/magenta white/magenta
timeout 30

title Puppy Linux 420 Frugal
find --set-root /vmlinuz
kernel /vmlinuz pmedia=idehd
initrd /initrd.gz

title Puppy Linux 420 Frugal fresh
find --set-root /vmlinuz
kernel /vmlinuz pmedia=idehd pfix=ram
initrd /initrd.gz


title The rest are just samples
root

title BEWARE find and load IO.SYS of Windows 9x/Me BEWARE if already running DOS
find --set-root /io.sys
chainloader /io.sys
savedefault --wait=2

title find and boot anyISO.ISO
map (hd0,0)/anyISO.ISO (hd32)
map --hook
chainloader (hd32)
boot


title commandline
commandline


title back to dos
quit

title reboot
reboot

title halt
halt

[/code]

[Crash]

Here are more instructions, specific to booting a Puppy Live CD from the Win98 DOS prompt:

First, I have the LINLD.COM program attached as a .zip file so it can be uncompressed from DOS. The only reason for compressing it is to conform to the Forum rules regarding types of files that can be posted. Unzip LINLD.COM to the Win98 hard drive's root directory ( the "\" directory).

Second, copy both vmlinuz and initrd.gz from the Live CD to the hard drive's root directory. These files will occupy only 2 or 3 Megabytes on the hard drive.

Third, make the following one-line batch file:

Code: Select all

LINLD.COM image=vmlinuz initrd=initrd.gz "cl=root=/dev/ram0 acpi=on"

Fourth, with the live CD in the reader, exit to the DOS prompt. Execute the batch file and cross your fingers.

The Linux Kernel should execute, and it has the CD driver in it so it should be able to do the rest of the boot from the CD.

This method should work - I just tried it out on a similar setup. It is a pretty easy way to do a poor man's Wakepup from the Windows 98 prompt.

/// Edited a few hours later:

P.S. On the Linux computer that doesn't have a floppy drive, if you install Wakepup2, the floppy disk image shows up in the "/lib" directory as "Wakepup2.img". This file is 1440 KBytes long, which is exactly the size of a standard floppy disk. If you can copy this file to the Win98 computer, you can burn the file right to a floppy disk by using one of many freely available programs. One that I use is "RawWriteWin.exe". I did a Google of it, and find dozens of places where you can download it. It is GPL licensed.

http://www.chrysocome.net/rawwrite

///

[Alexander2995]

I believe we have lift-off. That was absolutely top quality advice all round. I went down the Crash route, but the other solutions looked as though they should work as well. Many thanks to all you splendid brainboxes.
Best Wishes,
Alex