Red Hat LINUX ES 2.1 -, Installation Manual

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14 Chapter 3. Installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES
3.2.1.3. Booting Without Diskettes
The Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES CD-ROM can be booted by computers that support bootable CD-
ROMs. Not all computers support this feature, so if your system cannot boot from the CD-ROM, there
is one other way to start the installation without using a boot disk. The following method is specific
to x86-based computers only.
If you have MS-DOS installed on your system, you can boot directly from the CD-ROM drive without
using a boot disk. To do this (assuming your CD-ROM is drive
d:
), use the following commands:
C:\ d:
D:\ cd \dosutils
D:\dosutils autoboot.bat
This method will not work if run in a DOS window — the
autoboot.bat
file must be executed with
DOS as the only operating system. In other words, Windows cannot be running.
If your computer cannot boot directly from CD-ROM (and you cannot use a DOS-based autoboot),
you will have to use a boot diskette to get things started.
3.3. Selecting an Installation Method
What type of installation method do you wish to use? The following installation methods are available:
CD-ROM
If you have a CD-ROM drive and the Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES CD-ROM, you can use this
method. You will need a boot disk or a bootable CD-ROM. PCMCIA boot and driver disks may
also be used. Continue reading this chapter for further instructions.
Hard Drive
If you have copied the Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES ISO images to a local hard drive, you can
use this method. You will need a boot disk. PCMCIA boot and driver disks may also be used.
Refer to Chapter 4, for hard drive installation instructions.
NFS Image
If you are installing from an NFS server which is exporting the Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES
CD-ROM(s) or a mirror image of *PROD;, you can use this method. You will need a network
boot disk. PCMCIA boot and driver disks may also be used. Refer to Chapter 4, for network
installation instructions. Please note that NFS installations may also be performed in GUI mode.
FTP
If you are installing directly from an FTP server, use this method. You will need a network boot
disk. PCMCIA boot and driver disks may also be used. Refer to Chapter 4, for FTP installation
instructions.