Booting Knoppix from CD

[TheLaxPlayer]

I am having trouble booting Knoppix 3.4 from my CD drive. I have set the bios to boot from "CDROM" but I am wondering which drive it is checking. My CD is in my E: drive.

When I try to boot it if boots windows from my HDD even though I told it to check for CD first. I am pretty sure the CD-RW is burned correctly, I burned it with Alcohol 120% and I don't think that is the problem, but it may be.

The check sum I have is 7ee0382655abf194aa300a98100cacde which seems to be correct.

Any help is appreciated.

[Harry Kuhman]

Would give you links to the downloading help, but there is a problem with the website at the moment. Don't know alcohol, can't talk you through that. If you look at the burnt disk in Windows do you see a lot of files (you should) or just 1 big iso file (meaning you burnt it wrong)? Did you check the md5 sum before burning? Keep checking the docs button at the top of this page; when it starts working again read the faq and how to and downloading (which includes burning).

[TheLaxPlayer]

If you look at the burnt disk in Windows do you see a lot of files (you should) or just 1 big iso file (meaning you burnt it wrong)?

It has lots of files. The check sum file says 7ee0382655abf194aa300a98100cacde *KNOPPIX_V3.4-2004-05-17-EN.iso

I just can't get it to even try to boot. Do you think it's checking the E: drive for "CDROM"?

I'm trying to download Knoppix 3.6 to burn and try that. I just hope I can get something to work. Other versions of Linux aren't an option, as a HDD installation is out of the question as I am doing this on the family computer. I just want to try out Linux because I may build a cheap computer soon and I don't want to have to pay about a hundred dollars for windows on a $200-$300 PC.

EDIT: Problems out the wazoo downloading 3.6 I am going to try to download Nero.

[Harry Kuhman]

eadz has the documentation working again. Read http://www.knoppix.net/docs/index.php/FaqDownloading and http://www.knoppix.net/docs/index.php/DownloadingHowTo

Did you check the md5 sum of what you downloaded (and was it correct)?

You might well have a BIOS problem if it's not booting the CD. Can you boot any other bootable CD? There are several boot loaders that will let you boot from any CD drive, even a second or third CD drive, and even if the BIOS can't boot from CD properly. I use XOSL for this, but others have mentioned "Smart Boot Manager". Smart Boot Manager might be a better choice, since you can install it to a floppy and then use that to force your CD to boot (assuming the CD is good). I don't have a link for either handy, but you can find them quickly with Google.

Knoppix is a great live CD, but there are other versions of live CD's that you might want to look at too. Knoppix is not your only option for a live CD. But you need to get booting a CD resolved before you start trying out different versions for the right fit.

If you can get it to boot up to the first prompt, I think there is an option that should let you test the CD. But you don't seem to be that far yet.

[TheLaxPlayer]

Turns out there is nothing wrong with the CD at all.

My bios just won't boot from a CD even when set to do so. I found downloadable Knoppix 3.4 boot disks, downloaded them and then I was able to boot with them.

I am posting this from Mozilla via Knoppix. I just wish I had enough RAM to move Knoppix entirely into it to make it faster.

Thanks for the help.