Help wanted RE: Slackware install on 8MB RAM

[aardvark]

Okay, so I had Tiny Linux (a stripped-down Slackware variant) on my computer. Now I get the Slackware CDs and want to do a more complete install. One problem: I have only 8MB of RAM on my 486 DX/100. I achieved the Tiny Linux install by using the 'quickroot.gz' root disk which is designed for this purpose. However, there seems to be nothing of this nature in the download section of the Slackware website. I tried lomem.i as a boot disk but it complained that it couldn't find a bootable image at 0 on my root disk (bare.i). I have heard of these fabled computers that can boot from the CD drive, but mine can't and I have yet to see one that does. Given that my computer with internet access has Windows 98 and a 33.6k modem (so... I can't do anything fancy that requires Linux or massive downloads) what can I do? Will I have to go back to Windows 95 (even though I am thoroughly sick of it)?

[Rhiannon]

Well booting from the CDROM requires the following two things: a cd that is bootable, and having the bios enabled to accept a boot from a CDROM. And considering Slackware needs 16 mbs to run, dunno if 8 would be enough. Granted, I can run xp with 56mbs, but that's a different story. As for boot disk, try this. Dunno what else to tell you except google.

[na_th_an]

I had a bootable diskette that displayed a menu with all your devices (HDDs, FDDs, CDROMs...) and let you boot from whichever you wanted. Maybe you need that to book from the CDROM.

http://btmgr.sourceforge.net/index.php3?...shots.html

[aardvark]

Ok, Slackware doesn't need 16MB to run (at least in my experience). I requires 16 MB to INSTALL (so says Patrick Volderking) and he says that it is actually possible to borrow some extra RAM, plug it in for the install, and then remove it. HOWEVER, a lot of my friends don't have computers or extra RAM or they hate me . So that's not a valid option. And I've trawled the Slackware site to no avail.

The Slackware CD is, however (I believe), bootable, so if I can get some sort of boot menu (my BIOS doesn't let me boot CD drives, and, surprise surprise, trying to trick the computer into thinking that your CD drive is your hard drive... don't work. )... But I'll try that boot menu thingie.

Thanks for all your help (though more is welcome... or I might end up with some obscure OS from the 70s...)

PS, and sorry the original post was so anal-retentive. It was intended for the Usenet. Enough said....

EDIT::: That boot menu doesn't work. I can't install it on my computer because my computer has no OS.... nor can I boot it from a floppy :S

[na_th_an]

Every computer can boot from a floppy. Open your BIOS config and change the boot sequence.

That software was written for people in your situation.You just copy it to a diskette and boot from it.

[aardvark]

I /know/ every computer can boot from a floppy. What I mean is, it complains that the floppy is not bootable. So I can't boot from that floppy. Should i try rawriting the loader?

[na_th_an]

Of course! Otherwise, you can't make the diskette bootable. In the webpage they should provide a disk image (at least, that was what I got).

EDITED:

They changed it a little bit. Download http://btmgr.sourceforge.net/3.7/sbminst.exe , it is the installer. You insert a blank diskette, and then run the installer. This works for me:

Code:

sbminst -d 0

Which installs the boot manager in disk drive A:

[aardvark]

Well, I decided to re-install Windows95 instead, since there is really no point to me having any type of Linux at all. After a number of problems concerning my obscure CD drive (M a t s h i t a CR-581) I downloaded a good boot disk which had a load of drivers on it and found the correct one of those to load.

I tried to run Windows Setup, but it needed more memory to load... so I gave it some by enabling EMS. Now, it complains that it needs 2816000 bytes of Extended/XMS to run further. How do I give it this?

EDIT: The bizarre censoring program blanked out M a t s h i t a, presumably because it sounds... naughty. The evil demons of Japanes names will corrupt our young minds, I'm sure.

[adosorken]

I've run Windows 95 setup on 16MB of RAM many times. Maybe you need to enable HIMEM.SYS before running it.

[aardvark]

I though I did have HIMEM enabled... though if I don't, how do I do it?

EDIT: I DO have it enabled (!)

CONFIG.SYS:
DEVICE = HIMEM.SYS

, right?