linux mandrake will not install.it cant find my cdrom drive
 

i have a creative labs 52 x cdrom and linux will get to where it trys to find the cdrom drive and i get a message that theres no cdrom installed. HELP!!!!
which cdrom drives wwork with linux? ive went to lots of other linux message boards and havent gotten any help.
thank you

Not sure what you mean when you say "Linux will try to find CDROM". Does the system not boot from the disk at all to initiate the install?

Check the following:

1. Make sure your CDROM has its jumpers set correctly so it is detected correctly by the system BIOS. If the BIOS does not see the CDROM correctly, you wont be able to boot from the drive.

2. If your BIOS sees the CDROM correctly, change your boot sequence in the BIOS so you are booting from your CDROM while trying to do the install. The CDROM must be the FIRST boot device.

3. Make sure you are using an ISO image if your copy of Linux has been downloaded and is not a boxed distribution.

Hope this helps a little.

the jumpers are set right and its in the bios settings as slave
it just must be the cdrom drive itself. what typess of cdroms work with linux?its the boxed edition not dowwnloaded.
thank you

Almost all types of CDrom drive will work with Linux. Even those old things that were developed when CDroms first came out (the sort-of semi-SCSI ones you found attached to old SB cards).

Now, you may have set your CDrom drive to be 'slave' on the jumpers, cable (and hence BIOS, you normally don't get a choice here), but have you set the boot sequence?

By this, I mean:

When you start the computer, it can look in various different places to boot. Most computers will look at the floppy drive and the harddisk only. You will almost certainly be able to enable your CDrom drive to be a bootable device. It's normally under the 'Advanced Settings' bit (the second/third menu item for AMIBIOS and AWARD).

If you've got a relatively old machine, it might not be able to boot from the CDrom drive, in which case, you should make a boot-floppy which will be able to install from the CDrom (note: I said install from the CD, not boot from the CD).

If you're not happy with changing your BIOS settings, may I suggest you do the boot-floppy thing is instead.

Keep us posted.

All I use are Creative 52x CDROMS on my machines.
Unless the drive is physically damaged, they will work with Linux fine.

I have had situations where the Creatives will be picked up by the BIOS just fine, but will not read from a disk. You may just have a bum drive if your jumpers and BIOS settings are correct.

You might have to tell linux where your cdrom is connected. If you get a prompt when you try to install, enter this linux hdc=cdrom if it's the primary slave or linux hdd=cdrom if it's the secondary slave.