boot

Welcome

On this page we will let you know how to start our live CD by changing your computer's BIOS settings. You may want to do this to try out a CD that we have provided.

The live CD that we distribute will allow you to try out the Debian Linux system and all the Free and Open Source Software we recommend.

Because it will run from a CD, your computer will run slower than if the software was actually installed on your hard drive.

We provide consultancy, training and support to organisations that consider moving to Linux. More information about our services

Release notes

Whilst we have lots of experience and skills in running the Linux operating system, this is the first time that we have ever created a live CD. It provides a good insight into what it is like to run Linux on the desktop, in the next release we plan to make a couple of changes.

• The inclusion of Java.
• To have an off-line help page set on the web browser.
• To include a password so that users can try out the administrative functions.
• To eliminate the distortion which occasionally occurs in the Open Office title bar.

If you would like to try the next release of the software with the above changes please contact us with your postal address and we will send you a copy

Booting

If you have inserted the Debian CD into your CD drive and restarted your computer but it still loads Windows normally, ignoring the CD, then you need to configure your computer so when you turn it on, it starts reading the contents of the Debian CD instead. To have your computer start from the CD, you must configure it to do so in the BIOS setup screen.

Note that this change will NOT damage your computer in any way because the BIOS setup was made for that purpose. So don't worry, you're not doing anything a user is not supposed to do; however, your attention must be tuned to the task when going into the setup screen so you don't change other settings.

The BIOS setup screen looks different from computer to computer so we can't write a definite procedure, but you can adapt it to your computer. So please pay attention, read and comprehend the settings on the screen. Most computers have either AWARD or PHOENIX BIOS setup; these are two different makers of BIOS chips and have set their setup screens layout differently. Fortunately, you can change the boot order on both. However, the BIOS itself can be protected with a password, so if you are asked for a password on entering the BIOS screen, then you may need to reset the BIOS chip by removing the internal battery (or CMOS jumper) of the motherboard and that's not a trivial procedure, so it will not be covered in this tutorial. Hopefully, your BIOS setup is not protected by a password.

You will need to restart your computer and work out of Windows, so you may want print these instructions for future reference.

1.Restart your computer. On the first screen that appears, look for a notice that will let you know the magic key you must press to enter the BIOS setup screen. For example, this AWARD BIOS screen shows to hit DEL to enter setup:

And this Dell BIOS screen shows to enter F2 to enter setup:

2.Press the “magic key” before the notice disappears. (You have to act quickly or press the PAUSE key on the keyboard so the screen freezes and you have all the time to look for the notice and press the “magic key”. Most of the time the “magic key” is DEL, but sometimes it can be F2 or other. If you can't find it, you can press all the F keys until one works for you. Or check this list of keys to enter BIOS by manufacturer

You will know when you're in the BIOS setup when your screen changes into a blue or grey one with lots of options. Inside the BIOS, you will not be able to use your mouse to point and click on the menus; therefore, you have to move over the options using your keyboard (arrow keys). Read the keyboard shortcuts at the bottom of the screen so you know what you can do with your keyboard. This screen shows the keyboard shortcuts available in one BIOS version:

3.Look for the boot sequence options. This screen shows the boot sequence options on one machine:

If your computer has AWARD BIOS, move to the Advanced BIOS Features option and press ENTER. (If you don't have AWARD BIOS, then look for an option that says something like boot order or boot devices sequence.)

4.Change the boot order using the PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys on your keyboard (read the keyboard shortcuts to find out which keys are for your BIOS screen.) The idea is to set the CD-ROM as the first boot device and the HARD DISK DRIVE as the second boot device, so when your computer starts it looks for what's inside the CD-ROM and if it doesn't find a boot disk, then it will move on the hard drive and start Windows. It doesn't matter what the third boot device is; you can leave it as it is or disabled, just make sure that you set the HDD-0 as any of the devices or your computer will not boot into Windows when the Debian CD is not in the drive. The options on your screen should look like this:

• First Boot Device [CD ROM]

• Second Boot Device [HDD -0]

• Third Boot Device [Disabled]

5.Save the changes, exit the setup and restart your computer. Once you have changed the boot order, look for the keyboard shortcut that will let you save the changes and exit. Most of the time it will be the F10 key on your keyboard. When you're asked: “Save to CMOS and EXIT (Y/N)”:

You must press the Y letter on your keyboard and your computer will restart and start from the Debian CD.

Next you will see a red swirl, press enter and after a while the computer will start.

You will see a desktop that is very similar to Windows (TM) click on the 'computer' button in the bottom left hand corner of the screen to access the installed programs.

You may now want to check out our help guide.

This guide was mainly written by kevindanielallen@gmail.com the original guide is viewable here http://www.peacefire.org/bypass/booting-from-cd-tutorial/

Alternative guide to BIOS.