BasicLinux  for  systems  without  a  DOS  mode  

Normally BasicLinux boots from DOS.   This works fine in Windows 95 and 98, which have a genuine DOS mode, but it does not work with more recent versions of Windows.   If you are running Windows ME/NT/2K/XP (and have no access to DOS or Win95/98), you will need to make a floppy version of BasicLinux.  This version is identical to the normal version of BasicLinux; it just takes longer to boot because it is loading from a floppy.

You need two floppy disks for BasicLinux.  The first floppy is for a bootable Linux kernel.  The second floppy is for the compressed BasicLinux image-file. You also need a utility for transferring image-files to floppies.  If you do not already have such a utility, you can download RawWriteWin from here or here.

Making the first floppy

  • Download bootable kernel  (copies are also here and here).
  • Use RawWriteWin (or similar) to transfer bare.i to floppy

    Making the second floppy

  • Download the standard BasicLinux package.
  • Unzip baslin17.zip
  • Use RawWriteWin (or similar) to transfer baslinux.gz to floppy

    When your floppies are completed, put the first one in the floppy drive and reboot the computer.  If the floppy does not boot, you may need to adjust your system setup to allow booting from floppy.