Can't install Debian 3.1 on HP Pavilion 7955 computer

[Guest]

I'm using a HP Pavilion 7955 computer with an Intel Pentium 4 processor and 256 megabytes of RAM, and I can't install Debian 3.1.

I have copied the net install ISO folder that I downloaded to a CD and have set BIOS to boot from my DVD drive first, but the Debian installation screen doesn't appear at all—Windows XP simply starts up as usual.

Thanks for any help!

[tim]

It sounds like you didn't create an iso installation cd. Simply copying the downloaded iso folder to a cd won't work. You need to use your cd buring software (what are you using?) to create the iso.

[Guest]

I did burn it to a CD, using Windows XP's own CD burning software. I wasn't sure whether to burn the ISO archive itself to the CD, or whether to unpack the files and folders and burn them all onto the CD individually. I did use both metods, though, regardless.

[inconnu]

Hi Guest,

I'm not sure if the Windows utility can burn a bootable iso image (as opposed to a data cd containing an iso), which is what you'll need to do.

You can use the "free" CDBurner XPro (rummages through bookmarks) from here: http://www.cdburnerxp.se/ , which is what I used.

Sorry that I can't recall the proper steps -- it's been several months since I burned an image in Windows, and I no longer have MS on my box. What you don't do is simply burn a data cd. It must be burned as an iso image, and it must be bootable!

Their forums have this topic which covers burning a slipstreamed xp sp1+sp2 cd: http://www.cdburnerxp.se/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2143 See the second post there.
The process for burning a GNU/Linux iso cd is similar. Note that, naturally, using the autostreamer discussed is unnecessary, as you already have the iso image.

[Guest]

Thanks for the help, Inconnu. I posted the same question over at the comp.os.linux.setup usenet group, and many of the replies were simply rude and unhelpful. Nice to see that some are willing to help!