(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Hi everyone!

I want to use Puppy on a (seemingly) broken Panasonic CF-25 from the 90s. It no longer has the floppy drive, and I'm not sure if it can boot from a CD drive. And besides that, it also doesn't boot to any operating system. It just boots up and says that it's loading a hibernation file, then it says:

"Invalid system disk
Replace the disk, and then press any key"

What do I need to do? The CDs seemed to be read, because I hear it moving around, but nothing happens. And I can't find how to change the boot order.

This was my dad's old computer. He said he messed it up when trying to put Windows 98 on it.

you need to enter the BIOS settings

more info here
http://puppylinux.org/wikka/BIOS

possible key combos to get to bios here
http://puppylinux.org/wikka/TableOfBIOSKeys

Welcome Riano. With the floppy gone and nothing usb connected, it's F1 to reach BIOS and change your boot order.

Nice 1, Semme, added to the wikki page. Started Wiki table (rather than image) so people can add more.

http://puppylinux.org/wikka/TableOfBIOSKeys

Nice ; -)

I can't get to the BIOS settings, though. I pressed F1 (multiple times)like Semme said, but it just went on and said, "searching hibernation file," loaded it up and then said "invalid system disk."

My dad seems to think the BIOS is "broken." Is there any way to fix it?

Try the manual at http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source ... _r13paUoKw

Maybe.. Does this thing go through a memory check before delivering the "invalid system disk" message?

Do we have an exact model number? Tell me too whether there's a usb port on the right side there.

You think your dad would remember why the old drive was removed?

It's more than likely the bios (cmos) battery is dead after
all these years.
It will take some work to replace the old one; Laptop
disassembly and soldering in a new one.
If this is a Mark3 cf with 96mb ram it may run a smaller
Puppy, like 4.12 okay.
The easiest way would be to pull the hard drive and use a
more powerful laptop (or pc with adapter) to install Puppy
to the drive.
A swap partition of about 500mb would help.
A full install will boot easier than frugal in this case.

Dead after all these years as logic might suggest.

Semme wrote:Dead after all these years as logic might suggest. Still, I'd like to hear from Riano again.

Those cf models did not have usb ports, and there is nothing
in bios screens pertaining to boot options.

At this point- I'm with you rjbrewer. With no floppy drive and no ability to alter the boot sequence... "the easiest way would be to pull the hard drive and use a more powerful laptop (or pc with adapter) to install Puppy to the drive." In other words Riano, slave the drive on another box.

If not you or your dad, perhaps your local repair shop could handle this and the battery for a reasonable exchange..

If the BIOS offers no way to alter the boot sequence, then the floppy must have been the first boot option by default, followed by the hard disk drive. On the other hand, in his original post Riano seems to say the CD drive appears to be trying to do something. Maybe the CD he's trying to boot from is not burned correctly and that's why he's getting the Invalid System Disk message? Just a thought....

That is a point. If the floppy is missing and the hard drive is either faulty or missing, then it will try to boot from a CD.
That message means it cannot find ANY device to boot from in the whole of the boot sequence

If (and only if) it's the Mark 3 version; there is a bios
update available that would allow it to boot from cd.

http://www.jeffborders.com/techdocs/panasonic/cf25.html

Correct! I guess asking for a model number then was getting ahead of myself? That's OK.. we'll see if Riano responds...

If (and only if) it's the Mark 3 version; there is a bios update available that would allow it to boot from cd.

Semme wrote:Correct! I guess asking for a model number then was getting ahead of myself? That's OK.. we'll see if Riano responds...

If (and only if) it's the Mark 3 version; there is a bios update available that would allow it to boot from cd.

You were correct!

Knowing the the model, ram and processor speed would make a big difference.

Riano wrote:Hi everyone!

I want to use Puppy on a (seemingly) broken Panasonic CF-25

The CF-25 might not have enough RAM for Puppy. However, Panasonics from that era might have problems booting GNU/Linux from the CD. You can probably run DSL on them. Put the CD in, boot, come back an hour or two later (don't even hold your breath for 45 minutes.)

If you can get DSL to work, you might have luck getting Puppy on there via Grub4DOS, but that's oldschool Puppy, if you can run that. Try a command line only Puppy first. (Tiny Core by the way, is not DSL on this old machine, Tiny Core needs way more RAM than DSL.)

faifpuhp wrote:

Riano wrote:Hi everyone!

I want to use Puppy on a (seemingly) broken Panasonic CF-25

The CF-25 might not have enough RAM for Puppy. However, Panasonics from that era might have problems booting GNU/Linux from the CD. You can probably run DSL on them. Put the CD in, boot, come back an hour or two later (don't even hold your breath for 45 minutes.)

If you can get DSL to work, you might have luck getting Puppy on there via Grub4DOS, but that's oldschool Puppy, if you can run that. Try a command line only Puppy first. (Tiny Core by the way, is not DSL on this old machine, Tiny Core needs way more RAM than DSL.)

I have an old motherboard; MMX166 with 32mb of edo ram.

Did a full install of puppy 4.12 to a 6gb drive; connected
the drive to the old mmx; it booted up as fast as DSL
did on my first pc.....a p2 with 96mb ram.

A good thread on what can be done on a Cf-25 and what different models come with. Also on how to check model number and Mark 1,2,or 3 version.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/panason ... hread.html

I own a Cf-48 which I use as a testbed for different Pups. It has more grunt though than a CF-25. P4. 1.2 gig of ram , 100 gig IDE, Floppy and cdrw.

Hopefully the OP has a Mark 3 version CF-25. I have never tried using my PLOP Floppy in conjuction with one of my PCMCIA to USB cards to try and see if Puppy will boot from PCMCIA USB with a PLOP Floppy.

Might make a nice experiment later.

Although I mention it just in case, RAM was never my primary concern. This is primarily about getting GNU/Linux to boot from the CD, which sounds deceptively simple. RAM was mentioned to be on the safe side.