The CD-ROM drive is not able to read the boot image on the first CD. In this case, use CD 2 to boot the system. CD 2 contains a conventional 2.88 MB boot image, which can be read even by older drives.

The boot sequence in the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) is incorrect. The BIOS is a software for activating the basic functions of a computer. Motherboard vendors provide a BIOS that is adapted to the hardware. Information about changing the BIOS settings is provided in the documentation of your motherboard and in the following paragraphs.

Normally, the BIOS setup can only be accessed at a specific time — when the machine is booting. During this initialization phase, the machine performs a number of diagnostic hardware tests. One of them is a memory check, recognizable from the memory counter. When the counter appears, look for a line, usually below the counter or somewhere at the bottom, mentioning the key to press to access the BIOS setup. Usually the key to press is Del, F1, or Esc. Press this key until the BIOS setup screen appears.

To change the boot sequence in an AWARD BIOS, look for the ‘BIOS FEATURES SETUP’ entry. Other manufacturers may have a different name for this, such as ‘ADVANCED CMOS SETUP’. When you have found the entry, select it and confirm with Return.

In the screen that opens, look for a subentry called ‘BOOT SEQUENCE’. The boot sequence is often set to something like C,A or A,C. In the former case, the machine first searches the hard disk (C) then the floppy drive (A) to find a bootable medium. Change the settings by pressing PgUp or PgDown until the sequence is A,CDROM,C.

Leave the BIOS setup screen by pressing Esc. To save the changes, select ‘SAVE & EXIT SETUP’ or press F10. To confirm that your settings should be saved, press Y.

If you have a SCSI CD-ROM drive, you need to change the setup of the SCSI BIOS. In the case of an Adaptec host adapter, for instance, open the setup by pressing Strg + A. After that, select ‘Disk Utilities’, which displays the connected hardware components. Make a note of the SCSI ID for your CD-ROM drive. Exit the menu with Esc then open ‘Configure Adapter Settings’. Under ‘Additional Options’, select ‘Boot Device Options’ and press Return. Enter the ID of the CD-ROM drive and press Return again. Then press Esc twice to return to the start screen of the SCSI BIOS. Exit this screen and confirm with ‘Yes’ to boot again.

Your CD-ROM drive may not be supported because it is an older model.