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#### 2.1.4.4.1 Creating the boot and root floppies

You must create floppies from the bootdisk and rootdisk images that you downloaded (or have on CD-ROM), no matter what type of installation you will be doing.

On an MS-DOS system, you must uncompress the bootdisk and rootdisk images using `GZIP.EXE`. For example, if you're using the `bare.gz` bootdisk image, issue the MS-DOS command:

`C:`\`> GZIP -D BARE.GZ`

which will uncompress `bare.gz` and leave you with the file `bare`. If you are installing from CD-ROM, you can copy the bootdisk image (such as `bare.gz`) to you hard drive, and run `GZIP.EXE` from the CD-ROM to uncompress it.

You must similarly uncompress the rootdisk image. For example, if you are using the rootdisk `color144.gz`, issue the command:

`C:`\`> GZIP -D COLOR144.GZ`

which will uncompress the file and leave you with `color144`.

Next, you must have two high-density MS-DOS formatted floppies. (They must be of the same type; that is, if your boot floppy drive is a 3.5" drive, both floppies must be high-density 3.5" disks.) You will use `RAWRITE.EXE` to write the boot and rootdisk images to the floppies.

Issue the command:

`C:`\`> RAWRITE`

Answer the prompts for the name of the file to write (such as `bare`, or `color144`) and the floppy to write it to (such as `A:`). `RAWRITE` will copy the file, block-by-block, directly to the floppy. Also use `RAWRITE` for the root disk image. When you're done, you'll have two floppies: one containing the boot disk, the other containing the root disk. Note that these two floppies will no longer be readable by MS-DOS (they are ``Linux format'' floppies, in some sense).

Be sure that you're using brand-new, error-free floppies. The floppies must have no bad blocks on them.

Note that you do not need to be running MS-DOS in order to install Slackware. However, running MS-DOS makes it easier to create the boot and root floppies, and it makes it easier to install the software (as you can install directly from an MS-DOS partition on your system). If you are not running MS-DOS on your system, you can use someone else's MS-DOS system just to create the floppies, and install from there.

It is not necessary to use `GZIP.EXE` and `RAWRITE.EXE` under MS-DOS to create the boot and root floppies, either. You can use the `gzip` and `dd` commands on a UNIX system to do the same job. (For this, you will need a UNIX workstation with a floppy drive, of course.) For example, on a Sun workstation with the floppy drive on device `/dev/rfd0`, you can use the commands:

``

    $ gunzip bare.gz
    $ dd if=bare of=/dev/rfd0 obs=18k

You must provide the appropriate block size argument (the `obs` argument) on some workstations (e.g., Suns) or this will fail. If you have problems the man page for `dd` will be instructive.

Next: 2.1.4.4.2 Preparing for installation Up: 2.1.4.4 Installation methods Previous: 2.1.4.4 Installation methods