Cannot install Win98: "PXE-E53: No boot filename received"

[ScottETF]

I'm trying to install Windows 98SE from a CD, and getting a "No Bootable Device" error. The VM appears to be attempting to boot from a network drive. I went into the BIOS setup, and everything is in the proper order, so I don't know why it jumps straight to the network boot (or seems to, anyway). I also tried creating an image from the CD and booting from that, with the same result. I am running OS X 10.5.1 and VMWare Fusion 1.1 (62573). Thanks.

[ScottETF]

BTW, the problem seems to be identical to this one: http://communities.vmware.com/thread/116737

[WoodyZ]

Not all Windows 98 CD-ROMs are bootable! Are you sure the disc you're trying to use is? Have you actually booted a physical computer with it and recently to confirm that it is bootable?

I assume you followed what I posted in the post you referenced so I will not repeat all of that at the moment.

[ScottETF]

It is bootable; I tested it just now on another computer.

[WoodyZ]

It is bootable; I tested it just now on another computer.

Did you try F2 and select the CD? After setting focus to the VM by clicking into is window.

Is the CD Icon showing on your Mac OS X Desktop? Just making sure it's not mounted in OS X.

How did you make the image? Disk Utility? If yes when you made the CD Image did you select DVD\CD Master and none for Encryption?

Edit: Added statement to first question.

[ScottETF]

Did you try F2 and select the CD? After setting focus to the VM by clicking into is window.

Yes.

Is the CD Icon showing on your Mac OS X Desktop? Just making sure it's not mounted in OS X

Hmm, the icon does appear briefly on the desktop when starting the VM.

How did you make the image? Disk Utility? If yes when you made the CD Image did you select DVD\CD Master and none for Encryption?

Yes and yes.

[WoodyZ]

I hate to say this but the only thing I can think of at the moment is to suggest starting the setup using a bootable floppy disk image file that has CD-ROM support and SMARTDRV if possable to speed up the file copy segment of the setup.

IIRC on some Windows 98 CD-ROMs ther is a Clean Boot Floppy Disk Image. You may want to look at the contents of the disc. Otherwise if you don't have a bootable floppy to make a disk image from I'm sure one can be found on the Internet however I only suggest that at your own risk!

[Pat_Lee]

Scott,

I wonder if this a CD/DVD recognition issue instead of a bootable device issue. With regards to a possible CD/DVD recognition product, shut down your

virtual machine (not suspend, but shutdown), go into Settings, go to

CD/DVD change the default behavior for CD/DVD from "Automatically

detect" to "Specify physical CD/DVD drive" and select your specific drive.

Let us know if that helps.

Best,

Pat Lee

Group Manager, Consumer Products

VMware

[ScottETF]

Woody,

All of the bootable disk images I can find (online or on the CD) are .EXEs.

Pat,

Sorry, it's still not working.

Thank you both of you for your help.

[WoodyZ]

I wonder if this a CD/DVD recognition issue instead of a bootable device issue. With regards to a possible CD/DVD recognition product, shut down your virtual machine (not suspend, but shutdown), go into Settings, go to CD/DVD change the default behavior for CD/DVD from "Automatically detect" to "Specify physical CD/DVD drive" and select your specific drive.

Pat,

It will be interesting to see if that makes a differance when dealing with the physical media however I do not beleive that would have had any bering on the fact that he could not boot from an ISO Image he created. Obviously I'm assuming the Image is a valid image and was correctly made based upon he stated he selected DVD\CD Master and none for Encryption when he made the image. I say this because the "ide1:0.fileName = "auto detect"" or "ide1:0.fileName = "cdrom0"" is not even present in the .vmx file when the device is pointing to an image.

What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks,

Woody

[Pat_Lee]

I just tested a Windows 98 SE ISO created from the MSDN disc and it booted correctly and started the install. So, I know at least the MSDN Windows 98 SE disk is bootable and works

Here is what I would try:

1) Create a new VM, so start the new virtual machine assistant and select Windows 98 as the VM type

2) Select the disk size you prefer (8 GB is probably right) and click Next

3) Uncheck "Start virtual machine and install operating system now", leave it to use a disk, and click Finish

4) When the VM Settings dialog opens, select CD/DVD, change it to "Specify physical CD/DVD drive", select your specific drive (NOTE do you have more than one). Click OK to close settings.

5) Click the large Start/Play icon to power on the virtual machine

This should start off the specified CD with the default settings, which I confirmed worked for my MSDN CD at least.

Pat

[WoodyZ]

Scott,

Okay I'm sorry you're still unable to utilize Fusion because of this issue and I would like to just take a moment and verify things.

You have done and or tried the following...

Added the following lines to the VM's .vmx configuration file.

bios.forceSetupOnce = "TRUE"

bios.bootDelay = "3000"

In order to go into the VM's BIOS and set the Boot Order on the Boot tab to the following:

CD-ROM Drive

Removable Devices

Hard Drive

Network boot from AMD Am79C970A

And have the ability to press the F2 Key to select the Esc Key to bring up the Boot Menu after having set Focus to the VM by mouse clicking in the VM's window.

You have tried using the Boot Menu.

You have tried using an Image you created as well as other known good bootable ISO Images acquired on the Internet.

You have selected the specific Device in the CD\DVD Settings Sheet and the Connected check box is checked.

If the CD\DVD Icon is showing on the Mac OS X Desktop it does disappear when starting the VM and stays gone until you shutdown the VM.

You tried booting from a Bootable Floppy Disk Image File after adding a Floppy Device to the VM's configuration.

Everything above failed to produce the expected results.

Did I miss anything?

Thanks,

Woody

[ScottETF]

Correct, except I'm unable to find or create a bootable floppy disk image. All of the boot disk images I've found online are not actual ISO images, but .EXEs to create the image, which I can't run.

[WoodyZ]

Correct, except I'm unable to find or create a bootable floppy disk image. All of the boot disk images I've found online are not actual ISO images, but .EXEs to create the image, which I can't run.

Well the bootable floppy disk image may well be moot if non of the other steps you have taken and tried met with success and I that is about all I can think of othe than uninstalling and re-installing Fusion and I say that not knowing if it will help or not.

I would try as Pat suggested creating a new VM and then if that fails maybe try uninstalling and re-installing isn't a bad option.

To uninstall Fusion do the following:

Reboot your computer and do not start Fusion after the reboot.

Uninstall VMware Fusion by executing "/Library/Application Support/VMware Fusion/Uninstall VMware Fusion" or use the uninstaller in the VMware-Fusion-1.x.x-xxxxx.dmg file.

Delete the following Folder: "/Library/Application Support/VMware Fusion"

Delete the following File: ~/Library/Preferences/com.vmware.fusion.plist

Delete the following Folder: "~/Library/Preferences/VMware Fusion"

Note: "~" is your Home Folder

Restart your computer.

Install Fusion from the VMware-Fusion-1.1.0-62573.dmg File.

[admin]

Scott do you have more then one cdrom drive connected to your system?

could you please try the following

Go to the vm setting while the win 98 se vm is powered off

open the cdrom settings

and change the settings so that you are specifying a specific cdrom device and not using the auto detect feature apply the change and power on the vm

[ScottETF]

Woody,

It still failed after a clean install. I had high hopes for that!

Jagged,

I only have one CD/DVD drive (I'm on a MacBook). Manually selecting the drive had no effect.

[WoodyZ]

It still failed after a clean install. I had high hopes for that!

I am so sorry to hear that as I have exhausted the list of things to check or do!

VMware makes great products and I have used them for many years on the Windows and Linux Platforms and was ecstatic when they decided to do something for Apple. I'm now using my MacBook Pro more than any of my PC Notebooks because of VMware Fusion. I know that doesn't help you at this moment but I wanted you let you know that Fusion really does work and to me it's worth doing whatever it takes! Which leads me to the very last thing I can think of short of having your system in front of me so I can see just what is going on...

The last thing I can think of to mention and you might not be willing to do this and I'd certainly understand, is to backup your system and clean install the OS and Fusion and see what happens. I will say that someone else had the same problem and that is how they solved it. While I haven't had that experience yet on the Mac side I have had to do that to install a Windows Package, not VMware, on a Windows System and over the years at least a few different times. Even with system fresh out of the box from Dell I've had to clean build in order to get the User Hard/Software installed and 6 months later the various manufactures involved figured out what was the problem and a possible work-a-round but 6 months latter may have well been never.

If you do attempt a clean install of you OS and Fusion I hope it is successful!

[ScottETF]

Well, thanks for your help! It's a pretty new system without much on it, but I'm still not sure if I want to reinstall the OS. I guess I'll have to take some time to consider my options.

[Pat_Lee]

Do you have another OS CD to try at all other than Windows 98? I am curious if this is a general CD issue or not?

Pat

[WoodyZ]

Well, thanks for your help! It's a pretty new system without much on it, but I'm still not sure if I want to reinstall the OS. I guess I'll have to take some time to consider my options.

With an external hard drive and using SuperDuper! (http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html) to backup your Data or the drive it would only take a few hours to do.

You could also install the OS to a Firewire external drive and test run the OS and Fusion from the external Firewire drive leaving your current system intact.

Anyway if you're just a basic computer user I understand your reluctance. I work in the Computer Industry and I wouldn't hesitate to try every possibility that was with in reason however we all do not find the same things reasonable now do we.

Sorry I couldn't help you find an easy resolution and I hope somehow you do!