System boots some CDs, won't boot FC3 disk 1

From: Joe Breher's spam blocker (spamblock_at_q-music.com)
Date: 03/23/05 

Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 23:14:15 -0700

I have a Dell Dimension XPS p133e that I am repurposing. I am accordingly
trying to install FC3 on it. This system refuses to boot the FC3 disk 1. By
'not boot', I mean that it appears as if absolutely no executable code is
read from the CD and executed. This system boots a knoppix CD (labeled
KNOPPIX_V3.3_2003-11-14-EN) without problems - to the point that I can
browse the web.

I have checked the FC3 disk 1 by booting it in another system - the other
system boots this disk just fine, and I can run 'linux mediacheck' at the
boot line. mediacheck tells me that this disk (as well as disks 2-4 and the
rescue CD from the FC3 set) are fine.

As other data points, I have also tried booting FC1 disk 1, RH 9.0 disk 1,
and RH 8.0 disk 1, as well as Mandrake 9.1 disk 1 in this system, with no
success. Each of these have been used in the past to install on various
machines.

So I guess the questions are:

- why would a given system boot from some CDs, and not others?

- is there something magical about a knoppix disk? (yeah, right)

- what can I do to get FC3 installed on this machine? (no floppy present)

TIA, Joe

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