I tried to figure out what the difference between the other bootable rescue disc and the Simply Linux disc not bootable by this computer is.

The Simply Linux disc (not bootable by this computer):

# isoinfo -i /dev/cdrom -d
CD-ROM is in ISO 9660 format
System id: 
Volume id: Simply Linux 6.0.0  (Flounder)
Volume set id: 
Publisher id: ALT Linux Team
Data preparer id: 
Application id: 
Copyright File id: 
Abstract File id: 
Bibliographic File id: 
Volume set size is: 1
Volume set sequence number is: 1
Logical block size is: 2048
Volume size is: 357119
El Torito VD version 1 found, boot catalog is in sector 47
Joliet with UCS level 3 found
Rock Ridge signatures version 1 found
Eltorito validation header:
    Hid 1
    Arch 0 (x86)
    ID 'ALT Linux Team'
    Key 55 AA
    Eltorito defaultboot header:
        Bootid 88 (bootable)
        Boot media 0 (No Emulation Boot)
        Load segment 0
        Sys type 0
        Nsect 4
        Bootoff 30 48
# 

The other disc -- bootable:

# isoinfo -i /dev/cdrom -d
CD-ROM is in ISO 9660 format
System id: 
Volume id: GRTMPVOL_RU
Volume set id: GRTMPVOL_RU
Publisher id: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
Data preparer id: MICROSOFT CORPORATION, ONE MICROSOFT WAY, REDMOND WA 98052, (425) 882-8080
Application id: CDIMAGE 2.54 (01/01/2005 TM)
Copyright File id: 
Abstract File id: 
Bibliographic File id: 
Volume set size is: 1
Volume set sequence number is: 1
Logical block size is: 2048
Volume size is: 355758
El Torito VD version 1 found, boot catalog is in sector 19
NO Joliet present
NO Rock Ridge present
Eltorito validation header:
    Hid 1
    Arch 0 (x86)
    ID 'Microsoft Corporation'
    Key 55 AA
    Eltorito defaultboot header:
        Bootid 88 (bootable)
        Boot media 0 (No Emulation Boot)
        Load segment 0
        Sys type 0
        Nsect 4
        Bootoff 115 277
# 

I haven't yet understood what the difference is.

(In reply to comment #1)

> I haven't yet understood what the difference is.

Here is a comparison of the isoinfo output for the two different discs:

$ diff isoinfo-slinux-beta20110810 isoinfo-bootable-rescue 
3,7c3,7
< Volume id: Simply Linux 6.0.0  (Flounder)
< Volume set id: 
< Publisher id: ALT Linux Team
< Data preparer id: 
< Application id: 
---
> Volume id: GRTMPVOL_RU
> Volume set id: GRTMPVOL_RU
> Publisher id: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
> Data preparer id: MICROSOFT CORPORATION, ONE MICROSOFT WAY, REDMOND WA 98052, (425) 882-8080
> Application id: CDIMAGE 2.54 (01/01/2005 TM)
14,17c14,17
< Volume size is: 357119
< El Torito VD version 1 found, boot catalog is in sector 47
< Joliet with UCS level 3 found
< Rock Ridge signatures version 1 found
---
> Volume size is: 355758
> El Torito VD version 1 found, boot catalog is in sector 19
> NO Joliet present
> NO Rock Ridge present
21c21
<     ID 'ALT Linux Team'
---
>     ID 'Microsoft Corporation'
29c29
<         Bootoff 30 48
---
>         Bootoff 115 277
$ 

What is the thing with the SimplyLinux disc that can be not good for this computer?

(In reply to comment #0)

> http://lists.altlinux.org/pipermail/community/2002-April/472350.html -- adding
> the booting floppy image to the CD image .

So, one of the possible workarounds would be to create a disc which would boot in the floppy-emulation mode (as suggested in the linked message). One would need to find or construct a suitable bootable floppy image then (which would either boot the installer or pass control to the CD's bootloader (isolinux)).

I did another workaround: installed Smart Bootmanager onto the hard drive (after moving GRUB--which boots an installed system--to a partition). This way there will always be an easy way to boot off a CD on this computer in future, without modifying the CDs themselves. Smart Bootmanager can be configured (during its run, on computer startup) to have a default choice and to boot it after a delay. So, the result is quite convenient.

And indeed, Smart Bootmanager did boot the live/installation CD.

Details:

Smart Bootmanager is referred to in http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/ISOLINUX#What_to_do_when_nothing_works...

Smart Bootmanager -- http://sourceforge.net/projects/btmgr/files/ (but it doesn't compile now...)

I did it in an old Ubuntu system (Ubuntu has a package with it):

apt-get install sbm
grub-install /dev/hda1
sbminst -d /dev/hda -b sbm-bak.dat

(In reply to comment #3)

> I did it in an old Ubuntu system (Ubuntu has a package with it):
> 
> apt-get install sbm
> grub-install /dev/hda1
> sbminst -d /dev/hda -b sbm-bak.dat

It'd be convenient if ALT also had a package with it -- https://bugzilla.altlinux.org/show_bug.cgi?id=26048 .

Ошибка переведена на релиз-менеджера Simply Linux.

Images are builded with different tools nowaday. hopefully the issue is not exist now.