changing an OS on a Compaq Armada 1560m

I want to put UNIX BSD on it, but I can't access the BIOS and I can't boot from the CD drive.
I've tried everything I know.
The current OS is a Win98.

I was caught in the same quagmire before with a Compaq n400c laptop bought in 2002.
I had to install Ubuntu, but I didn't have the CD dock and it didn't support booting from USB.
http://hugi.to/blog/archive/2006/12/23/ubuntu-pxe-install-via-windows
Network Booting the installer is what succeeded.

I want to put UNIX BSD on it
 but I can't access the BIOS and I can't boot from the CD drive.
I've tried everything I know.
The current OS is a Win98.

From what I've read, the Compaq Armada 1560m is a laptop:

Processor: Pentium MMX @ 166Mhz, 66Mhz FSB
RAM: 16MB installed, 80MB Max (EDO RAM)
HD: 2.1GB
Video: 800x600 Passive Matrix, 2MB VRAM.
OS Windows 95 With Internet Explorer 4 (is what it came with)

It doesn't possess any network capabilities as is, so Transfusions suggestion is out. Regardless of what BSD variant you choose, I doubt you'll be able to run any desktop environment, so you'll be left with the shell, probably. Can't hurt to try X.org, I guess,  but don't be too hopeful...

FreeBSD system requirements can be found here.

You would likely need the FreeBSD/pc98 distribution.

-if the system still has the stock 16MB, it won't meet the requirements of 24MB of RAM.

The only interface it seems to have that you can work with to install it is the floppy drive. Also, the way to get into the BIOS is typically F10 or F2 during startup. But, you need to have installed a piece of firmware called "ROMPAQ" or something in order to make changes to it. I cannot find any links to that software anywhere, myself.

As for installing FreeBSD using floppies, be sure to set aside an afternoon. here is the FAQ. From what I gather, you have to download the "full" FreeBSD, and then it contains floppy images which you then transfer to floppies, and use to boot the system to which you are installing FreeBSD. I'm not sure what the procedure entails after that, if I had to guess I'd say it would be able to pull the rest of the data from the CD-ROM for installation (assuming the download is in fact a CD-ROM, that is).

Good luck.

I'm downloading the pc98 version of BSD 8.2.
I hope it will work...
Thanks, transfusion!

Wait make sure your laptop really has an ethernet port before you download the installer:
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/compaq-armada-1560-p/1707-3121_7-30578702.html
"No Networking"

I'm talking about an old one.
Like, ~1999

It isn't booting!
Windows 7 (which burnt it) is definitely not great.
And my Open-SUSE can't detect blank disks. Help may be appreciated for this.

It isn't booting!
Windows 7 (which burnt it) is definitely not great.
And my Open-SUSE can't detect blank disks. Help may be appreciated for this.

The system can't boot from a CD. You said that yourself in an earlier post. You would need to use the floppy disk method.

It booted properly with ReactOS (which stucks in the middle of the installation).

It booted properly with ReactOS (which stucks in the middle of the installation).

You do know that FreeBSD's CD images aren't bootable, right? You need to use a floppy or USB drive to start sysinstall, as far as I'm aware.

So I have to wait to Christmas so I would get a floppy drive?

You do know that FreeBSD's CD images aren't bootable, right? You need to use a floppy or USB drive to start sysinstall, as far as I'm aware.

Didn't know.

Reading the FAQ more, it seems the disc is bootable. Of course since  you said before you couldn't boot from the CD-ROM drive since you couldn't get into the BIOS... What happens when you try to boot from it? Where are my pliers?

When a bootable cd is in the computer, it is asking wether I want to boot from the cd drive or not.

You do know that FreeBSD's CD images aren't bootable, right? You need to use a floppy or USB drive to start sysinstall, as far as I'm aware.

So, why is the extension .ISO?

When a bootable cd is in the computer, it is asking wether I want to boot from the cd drive or not.

And... why can't you?

So, why is the extension .ISO?

Because it is a disc image. the .ISO extension is a disc image, it makes no provision that said disc will be bootable.

Because I've first tried to boot with the normal FreeBSD 7.4 (which doesn't boot on this computer), so I was fooled up.
Next, I've booted with a ReactOS CD and it worked.
Anyway... I've got a USB floppy drive, so from now on, I can write on floppies.