Plan 9 Distribution README

Four diskette distribution

The files in this directory recreate the four 1.44MB diskettes used to
load a limited version of Plan 9 onto a PC. It is intended to let you
try out Plan 9 before buying, in particular to see if the system
supports your PC hardware.

• disk1 - a 1.44MB diskette image. It must be copied directly onto a
floppy, NOT into a file on a DOS formatted diskette.
• disk2.vd, disk3.vd, disk4.vd - are files that must be copied into
files on 3 different DOS formatted diskettes.

The above files are different from those shipped with the
distribution. In particular they contain important changes to fix
floppy, hard drive, and vga problems. They also contain a new disk
preparation program that doesn't clobber anything on any partition
described in a Master Boot Record. The contents of the distributed
diskettes can be found in the files disk1.orig, disk{2,3,4}.vd.orig.

Read the document Installing the Plan 9 Distribution for information
about these 4 diskettes. Read also the errata list since it has
important additional information.

Copying the disk image of disk1 onto a floppy is easy under Plan 9 or
Unix: just dd to the raw device. However, we don't know of a standard
DOS utility to do this. Nigel Roles, [email protected], has been
kind enough to write one: it's in
ftp://ftp.cs.york.ac.uk/pub/plan9/putimg.

[email protected] writes:

        
I just thought you might like to know that there is another utility out
        
there to do this called RAWRITE.EXE.  It's part of the Slackware Linux
        
distribution installation support files, and consequently is carried on
        
sunsite.unc.edu (/pub/Linux/distributions/slackware/install/RAWRITE.EXE),
        
tsx-11.mit.edu, ftp.cdrom.com, and all sites which mirror them.

[email protected] (Ken Fregeolle) writes:

        
Another wonderful utility, available as part of the Slakware Linux distribution,
        
is a program called FIPS.EXE.  It allows new partitions to be added without
        
destroying any existing data on the hard-drive.  The only requirement is that
        
you run the DOS defrag tool first to move all DOS data to the first section of
        the drive.