There are several ways to boot ZipSlack. The most common is to use the included LINUX.BAT to boot the system from DOS (or from DOS mode under Windows 9x). This file must be edited to match your system before it will work.
Start by opening the C:\LINUX\LINUX.BAT file in your favorite text editor. At the top of the file you will notice a large comment. It explains what you need to edit in this file (and also what to do if you are booting from an external Zip drive). Don't worry if you don't understand the root= setting. There are several examples, so feel free to pick one and try it. If it doesn't work, you can edit the file again, comment out the line you uncommented, and pick another one.
After you uncomment the line you want by removing the “rem” at the beginning of the line, save the file and exit the editor. Bring your machine into DOS mode.
A DOS prompt window in Windows 9x will NOT work.
Type C:\LINUX\LINUX.BAT to boot the system. If all goes well, you should be presented with a login prompt.
Log in as root, with no password. You'll probably want to set a password for root, as well as adding an account for yourself. At this point you can refer to the other sections in this book for general system usage.
If using the LINUX.BAT file to boot the system didn't work for you, you should refer to the included C:\LINUX\README.1ST file for other ways to boot.