HD Install :: "Kernel Panic Problem"

I've got this old Hewlett Packard Computer with 96 mb of Ram and a 400 mhz processer, a 12.7 gb hard drive and its Pentium II. I want to use it for word processing primarily and I've been trying to get Linux on it.

Windows 98 has stopped working, whenever I boot it says "Invalid System disk." I've tried the system restore disk and it restores for a while and then it gets hung up on extracting one entry.

So I put in the DSL boot cd I made, and it came up with the first screen. I hit enter and it went to the screen with the little penguin at the top-left and then directly below it it said "kernel panic:no init found. Try passing Init= option to kernel." And then it stopped there.

I know the boot disk worked okay because I tried it on another computer and it worked.

I'm new to linux so I'm completly perplexed as to what to do now. Thanks in advance for your help.

I have the same problem ( "kernel panic:no init found. Try passing Init= option to kernel.") with DSL 2.1b frugal on a Texas Instruments Extensa 450 laptop with 4 MB of ram.
Any help would be appreciated

Does the dsl2.1-syslinux.iso version work?

Also, does a bootfloppy made from a BRAND NEW FLOPPY DISK work? You may need to try several different floppy disks until you get one that has no errors.

original here.