diff --git a/INSTALL b/INSTALL
index b42a17ac4..a8c6d2655 100644
--- a/INSTALL
+++ b/INSTALL
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+NOTE: for building from cvs or a cvs snapshot, run ./bootstrap first.
+If you are using an autoconf version prior to 2.50,
+"ln -s configure.ac configure.in" before running bootstrap.
+
 Basic Installation
 ==================