HD Install :: non boot from cd

Hello. I was wondering if there is a way to install DSL on my laptop
that does not boot from the cdrom drive? And if so, how?

Thanks

Give many details.

O yeah, I have Windows already installed (ME)

Quote (ohio_js @ Nov. 02 2006,21:35)

If you can boot a floppy disk, your simplest option is to make a Smart Boot Manager Floppy. After booting that floppy, you are prompted with a menu of other devices to boot, including CDROMs that are not otherwise bootable.

(Note that to boot a CD normally, both the BIOS as well as the CDROM drive itself must support CD booting. The SBM floppy will circumvent a BIOS that lacks this feature, but I'm uncertain whether the SBM floppy requires the drive itself to support booting).

If your laptop does not have an integrated floppy drive, you may still be able to boot a floppy using a USB floppy drive (or a USB CDROM drive for that matter).

Please report back how it goes.

it does not have a usb port. it does have a built in floppy.

..same with me, on an older notebook. armada 1120 /no cd-rom

..after booting from floppy it can't find any cd AND looks for an
.."image" on all partitions. does it install from an "image" file ?
..if so, what image is that ? i like to copy it on 2nd hd partition

..thanks

When you download the SBM floppy, all you have is an image. That image needs to be written to a floppy diskette, sector by sector. It will not work to simply copy the image file to the floppy using a file manager. (Just like copying an ISO file to a CD doesn't actually give you the CD represented by the ISO image). There is a special procedure for getting image files written to CD or floppy media.

If you have access to a linux machine, it's a simple matter of typing:

dd if=sbm.img of=/dev/fd0

on the commandline (that is, if sbm.img were the name of the image file that you downloaded). It's the same process to make the floppy using an OS/X machine, but probably a different device name. If you need to create the floppy using Windows, you will need to install whatever special tool was recommended by the site I posted, then use that tool to put the image on the floppy.

Once the floppy is created correctly, you can boot it, and you will be presented with a menu of options enabling you to boot the CDROM drive from there.

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