HD Install :: Problem to Install DSL



Hello !

I'm a french newbie in Linux (I'm sorry for my bad english), and i want to try the DSL distrib on a Libretto (laptop) which don't have CD Drive... Just a Floppy Drive on PCMCIA and a 2Go HD.

I have donwload the "damnsmall-0.5_download_this_one.iso" and create a Floppy disk with the "mkfloppy.bat" and rawrite2.exe.

I have try 2 things :
- put the "damnsmall-0.5_download_this_one.iso" on a 500Mo FAT partition on my 2Go HD. (I'm sure that is don't work at all !  :D )
- put all the "KNOPPIX" and its content in the 500Mo FAT Partition.

I boot my laptop with the Floppy disk, and after I have a message like this : "can't find KNOPPIX filesystem, sorry dropping you to a (very limited) shell press reset to quit..."

I don't know what a can do for install DSL on my laptop without a CDrom... Do you have any idea because I saw some topics in this board but I don't unterstand all...  :)

Thanks for yours helps !
Do a search, this has been discussed before. If I remember correctly you may need to install the HD into another PC and install that way.
Copy the contents of the \KNOPPIX\ directory to your C: Drive.  Make sure that you create the EXACT same directory name on your C: drive

IE: "C:\KNOPPIX" is good. "C:\Knoppix\" or "C:\knoppix" is BAD.

Then use your boot floppy.  The bootup screen will say something like "found KNOPPIX image on /hda1" or something like that.  It works.
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Copy the contents of the \KNOPPIX\ directory to your C: Drive.
(cbagger01)


This suggests copying just the KNOPPIX directory from the CD, in any old place on the master hard disk. But...

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hard drive removal is needed, in my humble opinion.
you should try the "poorman"installation", that is...split you hd into 2 with fdisk.one partition must be 50 mega
than move hd to your pc.
copy dsl .iso in the 50 mega partition
make a bootable floppy
hd back to laptop
boot with floppy. search the threads in this list or knoppix.net' how-to about "poorman install" on which parameter you type at boot in order that the kernel in the .iso is loaded.
once you have dsl running from that partition (that is like it was running from cdrom) you can HD-install on the other partition and you'll be sure that DSL modules will be the right ones!
later you can erase the .iso in the 50mega partition and transform this partition into a swap one.
(davide)


This suggests copying the .iso image to a separate partition and using a Knoppix cheat code to boot the image from the HDD using a boot floppy.

Which is the correct method? Or do both work? I would have thought that whatever is being booted from needs to be in its own partition leaving free space for an hdinstall - because if the partition it is on fills the entire disk, the installation process will need to remove that partition to create its own partitions for installation - hence removing itself.

Also, does anyone know the cheat code you need to show the floppy boot disk where to boot DSL from, or will it automatically detect the DSL image as cbagger01's post seems to suggest.

Perhaps this topic would make a good addition to the FAQs? "Installing DSL with no CD-ROM drive."

I'm currently waiting for my hard disk mp3 player back so I can read laptop hard disks, and trying to get in touch with the company who made my 486 laptop to see if they can still provide RAM for it, as it currently only has 8Mb. Then the fun will begin!

tola ^/.

original here.