Laptops :: problem installing to hd, no cd, used zip drive

i created three partiions on the hard drive hda1=50MB ext2, hda2=9.9GB ext2, hda3=50MB linux swap. I copied the /KNOPPIX directory to hda1, and it boots from that partition with a boot floppy, and loads the file sytem into memory.

I'm trying to take the next obvious step, and install DSL to hda2, so that I can boot from it and have access to my RAM. When I run the dsl-hdinstall script it usually freezes, right after the part where it says 'this may take 2 to 10 minutes' There is some HDD activity, then nothing. This computer only has 16 MB of memory, and sometimes processes are killed during formating, and sometimes bash is killed, endng the install process, and leaving me with a bad partiion.

Anyone have any pointers of what processes I can kill before starting the script, leaving only the absolute minimum needed to install.. Or anyway to free up more RAM before I install, by deleting files or directories in the ramdisk, again leaving only the bare minmum.

I know this hardly worth the effort, measured against what I'll have when I'm done, a lcommand-line only laptop, but I'm doing it just to learn.

Thanks

JP

Ascentia J10
Pentium 75
16 MB RAM
10 GB HDD

original here.