Laptops :: No CD and no USB, how to run/install?



Hi!
I have got an old laptop without a CD and without any USB ports is there any good suggestions on how to install/run DSL on my mashine?
If I am able to transfer DSL with RS232 on to harddrive is there a way to boot it directly from harddrive?

Many thanks in advance

Marcus
http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/wiki/index.php/Boot_Floppies
You can do a Poorman's install as per the above link but use the Windows direct cable connection feature to transfer the CD files across to your laptop hard disk before using the boot floppy.

I am assuming that your laptop has Windows on it already and that you have access to a Windows PC which can burn CD's. First burn a copy of the DSL CD and create a boot floppy.

Link the two machines (your laptop and the other Windows PC) together either using a serial null-modem cable or parallel cable and run the direct cable connection software included with Windows. Make sure you have allowed share access to both PC's harddrives and the CD-rom drive, then use Explorer to copy the KNOPPIX directory to your Laptop's harddrive as C:\KNOPPIX.

Defragment your laptop's harddisk and then partition it to create two partitions - one for Linux and another for swap space.

You can then boot the laptop off the bootfloppy and it will find the necessary files from C:\KNOPPIX to boot up. Type "install" at the boot prompt and DSL will automatically install in the partition of your choice.

I have done two laptops using this method without fail - both had 16Mb of ram and a 2Gb hard-drive which I split 50/50 and made them into dual-boot Linux-Windows machines.

If you find all this confusing, let me know and I will try and explain in more detail.

Regards,

Jonam
Here's another idea that's a little harder:

Pull the HD out of that old laptop and put it in another one.  Then do an HD install and swap the HDs back.  

You won't have any kind of hardware issues because DSL auto-configures all drivers on every reboot.  It should work pretty well.
Nice idea indeed. :) I'll have to try that sometime...
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