Only 16 MB RAM

Forum: HD Install
Topic: Only 16 MB RAM
started by: johnn

Posted by johnn on Dec. 12 2005,03:38

According to the home page DSL can run with as little as a 486 and 16mb RAM, - which is exactly the configuration of the laptop I have been given. It has no CD-ROM drive so I took out the HDD (810 MB), and in another machine created a 550 MB Root partition and a 250 MB swap partition.

I then installed DSL to the HDD using the lpd and NOT the toram option, replaced the drive in the laptop and tried to boot. It loads the kernel OK but then dies with the fillowing messages:

INIT: version 2.78-knoppix booting
INIT: No inittab file found
Enter runlevel:

I have tried runlevels 1 thru 6 but the machine hangs every time.

Any ideas?

TIA
John

Posted by nycanc2000 on Dec. 12 2005,11:16

I'm a newbie too, but you sound much more Linux/UNIX knowledgable than I am.

Here's the process I followed for a laptop with no CD:

- I used Tom's rtbt diskette to create and format partitions on the hard drive.

- Used rtbt diskette to download the DSL 2.0 ISO image to one partition.
mount /dev/hda2 /cc
wget ....

- Mounted the ISO image:
mount dsl-2.0.iso /dd -t iso9660 -o=loop
(not sure if this is exactly right, "man mount" would help)

- Copied /KNOPPIX and /boot directories to /cc
cp -r /dd/KNOPPIX /cc
cp -r /boot /cc

- created a DSL boot diskette

- Booted from the DSL diskette. It will find the directories that you copied to /dev/hda2 and boot up DSL.

- I booted all the way up to DSL desktop. Brought up an Xterminal and invoked:
dsl-hdinstall

- It will prompt about a boot loader after the install completes.

Links to this type of procedure can be found by piecing together a few different web links. Sorry I don't have those links on this machine.

Hope this helps,
nycanc2000

Posted by sarah on Dec. 12 2005,14:02

http://damnsmalllinux.org/wiki/index.php/Floppy_Only_Install_with_Netcard_(Poormans_Install)
Might help you?

Be aware that not all the DSL applications will run.

When you get it to boot, minimal, mem=16M and vga=normal are your friends...

I'm tired so not much use for more than that right now!
Cheers and beers,
Sarah

Posted by cbagger01 on Dec. 13 2005,17:48

Make sure that your HDD is located in the same spot on both computers.

In other words, if it is the PRIMARY MASTER IDE DRIVE in your main computer, it must also be the PRIMARY MASTER IDE DRIVE in your other computer when you do the hd install