I want to install DSL ... without a CD-Drive!

Forum: HD Install
Topic: I want to install DSL ... without a CD-Drive!
started by: jasper_bln

Posted by jasper_bln on Jan. 27 2006,15:06

Hello people here - its my first post!

I'm having a little trouble installing DSL on my Toshiba Libretto 50. This tiny Notebook has anything what is needed for DSL - but a CD-Drive.

I tried a lot of funny ways to get the System on the Disk and booting - but I weren't successful yet. I put the Image on a CF-Card and this into the PC-Card slot where it usually appears as /dev/hdc, but I couldn't boot, because my Floppy is also atached to this slot, and swapping the floppy against the CF-Card after loading the kernel didn't work.

I removed the harddisk and copied the dsl-image to /dev/hda1 - but the bootloader from the floppy seemed not to be able to locate it there.

Than I finally put the harddisk into my external USB-Harddisk-Case, and installed DSL (booted on my PC) to the disk - but even that did not work out - the bootloader of my previous system (a Knoppix) has not been replaced - even if the dsl-hdinstall-script told me so :-/.

I'm a little out of ideas now - i have this little notebook with a PC-Card floppy, a CF-Card what also can be used in this slot (but not together with that floppy) and a harddisk which I am able to remove and use extern on my PC - via USB.

Conclusion - I need some realy smart ideas from some installing-pros!

Please - help me!

Thanks
Jasper

Posted by clacker on Jan. 27 2006,15:58

Do you have a parallel port and a zip drive? You can use the zipboot option on the boot floppy to read from that.

Posted by jasper_bln on Jan. 27 2006,16:20

Parport yes - Zip .. no :/

Good idea thank you!- but I must get it done without a zip.

Posted by Guest on Jan. 27 2006,16:27

http://damnsmalllinux.org/static/act-ST/f-5/t-10917/st-5

Try it and tell how it works.

Posted by clacker on Jan. 27 2006,16:53

Quote (jasper_bln @ Jan. 27 2006,10:06)

I removed the harddisk and copied the dsl-image to /dev/hda1 - but the bootloader from the floppy seemed not to be able to locate it there.

Was it the whole dsl iso file you put onto the drive, or the contents of the CD? If it was the iso file, that won't work. I believe you would need to copy the /KNOPPIX/ directory with its one file, KNOPPIX, to the hard drive and then boot from the floppy.

Posted by jasper_bln on Jan. 29 2006,18:10

@ fxb && clacker: i have little time now, so i'm going to try your tips in the next one or two days - the copying of the Folder and booting with the default floppy seems to be a little less pain in the as, so i'll try this firs (yes it was the ISO-file what I copied).

I will report my results as soon as possible.

thanks a lot for those tips - `can't wait to try `em!!