Overwriting previous Linux install
Forum: HD Install
Topic: Overwriting previous Linux install
started by: RustB
Posted by RustB on Sep. 12 2004,13:26
I am currently using WinXP and SuSE9.1 personal (BAD IDEA) on my laptop. It's properly configured and set up to dual boot with GRUB.I am quite sick of all the unnecessary trash with SuSE, and I just want a basic lightweight linux install. How do I go about overwriting my current install with DSL (0.7.2 is what I have) such that I don't lose any data?
Posted by Petrohead on Sep. 12 2004,16:40
Depends on how you have your drive patitioned. But here is what I would do. hda1 probably has your windows partition. hda2, hda3, and perhaps hda4 & 5 is probably where SuSE lives. To make things as easy as possible, I would either burn all the data you want to keep from the SUSE install or move it to a safe location on your network if you have one. Verify that you have the data and that it is intact. Then just use cfdisk to repartition and format the SuSE partitions. Then go for the HDD install of DSL. The most important thing is to take care of the data that is important to you though. Not only on your SuSE install but the windows install as well. Ya never know ...........If you don't have a burner on the laptop, or a network to save your data to. Resize the last partition on the drive and store your data there.
I'm about to do the same thing with my laptop.
Posted by RustB on Sep. 12 2004,17:03
AFAIK, the DSL HD-Install installs LILO, but I want to keep my previous bootloader (GRUB) configuration. From the notes of the DSL HD-Install with my version, it says the harddisk install is not very reliable, and I don't want to lose the data on my NTFS partition. The SuSE install detected and installed itself quite well without any trouble, so I'd like to keep GRUB as it is now. Er, basically, is it possible to point GRUB towards the DSL kernel image directly? And how do I go about doing it? (I'm using < this > as a reference, so forgive me if I'm wrong :| )
Posted by Petrohead on Sep. 12 2004,23:24
I understand completely you wanting to preserve your data. However, whatever you ultimately decide to do,,, back that data up somewhere .........I have not installed DSL 0.7.2, so I am not familiar with that versions install routine. As a matter of fact I dont't remember, and it's only been a couple weeks since I installed 0.7.3, if you even have an option to not install LILO. One thing that I do remember though is at the end of the install, you are given the option to run LILO or mklilo (I forget for sure), which in effect will right LILO to the MBR. So I would guess that you could answer no to that option. That way, since you haven't written anything to the MBR, GRUB will still be your boot loader. Now this is assuming that you have GRUB written to the MBR. At this point you should be able boot and choose a prompt at the GRUB screen and edit GRUB to point to your DSL installation.
Now if you blow this, don't panic. As long as you don't change the NTFS partition, while wiping out your SuSE install everything will be fine on your NTFS partition. If you find that you can't boot to anything you simply drop into the recovery console by booting with the xp CD and choosing that option (recovery console), and run either FIXBOOT or FIXMBR, either one will do the basically the same thing, rewriting the MBR and allowing you to boot into your xp OS. This will also wipe out GRUB or LILO .........
LILO is not so bad, it doen't look as 'pretty' as GRUB, but it does the same thing and will find any bootable OS's you have installed when run. It's a bit more straight forward to me than GRUB is as well. That's just my opinion on GRUB vs LILO. One advantage of GRUB is it's immediate, 'on-the-fly', when making changes, while LILO will require a reboot ..............
Posted by RustB on Sep. 13 2004,03:43
SO, basically, will this work?1) Wipe the SuSE partition
2) Do a DSL HDInstall into that partition
3) Edit Grub to point to the DSL install
4) Finish.
Yes?
What should I do to make GRUB select the DSL Install? What settings should I give?
And thanks for putting up with a linux newbie
Posted by henk1955 on Sep. 13 2004,10:10
be carefull!i think this is how grub works.
grub alters the mbr AND puts some files stage1, stage2 menu.lst in a directory /boot/grub on your linux partition.
so if you wippe your SUSE grub cannot find these files and will fail.
now if you are able to delete all BUT the /boot directory, have the hd-install to your linux partition WITHOUT formating and liloing, then if you change /boot/grub/menu.lst your done.
or you could first repear your XPboot (recovery cd)
then do a DSL hd-install
then use i.e. knoppix 3.3 to to a grub-install
then change /boot/grub/menu.lst :
| Code Sample |
# boot menu configuration file timeout 10 default 0 fallback 0 title Windows XP #unhide (hd0,0) rootnoverify (hd0,0) chainloader +1 |
you should have your XP running again
then add something like:
| Code Sample |
title Damnsmall Linux 0.8.0 root (hd0,1) kernel (hd0,1)/boot/linux24 initrd (hd0,1)/boot/minirt24.gz |
and DSL should be an extra choice
I run a simular configuration. yet not a hd-install but a poorman's