Funky no-CD install... almost there... need help
Forum: HD Install
Topic: Funky no-CD install... almost there... need help
started by: Cal
Posted by Cal on Oct. 18 2004,03:13
OK, i'm almost there, but I need a little help gettign the last mile. Problem:
I have a Vaio SR17k, with no boot options except HD. (Bios only support Sony's overpiced, no longer produced CDRom)
Solution:
DSL + NTLDR = Goodness.
I edited Windows 2000's boot.ini to load the NT version of grub< GRUB > called ntldr. When Win2000's boot loader starts GRUB, GRUB finds the c:\boot\menu.lst file to link to the kernel and image files from the c:\boot\ directory.
I found the kernel and image files in the ISO, which are linux24 and minirt.bin, and placed them in C:\boot\. Also, I put the entire directory structure of the the DSL ISO in C:\ ,
Now DSL boots just like it would with a CD boot, (it takes awhile to find to search for the CD rom's files but it does find them) The system is super fast for this old computer. The problem is that DSL thinks its running on a CD and in fact looking thought the /mnt directory all my harddrives files are in /mnt/cdrom .
I would like to do a harddrive install to my second partition... Any ideas about how to do this? I can't allow DSL to alter my MBR, and I don't think the HDinstaller is smart enough to figure out how I hacked up this GRUB thing.
Posted by SaidinUnleashed on Oct. 18 2004,04:16
why can you not let DSL put Lilo in your MBR?It'll work fine, and you'll be able to choose between DSL and Win2k at boot time.
Just do a regular install. It'll be fine.
-J.P.
SaidinUnleashed
Posted by Cal on Oct. 18 2004,04:31
Actually, I didn't want to because a mistake, that would have left me with no way to fix the laptop. I have no other recovery options. Fortunantly, I was in the process of letting the HDinstaller install the files on the second partition, with the intention of skipping the lilo installation, and I left my laptop on my desk... well long story, short, my girlfriend desided she wanted to play solitare, and I somehow ended up with a lilo isntallation... heh... I'm glad you were right and everything worked fine.
Posted by ke4nt1 on Oct. 18 2004,04:31
Or, if you PREFER the grub bootloader.. 
Simply opt out when the HDInstall script ASKS you if you WANT to
install the lilo bootloader..
Then you can go in and configure grub to boot DSL...
There are many examples of grub setups for DSL in the forums..
73
ke4nt