Booting HD install from CD

Forum: HD Install
Topic: Booting HD install from CD
started by: ottojs

Posted by ottojs on Nov. 17 2004,20:01

I want to install DSL to my laptop's hard drive. It's a work machine so I can't install a boot loader. Can I install DSL to the hard drive and boot to the DSL partion using a CD? If so, how?

Posted by littlepenguin on Nov. 29 2004,22:30

Try a poor man's install

Posted by ottojs on Dec. 08 2004,01:09

Don't mean to sound like a complete moron, but what is a poor man's install? Playing with DSL at work the other day, it looks there is an option on the CD for booting to an install on the HD. Anything special for this option? Partion type for the install? Only certain partions? etc.

Posted by ke4nt1 on Dec. 08 2004,03:28

If you have a FAT32 partition on your computer, do the following.

Copy the following to the root of your hard drive ( c:\ )
* the KNOPPIX directory, and its contents
* the BOOT directory, and its contents
Restart and boot from your CDROM,
and at the boot: prompt, type dsl fromhd=/dev/hda1

This is a "poorman's" install, where the copy on the HD acts
just like the CD would, but only faster...

You could also use the floppy disk image, and boot from that as well.

In the true spirit of DSL Live CD, I will suggest that you use the liveCD
AS-IS, and begin to learn to use the extensions and backup procedures
to create your own customized environment using the hard drive space
for programs, data, and custom files, rather than using it
to duplicate what is already on the CD.

Take a look at these threads, and the variety of desktops and installed apps.
These are ALL from a LiveCD, using the HD only for STORAGE, not the OS.

< http://damnsmalllinux.org/cgi-bin....;t=3353 >
< http://damnsmalllinux.org/cgi-bin....;t=3184 >

73
ke4nt

Posted by ico2 on Dec. 08 2004,09:39

i guess it would be easy enough to set the windows bootloader to boot a poormans install, might be a nice easy way of saving time.

Posted by durbnpoisn on Jan. 02 2005,21:39

Okay... This is EXACTLY what I'm trying to do! So, I was glad to find this explanation on the "Poorman's" install.

I've got everything set up correctly, as near as I can tell.

The boot directory is on the root of C:\. The KNOPPIX directory, with the file called KNOPPIX is on the root of C:\

I boot with a floppy. This is the line I type:
fb800x600 dsl fromhd=/dev/hda1

I need the fb800x600 because that's the only resolution supported by the laptop.
The message I get:
Sorry, cannot find Knoppix file system.

Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

Posted by roberts on Jan. 02 2005,22:32

The fromhd and tohd boot codes are when booting from the cdrom.
Since you are using a boot floppy try this:

boot: fb800x600

Posted by durbnpoisn on Jan. 02 2005,22:45

Holy flocking schnit!! It worked!!

WhooHoo!
Thanks, dude!

Posted by durbnpoisn on Jan. 03 2005,00:53

Okay... Now...

Because it thinks it's running off a CD, editing filelist.lst doesn't do anything.

Is there an easy workaround?

I see there is supposed to be a way to backup the whole thing. But, I cannot find a valid device. For that matter, the "hda" devices I have, all show up blank (no files) in emelfm.

Pardon me for being a n00b.... But, this is how we learn...

Posted by durbnpoisn on Jan. 03 2005,05:43

Update: What I learned tonight.

I have 2 Fat32 partitions on my hd. They show up as hda4 and hda5. Since the system itself is using hda4, the only one I can mount for writing is hda5.
So, I mount that, and run the backup routine.

I restore at restart using:
boot: fb800x600 dsl restore=hda5

Nothing is restored.

So, I FTP myself a copy of filelst.lst from one of my customized embedded versions. I overwrite the one on the home/dsl folder.

Change some stuff, backup, restart, and restore with the same command line.

This time all the desktop settings are remembered, but things like changes to Firefox are lost.

I'm so close.... What is the missing piece of the puzzle here?

EDIT: Okay... This is interesting. I ran that whole routine again, but rebooted using simply, "dsl restore=hda5" and EVERY single thing saved.... I'm not sure what the difference is there, but, ther end result is better.