Install From Separate HD Partition

Forum: HD Install
Topic: Install From Separate HD Partition
started by: mur

Posted by mur on May 12 2005,14:19

Basically, my problem is that I have no way to boot. Both the CD and Floppy Drives are broken, and my computer will not boot off the USB memory stick. Not to mention no network card. The computer runs in Windows ME. Basically, I was hoping to create a separate partition on the 6 GB HD without erasing the HD, then install Damn Small Linux onto the empty half. Then I would be able to boot in Windows ME or DSL. The only problem is that I have no idea how to do this. It has been suggested to me to use Partition Magic 8.0. I will try this, but I need to know if what I want to do is even possible.

Thanks,
Mur

Posted by toganet on May 17 2005,04:13

If you can create some free space using PQMagic, you may be able to do this, by using loadlin and debootstrap. Not sure whether DSL has any advantages over them in this case.

It might be possible to use "embedded DSL", and mount the free space from inside the qemu virtual machine. That would allow you to install to the free space. Then, you would need to boot to that partition -- this would require modifying the WinME bootloader, which can be done. The method currently escapes my memory, but that is what Google is for, right?

Posted by bradski on May 20 2005,20:04

I'm in a similar situation. One method thatI'm looking into is putting the HD into my desktop using a laptop ide converter (very cheap) I can access it like any other hd.

The plan is to create a dos bootable partition, along with another one to hold the uncompressed cd contents.

Put the hd back into the laptop, then . . .
Boot to the dos partition then run the linux.bat file in the other partition.

The unanswered question is: Do I need to create separate Linux partitions for dsl and swap prior to all of this?

It's essentially a poormans install, with a modified scheme to get the files in place.

I'd be interested in any hints or comments, and details of your success or failure.

Posted by ke4nt1 on May 20 2005,20:27

I have a laptop with no floppy or CDrom drive..
I did exactly what u described...

I removed the HD, used a 44-to-40 pin adapter,
and put it in my big box as hda ( primary master )

Then used it's cdrom to boot DSL from LiveCD,
Ran cfdisk to make a 60MB ext2 , and a 100MB swap partition on it,
( on some empty HD space I already had ) ..

EDIT --> I rebooted here before formatting...

and formatted them, ( mke2fs and mkswap ) ..

EDIT --> I rebooted here after formatting

Then I ran the frugal install, with the options I wanted.
( remember to use xsetup as a boot option, so you can get an
opportunity to change mouse or video once back in the other box )

The frugal install loaded up a bootloader (lilo) to boot either M$ or DSL.

Put the drive back into the first computer, and bootup..

73
ke4nt