new user trying to install

Forum: HD Install
Topic: new user trying to install
started by: cswank

Posted by cswank on Mar. 17 2004,22:51

I have been away from using any unix / linux system for about six years now. I have an older P1 system with a floppy and CD drive that I want to install DSL to. The system had Win 95 on it now and I want to reformat and replace it with DSL. The system will not boot from a CD drive. I have already burned a CD with the DSL ISO on it and am not sure what to do next.

How do I format the drive for unix / linux, what file system ?

The how do I get DSL installed?

Thanks!

Posted by cswank on Mar. 18 2004,03:06

OK, now I have made a boot floppy and am able to boot using the floppy and the CD.

I still don't know how to format the HD for ext2 or whatever file system I should use. I guess my question is what file system do I need to use with DSL on a p1 system with a 300mb HD. Also what utility would I use to format in that file system?

Thanks !

Posted by pvdvyve on Mar. 18 2004,08:35

Hay,
You can use Partition Magic, but you should better use a partitioner from whithin a running Linux system.
Make:
1-ext2 partition for your system data
2-swap partition
3-reiserfs or ext2 partition for your data.
Find more info howto's... :laugh:

I made a partition for Knoppix, and that worked well
(just made 1 ext2 partition though, still learning a lot)

Posted by Lee on Mar. 18 2004,09:28

Eeesh, 300mb HD. I thought I was pushing it with my install on a 850mb HD.

Works alright though, except there has to be other things I have to do to my system because its just like running the Demo cd from the HD, meaning it won't save any settings etc.

Posted by cswank on Mar. 19 2004,02:15

Ok, I don't want to spend any money on a fancy partiition software package. Is there any free utils out there to format in the correct file system?

How can I run it in a existing linux system if I don't have a linux system installed

Posted by bluefreak on Mar. 19 2004,06:51

use fdisk or cfdisk.

oh wait, u need to boot DSL to use those...

try this: < http://www.ranish.com/part/ >

Posted by Lee on Mar. 19 2004,09:44

I used Partition Commander to sort mine. Do for msot partitions as it doesn't delete anything so I can resize them happily, takes a while on my 120 gb drive but worth it.

Was free with a magazine and boots up using its on GUI, no need for an OS installed.

Try a version from < here >, maybe they do an ISO like I got mine in from the magazine. Burn it to a CD and your done, maybe this won't help if you don't have a CD-R though

Posted by pvdvyve on Mar. 19 2004,15:20

Hay,
Correct me if I'm wrong, you did have a boot floppy, and you did have the live cd
(first didn't work, but in you're second move it worked? Or didn't it?
So you can start DSL, not?
When you're in dsl you can format your drives with fdisk or cfdisk?
If not, maybe you can try the following:
follow this: < http://damnsmalllinux.org/cgi-bin....1;t=186 >
So when you have mswin95, running, you should be able to copy you're cd to a dir on c:\...and boot with your diskette...
or use minimalistic linux distro, such as:

< http://mulinux.sunsite.dk/iso.html >
or

< http://floppix.ccai.com/ >
But you have to check the posibility of HD formatting in these?
Is fdisk or cfdisk in there?
Have fun, and success with you're project.
By the way: I didn't buy partition magic, I just used it, hihihi.

Posted by cswank on Mar. 20 2004,05:53

Yes you are right I can boot from a floppy and then run DSL from the CD.

So what are the command lines I need to format the drive? What file format should it be formated to (I'm getting rid of Windows)?

Thanks!

Posted by Peter Long on Mar. 20 2004,10:25

I have just installed DSL on a Toshiba 440CDX with no CD Drive. I placed the disk into a Toshiba 430 with CD and booted from the boot disk. Hit F2 and choose the option knoppix 2. I found that the default screen was too large so you may have to enter "fb800x600 knoppix 2" without the quotes.

This will place you in run level 2.

Type cfdisk and create 300 Mb primary drive and 100 Mb swap drive. Write to disk and reboot.

Reboot using the cd and boot disk, then refer to < http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/dsl-hd-install.html >

to instal DSL to your hard drive.

I have typed this using the Tosh 440 and connect to the internet via wireless card.

Hope this helps

See Ya.....

Peter Long

Sorry if I have used the wrong lingo, I'm new to Linux.

Posted by pvdvyve on Mar. 21 2004,16:26

<Yes you are right I can boot from a floppy and then run DSL from the CD.
<So what are the command lines I need to format the drive? What file format should it be formated to (I'm getting rid of Windows)?
_
Do this thing:
Apps-->Shells-->Bash
command like:
sudo cfdisk
you should see your partitions now
or your disks at least
remove old partitions and make a new one or several ones with the format system you want, for example ext2, make this partition bootable and write your partition table, these thing are not that problem.
after that you have to make certain to reread that partition table. At this point you may reboot as a possible solution to make that goal.
At this point you have your partition to write to.
Return to Apps-->Shells-->Bash
and give the next command:
sudo dsl-hdinstall
follow the instructions
I made setup on an 270Mb disk today and it worked fine.
I want to use that in another pc, but that!s not working as I thought.
Have fun...

Posted by pvdvyve on Mar. 21 2004,17:05

Oh, about that not working in that other pc:
I had 2 disks in it, one with win95, I disconnected that one and made the DSL disk the only one, rebooted and woops, DSL running on my old Pentium from that 270Mb disk.
Isn't that fun...:D
The problem I now have is to make my serial mouse workin'.
I hope you can make yours running too.

__
DD.22mar2004: just to find out: copied the knoppix dir right under c and booted with diskette--->yes indeed, DSL finds the image and starts up from /dev/hda1
It works... faster than from cd.
Just as cbagger01 said.
bye