Using GRUB/Linux to run a DSL CD?


Forum: Laptops
Topic: Using GRUB/Linux to run a DSL CD?
started by: Termina

Posted by Termina on Aug. 14 2005,17:32
I current have Debian (with GRUB as boot loader), installed on my Compaq LTE 5400 laptop (150mhz, 80mb ram)

I have a bay for floppy/cd-rom (but can only have one at a time), and an external CD-Rom drive (pcmcia).

The DSL floppy image does not seem to detect my PCMCIA cd-rom drive.

Is there a way to use grub/debian to boot the DSL CD, so I can then do a HDD install? (debian is having problems with X, I'm betting DSL can detect everything. might as well use it)

I see here that someone used grub on the CD, instead of ISOLINUX. Could someone give me the grub commands (when you push e to edit grub), so I could change my current grub settings to the ones needed for DSL? Thanks

< http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/talk/node/25 >

Posted by SaidinUnleashed on Aug. 14 2005,21:10
[-]That is referring to using a cd with grub to boot from the hard disk.[/-]

The Grub Core (think of it like the Linux kernel) does not support booting from the cdrom.

Grub2 is supposed to support this feature, eventually. Recent CVS copies of it will boot some cds on a select few cdrom drives. Needless to say, grub2 is still very much in it's alpha stages.

If your laptop has a usb connection, copy the contents of the CD to a usb pendrive, and use the USB bootfloppy to boot from the usb.

Or you can copy the contents of the cd to / on your Debian partition and use the normal bootfloppy with the fromhd= cheatcode.

Editus - Click before you assume things, JP.

I have no idea how that works, but I will investigate and see if i can reproduce the results.

-J.P.

Posted by Termina on Aug. 15 2005,18:06
In that case, is there a pcmcia boot disk for DSL? Is it possible to make one?
Posted by krypton2004 on Aug. 30 2005,15:54
use smart boot manager, (google it,) its a floppy that will let you boot from cdrom
Posted by krypton2004 on Aug. 30 2005,15:59
please ignore me, i just learned that smart boot manager does not support pcmcia! well it worked for my laptop but that has an internal cdrom and external floppy.
Posted by krypton2004 on Aug. 30 2005,16:01
Actually, whoever said that smart boot manager doesn't support pcmcia, is WRONG, check here!!!

< http://btmgr.webframe.org/index.php3?body=docs/user-guide-1.html >

Posted by cbagger01 on Aug. 30 2005,16:33
Note that the instructions mention that it will boot from an ATAPI pcmcia CDROM.

They didn't say "boots from all types of pcmcia CDROMS".  Why?  Because IT DOESN'T WORK WITH ALL PCMCIA CDROM DRIVES.

For example, if you have a custom pcmcia CDROM drive, a parallel port based CDROM drive or one of those old CDROM drives that are controlled by your sound card instead of your IDE controller, none of them will work with Smart Boot Manager.

Don't get me wrong, I love SBM and use it myself.

However, people need to be aware of the program's limitations, especially when trying to boot the DSL livecd on an old computer.

The proper solution is to do this:

1) Download the DSL boot floppy image.
2) Download the rawrite image writer program.
3) Use rawrite to create a DSL boot floppy disk.
4) Boot into your old OS and copy over the \KNOPPIX\KNOPPIX file from the CDROM over to C:\KNOPPIX\KNOPPIX  uppercase is required.
5) Reboot the computer with the boot floppy inserted.

Powered by Ikonboard 3.1.2a
Ikonboard © 2001 Jarvis Entertainment Group, Inc.