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Topic: Install Help

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JediKly13

Group: Members
Posts: 10
Joined: Jan. 2006

Posted: Jan. 07 2006,18:15

I am attempting to install DSL onto a very old Dell Laptop. It has modular CD and Floppy drives. Both are recognized at startup and I am able to get into the CD and the floppy at boot. However, when I try to do an install from either I get a "Cannot find KNOPPIX" error and it drops me to the limited shell.

There is a running version of Win2000 on the system which I want to overwrite but I used it to set up a Poorman's install by copying the files over to C:KNOPPIX as described but that does not appear to have worked either. At the boot prompt I have been typing install to do an installation as described in the F3 options.

Things seem fine until the scan is done to find KNOPPIX and despite having it loaded on my C: main partition with windows nothing is found.

Anyone have some suggestions on what I could try next?

Note: I've found that part of the CD problem I am having is due to the fact that it connects through a PCMCIA connection. Other linux installs I have tried (Mepis, FreeBSD) get stuck because they can not find the CD drive after booting the kernel. Will this also keep me from using DSL? Or should the Poorman's install help get around this?

JediKly13

Group: Members
Posts: 10
Joined: Jan. 2006

Posted: Jan. 08 2006,06:54

I've had no additional luck with my problem. I almost 100% sure it is related to the fact that the CD-ROM I have is attached to my system through the PCMCIA cardslot.

Let me spell out what I'm seeing from all my attempts in more detail in hopes someone has seen this or recongnizes a trend.

1. I wiped ALL operating systems from the computer - i.e. no os and no formatted space
2. I double checked BIOS settings to allow for CD-ROM boot
3. Boot computer to CD-ROM gives normal DSL screen with boot prompt
4. Press enter to begin boot
5. Loads primary files displays Penguin in upper corner of screen
6. Attempts to Scan for files
7. "Can't find KNOPPIX Dropping you to a very limited shell" error occurs

Don't know what to do past here...is there a way to use the limited shell to access the KNOPPIX files on the CD-ROM?

I know my CD is not bad because I just used it to boot DSL on my fast Desktop with no problems and am submitting this while running DSL from the CD.

Thanks for any suggestions.

roberts

Group: Members
Posts: 4983
Joined: Oct. 2003

Posted: Jan. 08 2006,07:29

Not easy to get a linuxrc with modules for pcmcia at boot time.
Does your Dell lappy have a usb slot? If so, you could use the other computer to install DSL to pendrive, then on the old Dell, use the usb boot floppy together with the usb pendrive and then install to hard drive by booting from floppy and accessing the usb pendrive. At boot prompt type install
You can install either Frugal or Regular hard drive install from a DSL pendrive.
I use this method for frugal install on an old lappy that has no cdrom and only a bootable floppy and a usb 1.1 port.

JediKly13

Group: Members
Posts: 10
Joined: Jan. 2006

Posted: Jan. 08 2006,16:55

Sounds like that will have to be my next step. Thanks for the input. I'll give that a shot.

Bearded Jon
Unregistered

Posted: Jan. 09 2006,22:05

I'm a linux newbie and trying to figure out how to get DSL onto a Fujistu Point 510 (no CD, only serial, floppy and PCMCIA) and came across this at linuxslate.org: Hints and Tips for Installing Linux on alternative hardware

I have no clue if this will help or not.

9 replies since Jan. 07 2006,18:15

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