iB::Topic::HDD install on laptop that won't boot CD

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Topic: HDD install on laptop that won't boot CD

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tonymoloney Offline

Group: Members
Posts: 26
Joined: Dec. 2005

Posted: Dec. 13 2005,05:36

Thanks to the help from this forum, I've been able to get my old lappie to boot from a floppy.
Now, I'd like to do a frugal install to the hard disk.
However, before I start, I have one question. Does/will a frugal install copy files from the Windows C: wher I copied them for the floppy boot, or does it try to copy from the CD?
My problem is that I have one of those lappies that share the floppy drive with the CD drive so that I can only have one or the other - so if I boot rom a floppy, I can't have the CD and vice/versa.
I don't want to start partitioning my disk then find out that I can't go any further.
Tony

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The older I get, the better I was.

sarah

Group: Members
Posts: 73
Joined: Sep. 2005

Posted: Dec. 13 2005,10:07

If you can run DSL from one parttition, even if it is running a frugal install from a Windows partition, you should be able to install into the other partition. The installation script formats the destination partition, which is why you need to have twopartitions if you do it that way.

Backup anything you want to keep first though.
Cheers and beers,
Sarah

PS Don't know how much help I'll be, but I'll be around on and off tonight (our time) until about 9.30 or so if you get stuck.

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I've been told the best way to learn is to explain it to someone else in front of "experts". People who are knowledgable (and sometimes even if they're not!) on a topic will soon tell you if you're wrong, and love you for the opportunity to either show their prowess or make jokes at your expense!

sarah

Group: Members
Posts: 73
Joined: Sep. 2005

Posted: Dec. 13 2005,10:16

Also, you might find your chances of success increase if you run the script from runlevel 2 (the text only console).

The installation you have on your machine running from a Windows partitiona should be auto-mounted (Read only) to /cdrom so really there should be no difference whether you do the installation from a CD or a poorman's install.

The installation script will pick up any options you use in the boot sequence and copy them over to the install, so be sure to use all the boot options you normally would (Pea brain here left out the vga=normal and booted to text mode, so didn't pick up the error prior to doing the installation, and then wondered why it would boot from floppy when I typed in the options manually, but not from my brand spanking new installation!)

(And if I have steered you wrong, I am really really hoping someone comes along to enlighten you before I've lead you down the path towards system breakage!)

Good luck!
Cheers and beers
Sarah

--------------
I've been told the best way to learn is to explain it to someone else in front of "experts". People who are knowledgable (and sometimes even if they're not!) on a topic will soon tell you if you're wrong, and love you for the opportunity to either show their prowess or make jokes at your expense!

tonymoloney Offline

Group: Members
Posts: 26
Joined: Dec. 2005

Posted: Dec. 13 2005,22:50

Hi sarah
Thanks for that. I'll give it a go today (Wednesday over here in the West). I've got nothing to lose as far as the Windows installation is concerned but I'll try the two partitions first.
Tony
7:30am WA time

--------------
The older I get, the better I was.

sarah

Group: Members
Posts: 73
Joined: Sep. 2005

Posted: Dec. 14 2005,12:42

Hey Tony,
Just thought I'd see how you're doing? I meant to ask if you have read the frugal install how-to pdf? It's a bit late, but better late than never maybe?

http://ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/damnsmall/current/pdfdocs/
will take you there :o)

Cheers and beers,
Sarah

PS Time zones can be off-set in the profile section (I think we're +13 from memory) so it shows the posts in local time.

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I've been told the best way to learn is to explain it to someone else in front of "experts". People who are knowledgable (and sometimes even if they're not!) on a topic will soon tell you if you're wrong, and love you for the opportunity to either show their prowess or make jokes at your expense!

15 replies since Dec. 13 2005,05:36

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