Installing a new distro on an old desktop PC
 

I have a computer that I made myself a few years ago. The internal DVD drive does not work anymore. What are my options to install a linux distro on it. I am not able to boot from an external USB DVD drive that I have, on this machine. My understanding is that you need a CD to install Plop to inorder for it to work so that I can boot from an external USB stick?

What are my options without having to buy another DVD drive? I know I can install my .iso file to a USB stick using Unetbootin, but than what? How do I get it to boot on this machine?

Thanks!!!

You need to enable booting from USB in BIOS, it may not be possible on old computers.

This computer doesn't have that option.

You can use PXE or remove HDD from this computer, install Linux to it on another machine and put it back

http://antix.mepis.org/index.php?tit...tallation_Tips

If your homebuilt has a floppy drive in it. Plop fits on a floppy disc also.

Well by a internal dvd drive it's only $15-20 something.

Or unplug the hard drive put in another system and install linux.

Attach your USB stick, reboot machine and enter BIOS. Navigate to the section where your hard drives boot order set.
Select hard drives boot order option and hit Enter. Do you have your stick mentioned in drop-down list? If it there, move it to the top, save changes and exit BIOS. If your stick has bootable live system on-board, it should start.
Or launch boot menu instead of entering BIOS. The same HDD boot options should be available in boot menu. How to launch boot menu depends on your mobo, usually it is one of F1, F2, F8-F12 or Esc keys.

In the 3rd post he said that this machine cannot boot from USB

I saw it.
There was mentioned that computer has no option to boot from usb, but it isn't a proper way to boot from USB stick. Stick should be recognized as hard drive, not as usb device in order to allow to boot from stick

Member response
 

Hi,

If the system does not recognize USB as a boot device then that USB ported device either a flash, HD or SDD would not boot. The IPL within BIOS would require recognition of the boot media to initialize the the Initial Program Load (IPL) in order to pass to the Secondary Program Load (SPL).

As noted by other members that if a floppy is available then using 'plop' would be a way to IPL then switch to the USB boot media. I would agree that CD/DVD replacement would be the easiest solution.

If the BIOS supports PXE then a LAN solution would be a way to get things configured. But not having a CD/DVD media is crippling period.

Hope this helps.
Have fun & enjoy!
:hattip:

I didn't noticed that OP said that system doesn't recognize USB stick as a HDD device.
The only things he mentioned: he wasn't able to boot from USB-DVD and his BIOS lacks of "Enable USB boot" option.

Mine Gygabite mobo has no "Enable USB boot" option as well, but I can boot from stick just fine by selecting the stick as first HDD to boot from.

Why wouldn't try as I suggested? It will take few seconds only.

If no floppy or optical drive, & can't boot from usb, then only 2 options, network/PXE or your hard drive temporarily inserted into another machine whilst you put Linux onto it, maybe via an external usb housing.

Just curious. Would this not create problems as the config files generated by installing Linux on a "donor" machine would not necessarily match the recipient machine unless the Mobo/CPU/chipset were the same?

I've re-planted a disk between a dead AMD/Asus Mobo and a new, but different, AMD/Asus Mobo... It worked, but I had to mess about with the boot to get it through unknown depths of Grub and Busybox to a useable state.

Play Bonny!

:hattip:

Member response
 

Hi,
OP stated in post #3 in reference/response to post # 2. Read the whole thread! In response was the option to recognize the USB as boot device setup in BIOS device list.

I personally would replace the CD/DVD ROM as that will enhance any usage of the machine having that media available.
Hope this helps.
Have fun & enjoy!
:hattip:

Really? I don't remember when I used CD last time. USB sticks are much better these days if you want to move your data around offline. Internet is so fast and it's everywhere plus almost everyone has a router. I wouldn't get a CD drive because I wouldn't use it.

Member response
 

Hi,

I have been building my music library using the CD/DVD drive and find that easier. Why purchase when you already have the music. My media usage for DVD movies even having Neflix keep my library accessible. I even keep a spare external CD/DVD/Blue for when I travel.
Each to his/her own.

Hope this helps.
Have fun & enjoy!
:hattip:

I store my music library on a disk connected to the router with OpenWRT installed, available from anywhere in the world

That is because you do not have a 63 Ford PU truck with a CD player like I do.

Look under "Scooters" in my profile pictures. I do not like the card reader car stereos in the desert.
They are too flimsy in a Desert environment. Too each their own.


@ Soadyheid. I have pulled hard drives and installed a Distro from one brand of laptop to another.
The kernel picks up on the different hardware. Only reconfigure I had to do was with the wireless interface.

I went from wlan0 to wlan1. But it can be hit or miss depending on graphics chips and sound chips.
I have been the windshield instead of the bug so far doing installs this way.

Cheers rokytnji, fairly similar to my own findings with x86 boxes. But...

I once had a load of problems when swapping an IBM AIX disk between two slightly differing models of RS6000 7043 43P (I think it was), ended up with ghost disks and goodness knows what else hence my post. More to do with the vagaries of AIX and IBMs PowerPC architecture I suspect.

Thanks again

Play Bonny!

:hattip:

order another BIOS chip with a new BIOS software in it: perhaps a new BIOS has a USB boot option?
I personally already ordered a chip here http://www.biosflash.com/index.htm (my PC chip was not listed in that page; I contacted them and they had it anywhere and made a new chip for few money).

go to a friend: take the dvd reader out of his pc, put it on your, start linux from the dvd and installon the hdd, put the dvd reader back? you dont need to buy. just have few friends.

Was this machine built from old harware or was it just that machine was built a couple of years ago?