I'm currently running Knoppix on my home PC, cause my dad (for some kinda strange reason) does not allow me to repartition my harddisk and insert a couple of Linux-based partitions.
After the system has been booted up, I run the command mount -o remount,rw /dev/hda# to make the other (Fat32 & NTFS) partitions writeable. Occasionally I try to install/put Linux-based programs in a directory on the Fat partition I've specially made for certain stuff.

2 Questions:

1. Is there a way to pass those commands to the kernel at boot-time automatically, so I don't have to retype them every time it boots up? Some kinda saved rc.local file perhaps? (Remember I'm using a Live-Boot, so nothing actually gets saved...)

2. Sometimes I find trouble installing Linux based programs on my Windows harddisk, since not all installations allow you to configure an installation directory - it installs by standard in it's own directories, which are - since it's a live-boot - all temporary on the RAM-disk! How can I take care of this problem, and let programs install by default in my Linux-folder on the FAT-drive? (That'll also solve another problem, i.e. my ramdisk not being big enough for certain programs to install...)

I'd like to hear responses asap, thanks in advance!

knoppix has, somewhere in its menu an option for "make a persistent home directory" this lets you maintain configuration info on a file(whose size you choose) on the hard drive. you can then specify the configuration at boot time(knoppix home=/dev/hda3 or whatever) I don't know knoppix well and don't know if you can mount paritions through this method.Nor can I help with Question2. Good luck!

Dunno my friend, have you had a look here as they have lots of stuff.

regards

John

Thanks alot, kurtdriver! I'm currently running XP (yeah it's a very bad thing, I know, but didn't feel like rebooting the system cause it was already turned on)... Though I'll try your suggestion as soon as possible!

As to bigjohn, I already posted the same question in there No replies yet. (Well, no replies that mattered, I only got bullied at by them for mounting a NTFS partition as rw )

I shouldn't worry too much about smart comments either here or at the knoppix forums my friend. The IT world is full of smart arses who try to be too "clever" (meant in sarcastic sense).

If you're new at linux, it's not always obvious when you try things that won't normally work - theres lots here about who will just give you the written equivalent of homer simpsons "Duh!".

Bad manners are just everywhere.

anyhow, if you check round the knoppix site, not just the forums, there are some real "pearls of wisdom" to be found. Especially the stuff about creating a persistent /home directory to keep all the settings and configuration.

Hell, as long as your dad isn't too conscientious, as long as you have some sort of boot disc, you could always install a distro and he wouldn't notice - because he'd still see the windows bootloader. With a boot disc and just changing the BIOS to check for bootable media in the floppy/CD/DVD drive first - I suspect that you'd enjoy all the benefits of an installed system i.e. no disc reading lag etc and that XP won't by default be able to read it - you should be able to make the partition hidden as well if you don't change the windows drive letters (put the next one on the sequence on it then hide the partition).

Some parents can get a little "precious" about computers/systems especially if they don't understand whats going on.

Good luck

regards

John

Thanks for your reply, bigjohn. As you can see in the info under my name, I've been running slackware on my own PC for longer than a year now. No problems (except at the very beginning) mounting NTFS partition as rw, though I do it only on special occasions. I've been around in the IT world for quite some time now, and don't take every comment serious anymore. Thanks for your reply, though.

Concerning the advise it'd be better for me to create a hidden Linux partition, you're probably right. Though there's one problem: my dad is a computer-mechanic, repairing PC's, knowing more of hardware than I ever will know...
Well, since he ain't that much in software (and I am) let's just hope he doesn't see the partition and doesn't know the difference between Knoppix and Slackware

Oh right OK. Hopefully you didn't take my suggestions as patronising. They certainly weren't intended that way. Personally, when I last had a windows install on this machine - NTFS read/write was still rather experimental, and while I do enjoy linux, I'm not very adventurous and will usually only try something new (an app or whatever) just too see if I can do anything basic with it and whether that holds enough interest for me to get into it (most recent new thing was Open Laszlo which was very interesting but more than a little over my head).

As for the "parental problem" I sort of wondered that that might be the case. Some parents get "rather conservative" with kit. Especially if they've had some success in what they've done/tried (I've found the "don't press that key, it might explode" attitude in some members of my family as well ).

Still, if you can find a way that the partition doesn't show up as "unknown partition" then he wouldn't know it was there. Wouldn't he let you put your own hard drive in the box? and then just boot it with floppy/cd or something ??? The he wouldn't have reason to get obsessively protective over his beloved windows install - and you get all the benefits when you're using the system???

Anyway, well done my friend. Though Slackware??? Hum! I never did manage to get it running and I managed to screw my system when I was trying - still, I suppose it's not for everyone.

regards

John

p.s. Ha! just thought, why not put a linux partition on the system, but see if you can call it "The Twilight Zone". If you dad remembers the programmes, he wouldn't want to "go there" anyway!

Lol Your last advise is the best I've ever heard in a long time Though, it's not even neccessary...

Y'day-eve, I made a linux-swap partition and an reiser-fs partition, and this morning I installed slackware (running it for over a year and never experienced problems with it, like screwing up the filesystem as you said). I boot it up using a bootdisk, that'll do fine for some time I think. Currently running it without almost any problems! (Well, there's a small one concerning the internet, but gonna post it at LQ in a few min's )

The other good news: when I booted up in Windows after creating the linux-partitions, the crappy m$-box didn't even show a single notice of the new Linux-partitions being created No "unknown partition" or whatsoever! This is gooood!

And putting in my own HD might seem a good idea, but I don't have the money right now to buy a new one. Anyway, doing it this method will do fine for quite some time, since my dad uses a Ghost copy (only of the C-partition) to put things back on when windows screwed them up again - he doesn't even bother to look at how the partitions are devided.

I think I survived this "computer-adventure" without any scars. Again, thanks for your advise!