where to start

stanley_shilov · 10-25-2003, 11:30 PM

I found a machine.
I put installed in it a hard drive that I found at work.
I have no clue what's on it the hard drive, but I want to install linux onto the machine.

I found a copy of Knoppix Linux, it boots fine of the CD but I want to install it on the hard drive.

First I guess I need to reformat the hard drive to the right file system, but I cant figure out a way that works. I tried something with cfdisk and it gave me errors.

At this point I am entirely lost. Please help

Jose Muñiz · 10-25-2003, 11:45 PM

Well... the idea of Knoppix is to be a distribution that runs entirely on a CD. If you want to install something I would recommend you to download / buy some other distribution such as Redhat, Mandrake, Slackware, etc... Some of them have easy step-by-step install processes that require very little knowledge

However, if you really want to install Knoppix... I found this in the FAQ:

Quote:

: Can one also install the distribution from the CD onto a hard drive?

A: In principal, yes (after all, the "master" system also runs on a hard
drive before it is burned to CD). However there is currently no
installation GUI for this, so installation to a hard drive should probably
only be attempted by more knowledgeable Linux users. Assuming the KNOPPIX
system has already booted, installation approximately follows this
procedure:
1.) initialize a free partition with the ext2 file system and mount it on
/mnt/knoppix, for example.
2.) cp -a /KNOPPIX/* /mnt/knoppix/
3.) set up /mnt/knoppix/etc/fstab and /mnt/knoppix/etc/lilo.conf for the
new system (Caution: symlinks in /boot initially point to the Ram
disk!), run lilo.
4.) mkdir /mnt/knoppix/home/knoppix && \
chown knoppix.knoppix /mnt/knoppix/home/knoppix
5.) Reboot, try the system out, fix any broken settings.
(No guarantees.)

(www.knoppix.org, 2003).

Of course you will need to format your HDD. Read http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Partition/partition-4.html for more information.

spurious · 10-26-2003, 01:07 AM

Actually, installing from Knoppix to hard-disk is relatively easy. I use it for my family's main workstation. It takes around 30 minutes to install, and then you've got a Debian system. Knoppix installs with a whole bunch of instant, useful software including OpenOffice, Mozilla, xine, xawtv, KDE, k3b, frozen bubble (my wife's favourite) etc. most of which require no additional configuration (well, xawtv does require some tweaking to change from the default European PAL tv format to North American NTSC). Additional software, such as Mplayer, is just an apt-get away.

You can find Knoppix documentation at http://www.knoppix.net , which is the best site for Knoppix issues. Here is a how-to for Knoppix hard-drive installation: http://www.freenet.org.nz/misc/knoppix-install.html

Be aware that the knx-hdinstall script has been superceded by a new script, knoppix-installer. Check the hard-disk install forum at knoppix.net for more information.

slakmagik · 10-26-2003, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by stanley_shilov
...a hard drive that I found at work.
I have no clue what's on it the hard drive...

You should try booting the HD or at least examining the drive through Knoppix or some other method. cfdisk might be giving errors because the disk is trashed. You should make sure it works at all before you can rule out a hardware problem and go to software. And it always helps to specify the errors.