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Old 03-17-2004, 02:43 PM   #1
belorion
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Creative Way to Install Linux


Is it possible to install Linux on a machine without using any media?

I am in a bit of a quandry right now. I want to install Linux on my notebook computer. I have no floppy drive, nor any CD's to burn a bootable ISO to. I have some Slackware9.1 ISO's on my HD. I already have partitioned my computer for Linux (I have an ext3 partition, and a swap partition).

Anyway -- is there a way to install Linux from Windows, using only an ISO? Or is there a way to tell the computer to reboot, but use the ISO as the boot image?

I am currently running Toshiba brand WinXP Home on a M15-S405 notebook computer. No floppy, but have CDRW drive.
 
Old 03-17-2004, 02:53 PM   #2
andrewlkho
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What distro are you trying to run? You could image the iso to a partition, and then set that partition to boot, that would be my suggestion.
 
Old 03-17-2004, 02:55 PM   #3
arnold
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if the slackware CD's are bootable, and the Toshiba startup BIOS supports it, you should be able to (temporarily) set, from the BIOS menu, "boot from cd" as 1st choice. Most not-too-old distro CDs are bootable.
 
Old 03-17-2004, 02:58 PM   #4
belorion
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That would work fine, arnold, if I had the CD's. But I don't. I just have the ISO on my HD.
 
Old 03-17-2004, 05:09 PM   #5
ima
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there is a tool to extract the iso to files, although the name escapes me. I imagine searching sourceforge would turn it up. A windows version is called ISOBuster, and you could extract the files from XP, then proceed with the installation (I imagine - but I am a newbie so I cannot verify this)

I am certain that there is some Guru here who can tell you how to make the system bootable so you can initiate installation from the newly extracted files. I also believe there is a way to kick off the install from a dos session, but again, I am no guru, so I defer to those with actual knowledge.

Last edited by ima; 03-17-2004 at 05:12 PM.
 
Old 03-17-2004, 05:21 PM   #6
vectordrake
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I am assuming that you are doing this for educational value, right?
 
Old 03-17-2004, 05:26 PM   #7
ima
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Vectordrake, if you are referring to me, then the answer is yes. I would be interested in learning the solution just for "knowledge aquired."
 
Old 03-17-2004, 05:32 PM   #8
vectordrake
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Actually there IS a way, and it was described in a thread I participated in. But, as you can see from the left, I have been in a few...

If I can find it, I'll let you both (everyone actually) know. A way to find it faster would be to use the search button up top. If you use the right term and select posts that my username have been invloved with, you might find it faster. Its a good search engine.

No, I was referring to the availability of cd's. Since they are about $0.50ea in most places, I have to assume that there is a desire to learn here.
 
Old 03-17-2004, 05:42 PM   #9
ima
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I misunderstood the post. I was under the impression that he had no floppy drive and no CD-ROM drive. I agree about the cost of CDs. I usually find them on sale so after rebate they cost under 10 cents. When the rebate check arrives, I restock. Thus I usually keep a few hundred on hand.


I will search for your previous post(s) and add the information to my growing notebook of Linux Learning, or perhaps I should call it my compendium of clarification!
 
Old 03-17-2004, 06:00 PM   #10
vectordrake
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Quote:
Originally posted by ima
I will search for your previous post(s) and add the information to my growing notebook of Linux Learning, or perhaps I should call it my compendium of clarification!
I hope that you have a bit of time. I have posted over 500 times and it wasn't me that had that answer, but it was there. Try things about a month old or more (I will look too as soon as I wade through the rest of what's on my desktop now).

I like "compendium of clarification" - you might wanna bookmark the wiki as part of that - it seems to be growing quite quickly.
 
Old 03-17-2004, 06:06 PM   #11
ima
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Was this, perhaps, the thread?

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...rom+hard+drive
 
Old 03-17-2004, 07:14 PM   #12
vectordrake
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That's the one. Especially [url=http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/showthread.php?postid=697103#post697103]Post # 9[url]

So, belorion, if you follow that advice, I bet you'll get the result you want.

Good searching! Google must be afraid of you!
 
Old 03-18-2004, 12:25 AM   #13
Cerbere
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That method also requires a floppy drive, Vectordrake.

You could download and install zipslack, then boot into that and mount the iso images. Then you can use pkgtool to install the rest. There's info in the zipslack README for migrating your install from umsdos to a true linux file system.

Enjoy!
--- Cerbere
 
Old 03-18-2004, 07:49 AM   #14
vectordrake
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Yes that is also a good way (get peeps to learn how Linux works as well). Could loadlin not be a substitute for a floppy?
 
  


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