making install disks
 

I am in the processing of installing Mandriva 2006 from scratch (a boot iso I downloaded) I have three computers. I was just wondering if there was a way to create the 3 install cds from my working system after I get it set up.

I have to bring my laptop in from work and use their high speed connection to do this. Althought, they don't mind me doing this it's a pain to bring in the other two computers.

I just thought their might be a way to make the 3 install disks from my working system. Worse case I could just wait till they make the iso availabel for the public to download....

You are better off to install it 3 times as the hardware have to be detected separately, different video cards etc. The hard disks are different and may have different partition schemes too.

Generally you can clone the Mandriva partition out and force another machine to take it. The success rate is not high but quite a bit of work involved like to get the cloned partition identical in size to the source, same swap partition number, etc, etc.

You can only save time if all three machines are indentical, in which case you can clone the entire drive in one operation.

Thanks for the info. I was thinking in the line of making a live cd. I thought I might be able to keep most of my setups but still have the option to configure it. After checking around it doesn't look as simple as I hoped it would be so I'll just put that on hold for a while. I think I would be better off installing the system right than trying to make a bunch of changes everywhere.

I think I will either just wait for the disks to come out or bring my machines into work and load the os from scratch.

I don't think it will be more than a few more weeks anyway. If I bring it in I'll bring in the whole system so it will configure the monitor and everything right.

Again thanks for the info..............

What are you talking about?

Mandriva 2006 has 3 CDs. It is available for free download now. Just download the iso images and burn it into CDs.

There is nothing to configure, except the language, keyboard type, time zone and small thing like that. Then you just say which partition for / and another partition for swap.

Mandriva will invite you to feed all 3 CDs. You can go away to play while Mandriva just get on with it.

Really? Where can I download these? I havn't been able to find them anywhere! Can you please post a link? Thanks!

Forgive me, but when I go there, all I can find is the link to the mandriva home page, which does not offer the isos for free yet. It says check back in a few weeks unless you are a club member. There are also links to the LQ isos page, which offers only through 10.2. There is another link to the Linux Mirror Project, which also only offers through 10.2. Can you please be more specific where on that site did you find the isos? Thanks.

That page gives the last release candidate, not the latest stable release. The stable release is 2006, not 2006-0.5 or RC2 or RC1. The latest stable release is here, and the only way to install it is to do what it says in the text - download the 12Mb boot image and do a net install. If there is another way I wish I knew it! I think what charlescpc is wondering is if you can download the entire tree, burn it on disks, and access them as if you had isos.

I think the stable version is being sold as a commercial product.

Sort of, but only for awhile. As the mandriva website says, the isos will be available to the club members first, and then to the rest of the world eventually. It is technically free, but the convenient way of installing it hasn't been released yet. I figured from your post you must have found a site or something where they'd released the isos. It has been awhile since they released 2006 so I expect it any day now.

Yea,
I've looked everywhere the official version is not out yet. I'll just wait a few weeks and download the official version and it'll be less headaches in the long run.

I got to install one 2006 by booting off the boot.iso file i burned to disk. 2006 Seems to be ok so far.

I have a high speed connection at work and can download the three cds from a site. Last time I dowloaded them I was able too start 3 downloads at the same time and they downloaded in about 15 minutes. Wow, that was fast for all three. So, I just wait and go there whenever they are available.

Are you guys using Mandriva for production work? The RC1 version is one of the best performer in my box. Not giving me any trouble so far but then I rarely have a stability problem with the others. One of Mandrake offshoots PCLinuxOS has impressed many users too.

charlescpc,

the 2006 iso's are on the mandriva mirrors now. I downloaded them this morning. Havn't installed yet though.

Thanks will download them tonight.

I tried to find some mirrors but they seem full. Will try tonight and maybe they won't be so busy.