hello,

i want to install v 12.1 using its dvd .iso image as the package source -no burning of cds-dvds-

Now ,obviously, i still need to boot to the slackware installation setup, something which normally would be done with a usb stick (floppies no longer supported).

well the problem is that my pc doesn't support usb-hd boot.



question:

since i use a linux system cant i just copy the appropriate boot-root-bzimage-whatever to a folder and use lilo to boot to the slack setup? and how do i do that?


thanks

Hi,

You could look at 'Slackware®12_Janux_NET_NoBurn_Install' to get some ideas.

This link and others are available from 'Slackware-Links'. More than just Slackware® links!

Perhaps the following will help:

Installing Slackware Without a CD Drive

Basically, ensure the ISO image is on a partition or second hard drive that won't be overwritten during the installation. When the setup scripts run, toggle to a different console and mount the ISO image. Later in the setup script select the mount location.

Worked great,thanks

Hi,

Well I asked a very similar question almost simultaneously:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...-on-hd-658748/

Woodsman's explanation is clearer and I get it now.

Essentially the crux is getting the standard slackware setup routine (actually a minimal OS) onto to your harddisk and booting into it.

Can I ask whether you can use (say) a slackware 10.1 set up routine(i.e. initrd.img and kernel image) and then when booted in, actually install from a loopmounted v12.1 dvd iso?

I imagine so, as I expect the routine is mainly about just copying files form the ISO to the new partition. I may be wrong. If so of course, you could use any slackware intird,img and kernel image to install any slackware version.

Just a word re. Woodsman's explanation, the "nousb" kernel option is used. Think about whether you really want this. If you are using a usb keyboard for example, best to delete it. Have to admit it caught me out.

Other than that, I have verified I can boot into the slackware setup environment. It really is that simple: the initrd.img and a bzImage from slackware's ISO (with all the appropriate tweakings).

However, I did not go through with the installation, I just verified that setup program was good to go. It was able to see my internal HDA(once I mounted it) and "mount -o loop"s were not a problem.

I also tried plugging in a usb HD with another slackware image, but unfortunately that was not seen. Maybe it might work if USB is plugged in to start with.

Also It might be best to have the slackware ISO on its own in a directory. Not sure about that. i.e. two different slackware isos may or may not confuse it, but option 5 in setup's sources step asks for a mounted directory, so it's probably best to have a dedicated directory for your slackware image.

I went ahead this time, trying to install on an external hdd.

Mounted everything correctly ... it saw the loop mounted iso, and after selecting packages, it went into install routine, which was over far too quickly. No errors reported, but I saw it installed virtually nothing. A small number of text files in /var/log.

So it's not that easy.

I have the ISO mounted on /media/tmp. Setup uses the whole /mnt directory for mounting the target drive. When asked for the source drive, I just say media/tmp rather than /media/tmp/slackware.

SO, no go.

Hi,

You should be answering to the source question; '/media/tmp/slackware' if that is where you mounted.