install linux from fat32

phneoix · 02-10-2006, 01:13 AM

Hi,
I own a toshiba 3110ct laptop. which can only boot from an external floppy drive. I want to install Debian minimal <40 MB> on my laptop. Is it possible to install debian from Fat32. I have already created a 500 mb ext2 partition for linux. I have windows xp installed on my laptop.

Thanks

linmix · 02-10-2006, 03:28 AM

Check out ZipSlack!

phneoix · 02-12-2006, 08:56 PM

Thanks for your suggestion but i already have zipslack on my pc. I there any way i can install debian from fat32.

amosbatto · 02-13-2006, 02:53 PM

Debian manual gives instructions on how to create boot floppies from debian CD:
http://www.debian.org/releases/stabl...ml.en#usb-boot
I think most floppies are FAT16 formatted, not FAT32, but Debian boot floppies might be ext2. My advice is to just try installing with your floppies and see what happens. You will find out pretty quickly whether it works or not.

I've never tried it, but people tell me that installing debian with a USB memory stick works well, but you need an existing linux installation to prepare the memory stick for booting. On machines that don't boot from USB, you need to start with one floppy for the bootup, then it switches over to USB.

--amos