Hi,

I would like to install Mandriva using the HDD method. The instructions are very clear on how to create a boot floppy disk to install from HDD. The problem is that my computer does not have a floppy.

Can I install the hd_grub.img to a USB flash drive to boot from there to start the installation?

Alternativelly can I start the installation using the first CD and continue installing from HDD the way Fedora Core 3 does?

I could of course install from CDs, but what I am testing right now is not the distribution itself but installation methods.

Thank you

Hi,
I don't know that mandrake works the same way fedora does, but you can always install form hdd. just burn boot.iso to cd and boot from it and then choose hdd method to install.

Bye.

Thank you for your response.

Actually it does not work the same as Fedora. In Fedora there is an install option to install from HDD, in Mandriva there is no option.

The Mandriva instructions explain how to create a floppy that will start-up the installation from HDD but I cannot start from floppy. That's why I am asking how to start the installation from USB Flash.

I have started the boot from flash drive by copying the images to the flash drive
That booted the installation and then installing from HDD i am not sure how to do that

You need to select USB as the first boot device in your BIOS

All i could say is that you may need to put the correct device name

like /dev/sda1 or so and on the USB you will need only the base folder and the RPMs folder including the image files on the main drive I mean to say that if your drive is h:\ the contents of the images will be in h:\ and the base and RPM folder should be as h:\base and h:\RPMS folder respectively.

This is the only way that i could think for USB installation using HDD option on install from in linux installation.

Do reply if u get it working

I cannot try on my computers here as i dnt have a USB drive of that big size but is definately intersting one to try.

Best of LUCK

Regards

JAS

Keep it simple. There is a boot.iso image in the images directory which you can burn to CD. It supports most install methods. If you have a fast connection (broadband), you can even choose the ftp method. The installation takes longer than from CD-ROM, but not when you include the time to download the CD images and burn them. I use that method here, and I use a CD-RW for the boot image so I can be more gentle to my local land fill. IIRC it also supports the HDD method. you simply provide the path to the boot image and go from there.

HTH,

Thank you for your answer.

I thought about using that one, but the download page says:
So I thought that it was just for Internet installation. I have a wireless card that has never been identified at install time by any of the distros, I've had to install ndiswrapper after the Linux installation is done.

I'll download it and try.

Thanks again.

I tried the Mini-iso (not too mini by the way)

It does not have the option to install from HDD, only from the Internet.

Thank you anyway.

i am looking to do a clean install using the hdd method to, with a usb key...
i found
http://fedora.redhat.com/docs/fedora...ring-usb-media

but i want to use mandriva.... and i cant find the same thin...

I have done install from Hard drive with Mandrake/Mandraiva before and it easy.

I always download all the cds and make my own dvd's. I burn the first CD & a DVD. (My server has only a cd reader)

I put the CD in and when it get to the spash screen hit f1.
type in alt0 <enter>
It will ask you what type of install. "Hard Drive" "Network" "Cdrom" This is where you select the Hard drive installition.

I don't understand what is meant by installing from HDD

Someone might enlighten me.
I've always installed from DVD which sets up a RAM disk in memory and installs to HDA1 ,5 and 6 from there.

So why "install from HDD" Do you mean you copy the installation iso to the hard drive and then boot it from the hard drive? Or is it something else ?

My understanding is that you dump nearly everything (everything?) to a HD,
in a non bootable partition, bootstrap the install from a floppy, cd,
or via a network interface, and then the install proceed from the HD.
FreeBSD for example can work that way.
As to why, say you have a laptop without cd burning capability
but a large HD, and a net connection... (that is just one example)

Never tried with mandriva though, but courtrrb has just explained how to do it.

To courtrrb
That is interesting. What is the recipe for this? This must involve
a bit of folders manipulation, and urpmi-media setup...
Do you mind explaining how you merge the CDs?
Also, I suppose you need to create an iso before burning the whole thing
(or you can just drag and drop "the tree of files/folder" from the HD in k3b.
(I suppose you are best posting a new thread if you answer that)
I have seen the reverse done as well (DVDs to CDs), it seems tricky
because one needs to make the right selection for the 1st CD.