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Re: debian install from USB floppy/network/existing Linux install



Am Fre, 23. Nov 2001, 20:06:33 +0000 schrieb Robin Stephenson:
[...]
> ** Is there any way currently to load the root disk part of the Debian 
> install (second "root/bin" floppy) from a USB floppy?  The BIOS 
> supported the  first boot, but the Linux kernel simply panicked when it 
> came time to switch to the second disk.  I tried replacing the kernel on 
> the first floppy with a USB-capable statically-linked kernel, but still 
> with no success.
> 
> ** Now I'm getting desperate.  I've installed RedHat into a primary 
> partition on my hard drive.  Cunningly (I hope) I put my swap file in an 
> extended partition together with loads of free space.  The MBR fires up 
> GRUB, courtesy of the RedHat install, giving me a choice between Windows 
> ME and RedHat 7.2.  How can I get from this position into a dual-boot 
> Windows ME/Debian install?  My current partition table looks like this:

So you have GRUB. GRUB knows the command "initrd" (I never tried it
though). The process should be something like this:

On the GRUB command line load the kernel from the rescue disk:

   grub> kernel (fd0)/linux 

(I don't really know whats the name of the kernel, but GRUB has
tab-completion... Also, there are probably some kernel Options, which
syslinux suplies by default)

Next, put the root disk in, and try something like:

   grub> initrd (fd0)+2880
   grub> boot

Or have the root.bin on some partition and simply load it from there:

   grub> initrd (hd0,$a)/path/to/root.bin
   grub> boot

You should put the drivers.tgz somewhere where you can acces it later.

Of course, there are higher level methods of installing Debian
directly from RedHat, but I am not the one, who can tell you about
that.

I hope this helps (and works) in your case, but I guess it would be
hard to turn this into a general method. The tricky part would be to
get grub going from Windows ME without a floppy drive.

Jö.

-- 
It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.
-- Albert Einstein

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