Re: Installation question.
On Thu, Apr 03, 2003 at 09:25:38AM -0600, Sale, Nigel wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> I'm trying to install Debian (test) on a laptop which has one pcmcia slot,
> currently occupied by a nic, but no floppy or cdrom.
>
> The hard disk currently has a small win98 partition which works fine, and I
> can download stuff quite happily, and run loadlin to install.
>
> The problem is, as far as I can work out, the installation kernel, doesn't
> have pcmcia support, so I can't do a net install, and obviously I can't do a
> cdrom install.
>
> Ideally, I'm looking for a kernel/install which does have pcmcia support,
> (other distros do), anyone any ideas where I can find such a thing, or
> another way of doing it?
>
> Nigel
The most popular method is usually to split the windows partition in
parts with some utility you can bring up, fetch a bunch of the bits into
your win98 FAT filesystem, then use them to get the installer rolling.
Forgive me if you need more gruesome techie detail; if you do, just say
so. This is an exec summary just to get you going.
If you have
another system which you can install debian to temporarily
then you have an easy way - install a minimum there, maybe it will take
20 to 150 MB. Tarball the working result up... let's call that
mini.tgz.
Regardless of that possibly helpful extra, you need to split the
partition up into your linux and win sides. There are a handful of
commercial tools for this, but you have no cdrom :/ The most popular
until the advent of winMe, winXP, win2k was FIPS - it only knows how
to cut up vfat filesystems, it runs from pure DOS mode, and it doesn't
cost anything. :D
The recipe:
1. download the following goodies into your mswin space, from
the internet:
(a) FIPS into C:\
(b) enough debian bits for a harddrive based install,
into C:\debian
(c) if you've got that mini.tgz, it too
(d) .deb files for a debian kernel, its matching
-pcmcia-modules, the matching pcmcia-cs-nnn.deb.
2. turn off your swapfile. Yes, off. It'll make you reboot.
3. Expect boot time to be like molasses. Turn off all started
apps and tray widgets.* Defragment your drive. Expect that
to be molasses too.
* If you're particularly wizardly in the ways of mswin, keep
these things from starting in the first place...
4. reboot into plain msdos mode. Run FIPS. Give your windows enough
space...
(a) to grow into its security updates
(b) to get its swapfile back
(c) maybe a little room for docs
(d) in case you need a few more things from the net...
(by hand)
5. LOADLIN/boot into a rescue disc mode.
6. use fdisk from linux to repartition the now freed space
into linux space. format these as ext2 and make sure
to have a swap partition.
CAVEAT: most laptops want the hibernation space
left alone. If you can't find where yours is,
stop and go find it before setting this in
stone...
7. mount up the new disk space in the order you like
8. unpack mini.tgz so it lands in the new space
9. tweak /etc/fstab in the target space so it's right
10. set your bootloader for dual boot
(by debian normal methods)
5. LOADLIN/boot into the installer
6. use alt-f2 or another f-key to get to a console.
mount up your vfat filesystem so it can be seen.
switch back to the console with the installer menu.
7. pay really close attention for the option to load
extra kernel services, and load pcmcia stuff.
8. whenever it bugs you about where to get bits from,
tell it to try the disk space you mounted up, It
may be willing to search, even.
9. Installer should proceed fairly normally otherwise
10. make sure the bootloader offers both OS'
11. boot into mswin and set your swapfile to fixed size - same
minimum and maximum. Unless your drive is really really
small this should result in a speed improvement as mswin's
"dynamic swapfile" tricks cost time in trade for memory
freedom.
Now you'll want to be veerrrrrrrrrrrrry careful with your bootloader
sets since you have limited ability to fix things, even if both OS'
are proper, with a mucked bootloader.
Ok, that's it. Enjoy, salt to taste, serves at least 1 (many more if
you turn on web or other networked services :D)
* Heather Stern * star@ many places...
* Starshine Technical Services -*- 800 938 4078
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