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Geek Culture / Linux help?

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Mr Snuggles
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Posted: 11th Jun 2007 19:33
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I've got an old Dell laptop with a crappy debian distro on it, and I want to replace it with a different crappy distro that I've got on a usbdisk. My bios is too old to boot from USB, and I have no cdrom drive. Does anyone know how I could accomplish this?

loli haet pizza
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zenassem
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Posted: 11th Jun 2007 20:49 Edited at: 11th Jun 2007 20:51
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Does the bios have PXE boot (boot from LAN) for the Ethernet card? If so you could set up PXE server on antoher comp on your network. Boot the computer have have it connect to the server, and then download the BOOT image, from another computer.

May be more complex then your ready to tackle.

I'll have to see if there is any USB support hacks for DrDos or somtehing, that will fit on a floppy since you have no cd-rom drive.

You could always connect it to another computer using a com port and serial cable.


That's all that I can think of right now.

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GatorHex
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Posted: 11th Jun 2007 20:54
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Can you do it the old skool way with a linux boot floppy?

Once it boots it gets the rest of the files from the USB.

DinoHunter http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=98385&b=8
CPU/GPU Benchmark http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=101716&b=5
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Mr Snuggles
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Posted: 11th Jun 2007 21:00
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I've looked but I can't seem to find a linux boot floppy that's got USB support. Ethernet's not an option as I've got a 3com card but no dongle And I don't have any serial cables. I was hoping for someone to tell me that I can install one linux off the usb from the other linux, so that when I reboot it's the new linux. I guess that can't be done?

loli haet pizza
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zenassem
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Posted: 11th Jun 2007 21:01 Edited at: 11th Jun 2007 21:02
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Quote: "Can you do it the old skool way with a linux boot floppy?

Once it boots it gets the rest of the files from the USB."


Possibly, I know i had a Tiny-linux a while back. I just can't remember if it had USB support.

[EDIT] Was posting at the same time as snuggles.

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Mr Snuggles
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Posted: 11th Jun 2007 21:06
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--Just as an explanation, CD drive died after I installed the "Auditor Security Collection" like beta 0.0000...00001, so I got totally stuck with it and now I want DamnSmallLinux but I'm totally monkeyed by lack of connectivity to... anything.

loli haet pizza
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zenassem
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Posted: 11th Jun 2007 21:06
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Quote: "I was hoping for someone to tell me that I can install one linux off the usb from the other linux, so that when I reboot it's the new linux. I guess that can't be done?"


Well i was assuming the version you have didn't support your USB thumb-drive. If it does, than of course that's the way to go. Do you have enough room to copy the install. If yes, than does that version have a partion manager as a part of the install.

Linux distro's vary greatly by vender, and by version, so it's impossible for us to tell. For all tense and purposes you could have compiled you own kernel and have a binary file. I'm just not sure what tools you hae available. Do you have a separate partition avail. If so, then i would set it up as dual boot (depending on room) and then wipe-out the old version once you are satisfied with the new version.

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Mr Snuggles
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Posted: 11th Jun 2007 21:22
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I've got a second partition that's currently got a dead version of windows on it. The current Linux install I've got is Debian... somethin, and the version I want to install is Damn Vulnerable Linux 1.1 that I ripped to usb from a live CD. Can I just wipe my windows partition and copy the rip straight to it? Or more complicated?

loli haet pizza
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Mr Snuggles
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Posted: 12th Jun 2007 00:57
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I got it! Configured grub to include the kernel and initrd files, and it worked (though it still thinks it's a live cd ).

loli haet pizza
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