Linux install

Does anyone know of a way to install linux without using a live CD. I've only ever done it live cd wise and atm im trying to get a linux distro on a laptop with a broken cd drive. any help would be appreciated. Thanks -Tonz

get a virtual cd drive thingy, like powerISO, download the image for a linux install disk and run it off the virtual drive.

mr noob wrote: get a virtual cd drive thingy, like powerISO, download the image for a linux install disk and run it off the virtual drive.

QFT.

Not exactly the most indepth explanation.

Google it :)

Wouldn't a virtual drive only work in a dual-boot situation?

Zephyr_Pure wrote: Wouldn't a virtual drive only work in a dual-boot situation?

You could remove windows from the linux environment or something.

virtual cd drives work in any kind of boot mode

mr noob wrote: virtual cd drives work in any kind of boot mode

That much is obvious. However, my thought was that using a virtual CD drive to install Linux as the only OS on a machine would only be possible if the current OS ran completely out of RAM and if no system files were protected by the OS.

I may be wrong, though. I'd probably test installing as a single-boot on another system first, though… don't want to be stuck with no OS on the laptop with no CD drive.

Check the BIOS options in laptop for the possibilities to boot from usb, if so, you can use external usb drive or 2G pendrive. On another computer you can prepare linux on pendrive , and that could be knoppix SLAX ( backtrack or DVL ) and some more ( actually any distro but these are the easiest to install). Then just put the stick into the right slot. :)

Well, yeah, if he has the option to boot from USB, then he can just put the install CD on a USB drive and forget all about virtual drives and such.

i'll look into the USB thing when i get home. But dont i have to do something to make it read like a cd? idk. Thanks for your help

tonzofgunz25 wrote: i'll look into the USB thing when i get home. But dont i have to do something to make it read like a cd? idk. Thanks for your help

Yeah… you have to use SysLinux. Or, if you're planning on using a Slax-based distro, you could use MySlax, and it will do it for you. SysLinux is not that hard to use, though… Google, and you will find a number of good tuts.

u should just use a virtual machine. u can install it from iso's and run linux in ur current os

ps saphyr_pure ur inbox is full

From the sound of the laptop, I'm not sure a virtual machine would be an option…

yea… virtual machine would probably be slow as hell… honestly i just wanna get some use out of this thing. would anything be small enough for a floppy drive? if i did the virtual CD drive would i be able to format over the win98 files?

tonzofgunz25 wrote: yea… virtual machine would probably be slow as hell… honestly i just wanna get some use out of this thing. would anything be small enough for a floppy drive?

Tom's Boot Disk is small enough for a floppy drive. Pretty limited, though. :)

if i did the virtual CD drive would i be able to format over the win98 files?

Probably not completely; you could try, though. Your best bet might just be to give that machine a network connection and have it access a fileshare on your main computer, containing the files for the Linux install. That could work… if not, look into network installations for your OS of choice.

install through a network… this sounds like it might work. TO GOOGLE!