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Author Topic: How do I install TinyCorelinux on new hardware?  (Read 2611 times)

tinycorelinux

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How do I install TinyCorelinux on new hardware?
« on: October 13, 2021, 01:54:43 AM »
my computer only supports UEFI mode, not Legacy mode. How do I install TinyCorelinux? Thanks.

Offline Juanito

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Offline PDP-8

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Re: How do I install TinyCorelinux on new hardware?
« Reply #2 on: October 13, 2021, 03:14:34 AM »
Some added clarity about newer hardware and CorePure64.

Don't even think of doing a simple "dd" or using etcher or the like to burn this iso as it appears as an iso9660 format.

On most modern uefi-only hardware, if it recognizes an iso9660 format, it will refuse to boot from it.  Probably a security issue.  You may be able to read from it, but the firmware will refuse to boot from iso9660.

So it is best to think of the corepure64 iso as a handy way to get to the distribution files and other tcz's to use when *manually* making the usb stick as Juanito and others have detailed in those threads.

I was tearing my hair out because I used to do a simple dd or burn of a 32 bit iso to kick the tires, and then do a proper install from it using the installer tcz's to another stick proper.

But you can't even kick the tires with the corepure64 iso with a simple dd / burn because very modern hardware has locked out the ability to boot from an iso9660 format whether it is a true physical cd or stick that looks like one.

Long story short - don't futz around trying to boot the iso itself.  Make the stick manually.
That's a UNIX book! - cool  -- Garth

Offline PDP-8

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Re: How do I install TinyCorelinux on new hardware?
« Reply #3 on: November 05, 2021, 11:15:28 PM »
My last reply was probably a bit less than helpful.  Let's try again. :)

For intermediate users not up to making their own stick, but not afraid to edit some files after creation.  It is not a one-click user solution for the TinyCorePure64 iso.

One combination that works well on even my crankiest uefi-only hardware is using the front end of this gpl multibooter from 2018:

https://github.com/mbusb/multibootusb/releases/tag/v9.2.0

Debs, rpms, source, and even windows exe.

The advantage here is that unlike Ventoy, is that you still have the ability to edit TinyCore's grub.cfg to fine tune your environment when you are done.  This can be done easily enough when TC doesn't boot up to the full gui environment, so you use the cli to do so.

The grub.cfg you want to edit will be in the tinycore directory as usual.

If it appears to have non-unix line endings, then you can simply clean them up before editing with

Code: [Select]
dos2unix [file]
In this case, it would be grub.cfg

In this multiboot environment, it won't be able to find the cde extension directory of course.  After initial boot and immediate drop to the cli, you'll want to recursively copy the cde directory to the root directory of your desired target partition.  AND don't forget to change the name from cde to tce.

Ideally, make sure your tinycore grub.cfg now points to the tce directory, although it should be picked up automatically if you don't.  Study the faqs and posts here for how best to edit your grub.cfg, but this should get one past the initial hump.

Note that this combination works as of 2021 with the 64 bit iso of V12.  As with any 3rd party utility, there is no guarantee that this will work with future releases with either multibootusb or TC itself.



« Last Edit: November 05, 2021, 11:17:47 PM by PDP-8 »
That's a UNIX book! - cool  -- Garth