Tiny Core Linux

Tiny Core Base => TCB Q&A Forum => Topic started by: sam on September 08, 2012, 12:36:16 PM

Title: Installing TCL and bootloader to partition
Post by: sam on September 08, 2012, 12:36:16 PM

Hello people, I'd like to install Tiny Core as an ultra-minimalist OS with nothing I don't want/need, to add just the essentials I really want (Firefox etc) to. Had a go at doing it with Arch and Gentoo but had difficulty getting my wireless adapter to pick up (Netgear WNA1100 N150) and I'm not a Linux expert either so only half knew what I was doing installing the system from command line.

So what I wanted was a minimalist (but GUI) distribution that would provide auto-detection (or at least easy setup) for my hardware and a GUI-based installation to start building up the system from.

My main system drive is an SSD with Windows 7, which I really want to avoid touching with Linux installations. Had bad experiences in the past with Grub being written over the Windows BCD on my SSD MBR. So I want Tiny Core on sdc3, with Grub (or whatever TC uses) also installed to sdc3 (so NOT sdc or any other drive's MBR). I downloaded Tiny Core Plus 4.5.6 and clicked the icon to install, and I see the destination drive choice and the checkbox to install bootloader, but no indication of WHERE the bootloader will be installed. Can anyone confirm that it will end up on sdc3 along with TC? Also, obviously I want the partition to be bootable, but isn't that already handled by the boot flag and bootloader installation? What's the bootable checkbox for?

Thanks for your help!

Title: Re: Installing TCL and bootloader to partition
Post by: curaga on September 08, 2012, 02:18:49 PM

The bootloader checkbox will always install it to the MBR, IIRC. The bootable checkbox is indeed for setting the boot flag in the partition table.

For such a custom setup the GUI won't do it, so you should install with the GUI without a bootloader, and then set up the bootloader manually so it's the way you want.

Title: Re: Installing TCL and bootloader to partition
Post by: sam on September 08, 2012, 03:03:41 PM

Thanks for your reply curaga, could you tell me what the process / command lines would be to download and install Grub to sdc3 after installation without bootloader?

Title: Re: Installing TCL and bootloader to partition
Post by: curaga on September 08, 2012, 05:06:11 PM

See
http://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/install_manual.html

Title: Re: Installing TCL and bootloader to partition
Post by: sam on September 08, 2012, 07:29:52 PM

Yeah I looked through those but it's not clear how I'd boot into Tiny Core in the first place without a bootloader in order to download the bootloader?

Title: Re: Installing TCL and bootloader to partition
Post by: tinypoodle on September 08, 2012, 09:51:56 PM

Huh?
In first post you describe running the GUI installer, that implies you have booted core...

Title: Re: Installing TCL and bootloader to partition
Post by: curaga on September 09, 2012, 02:29:32 AM

^ You can download the bootloader from the live session.