Tiny Core Linux

Tiny Core Base => TCB Q&A Forum => Topic started by: quellen on May 11, 2014, 01:57:52 PM

Title: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: quellen on May 11, 2014, 01:57:52 PM
Hello folks,
I want to install "Core Plus" on my old notebook (2001), but his CD reader is broken :-(

Can I install "Core Plus" with a bootable floppy disk + Pendrive USB (or floppy + hard disk)?

Something like that:
Code: [Select]
http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/wiki/boot_floppies.html(In the same notebook I have installed DSL)

I tried with PDLFLOPPY, but doesn't work good: Core Plus starts in text mode, without XWindow.

Thanks.
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: Misalf on May 11, 2014, 02:48:04 PM
While you have DSL already installed, you could use it to install CorePlus manually.

Do you have an  /tce/optional  directory?

What is the content of your bootloaders config file?
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: quellen on May 11, 2014, 04:12:17 PM
While you have DSL already installed, you could use it to install CorePlus manually.

Do you have an  /tce/optional  directory?

no
Code: [Select]
$ ls -A
.bash_profile
.rr_moved
bin
boot
cdrom
dev
etc
floppy
home
lib
lost+found
mnt
none
opt
proc
root
sbin
tmp
usr
var
What is the content of your bootloaders config file?

Code: [Select]
$cat /boot/grub/menu.lst
# This sets the default entry to boot.
# Remember that GRUB counts from 0, so 1 is the second entry.

default 0

# This sets the length of time in seconds that grub will wait for the user to select an OS
# before it boots the default on. I reccommend at least 15 seconds.

timeout 15

# Enter the entry for DSL here. Something like this.

title DSL
kernel /boot/linux24 root=/dev/hda1 quiet vga=normal noacpi noapm nodma noscsi frugal

title DSL fb800x600
kernel /boot/linux24 root=/dev/hda1 quiet vga=788 noacpi noapm nodma noscsi frugal

title DSL fb1024x768
kernel /boot/linux24 root=/dev/hda1 quiet vga=791 noacpi noapm nodma noscsi frugal

title DSL fb1280x1024
kernel /boot/linux24 root=/dev/hda1 quiet vga=794 noacpi noapm nodma noscsi frugal

#title DSL with toram, mydsl, restore, hostname, and passwords
#kernel /boot/linux24 root=/dev/hda1 quiet vga=normal noacpi noapm noscsi frugal dma toram mydsl=hda5 restore=hda5 host=DSL1 secure

#title DSL with XFree86
#kernel /boot/linux24 root=/dev/hda1 quiet vga=normal noacpi noapm noscsi frugal dma toram mydsl=hda5/xfree restore=hda6 host=DSL1 secure

#title DSL with mydsl, restore, persistentancy, hostname, and passwords
#kernel /boot/linux24 root=/dev/hda1 quiet vga=normal noacpi noapm noscsi frugal dma toram mydsl=hda3 restore=hda3 home=hda3 opt=hda3 host=DSL1 secure

#title DSL Runlevel 2
#kernel /boot/linux24 root=/dev/hda1 quiet vga=normal noacpi noapm noscsi nodma frugal 2 base norestore

#title DSL Check filesystem(s)
#kernel /boot/linux24 root=/dev/hda1 quiet vga=normal noacpi noapm noscsi nodma frugal 2 toram legacy base norestore checkfs

#title Windows
#root (hd0,0)
#chainloader +1
#makeactive
#boot

Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: curaga on May 11, 2014, 04:14:02 PM
Please note that if your grub was installed by DSL, it is too old to boot modern linux kernels. You will need to upgrade your grub first.
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: quellen on May 11, 2014, 04:37:35 PM
How Can I upgrade grub from DSL?
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: Misalf on May 11, 2014, 04:47:14 PM
Quote
I tried with PDLFLOPPY, but doesn't work good: Core Plus starts in text mode, without XWindow.

Maybe it helps to add the  waitusb=5  bootcode to your boot floppy's bootloader.

If you're lucky, PLOP Boot Manager (http://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager/index.html) will be able to boot from USB if your BIOS is not natively able to.
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: quellen on May 11, 2014, 05:19:42 PM
i've just tried PLOP, but it doesn't work.

Can I install CorePlus in text mode?
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: coreplayer2 on May 11, 2014, 05:47:14 PM
Plop works good but maybe dependent on the old PC
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: Misalf on May 11, 2014, 05:52:09 PM
Too bad. Plop doesn't work on all systems (old laptops).


Quote
Can I install CorePlus in text mode?
Manually, yes. But I think something is wrong with your USB installation.
How did you get Core on USB pendrive in the first place?

Quote
Do you have an  /tce/optional  directory?
... on your USB pendrive?
Quote
What is the content of your bootloaders config file?
... on your boot floppy?


I'd suggest to install manually from DSL. Then edit your boot loader accordingly.
Just mount the CorePlus.iso and create/copy files to your HDD using this layout:
Code: [Select]
.
|
`---+/tce/
    |-- onboot.lst
    |---+/boot/
    |   |-- vmlinuz
    |   `-- core.gz
    `---+/optional/
        `-- *.tcz
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: volkerp on May 11, 2014, 06:00:11 PM
Quote
I tried with PDLFLOPPY, but doesn't work good: Core Plus starts in text mode, without XWindow.

Quote
Can I install CorePlus in text mode?

?

Did you correctly dd a CorePlus ISO image to a USB pendrive?
If yes, did you try to boot from it?
If yes, what happened than?

Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: quellen on May 12, 2014, 06:12:01 AM
SOLVED!
i tried with another penderive and now FLOP works good. ;-)

but works only with X/GUI.
with other windows doesn't work, it doesn't load desktop screen:
(http://oi61.tinypic.com/2na4d5g.jpg)

maybe my computer is not powerful enough?
CPU: Pentium 3 1GHz
RAM: 120MB
HDD: 10GB
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: quellen on May 16, 2014, 04:50:15 AM
How Can I do the full installation? I see only the frugal installation.
Title: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: coreplayer2 on May 16, 2014, 05:07:55 AM
The X on the blank screen usually means a window manager is missing, so add one

tce-ab comes in really handy for this.
 boot to a prompt or simply exit X (Ctrl + Alt + F1) and type tce-ab   Then search for flwm_topside for example and follow the prompts to install it onboot
Then sudo reboot

Frugal install is the most  desired and standard install for TC


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: tinypoodle on May 16, 2014, 05:37:10 AM
I couldn't see any reason to reboot, but rather just 'startx' after loading a wm.
Title: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: coreplayer2 on May 16, 2014, 06:06:01 AM
Hi tiny poodle,   I didn't explain  how to exit X, so figured it easier to reboot.  Would have been more desirable to use CTR + Alt + Backspace but  I think there is a recent I discussion on that issue
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: quellen on May 16, 2014, 08:42:17 AM
with X/GUI, Core Plus works. but I can't do the full installation: when I select USB-HDD, the label "Existing Partitions" is shadow and  I can't select it. why? i dont't want to install it in whole disk!

(http://oi59.tinypic.com/2n0uiqp.jpg)

my hard disk (10GB) has this partitions:

sda1: DSL (EXT2) 2GB
sda2: Windows 2000 (FAT32) 3GB
sda3: Linux Swap 270MB
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: coreplayer2 on May 16, 2014, 12:52:01 PM
You can only select a partition in Frugal Mode install

So select  Frugal > Existing Partition > desired partition > forward arrow (next)

;)
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: quellen on May 16, 2014, 01:16:04 PM
thanks, but i don't like the frugal installation . i want a full installation.
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: coreplayer2 on May 16, 2014, 01:27:53 PM
Define full installation please?

I see Frugal as a Full installation.   If you're talking about scatter mode install, I don't believe that is supported, certainly scatter mode install is discouraged.


USB-HDD & USB-ZIP  is relative to BIOS compatibility (These modes use whole disk only).  I'm thinking PC's with a BIOS which needs USB-HDD and USB-ZIP support are almost extinct

That said, I think maybe there is some confusion over Full install??

Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: quellen on May 16, 2014, 02:54:16 PM
I mean something like DSL, with all directories: /etc /usr /var /proc ecc...
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: gerald_clark on May 16, 2014, 03:02:33 PM
Core has all these directories too.
They are in RAM just like they are in DSL.
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: quellen on May 16, 2014, 03:46:29 PM
in DSL  the directories are in hard disk, not in RAM.
Title: Re: Boot from floppy + USB
Post by: gerald_clark on May 16, 2014, 03:49:20 PM
Not in the DSL I have used.