Boot from floppy and install arch from flash stick - NO CDR - USB 1.1

yvonney · 2009-01-28 08:35:00

MY PREVIOUS POST BELOW BECAME A HARD DRIVE INSTALL POST WHICH HAS HELPED THOUGH ISN'T ON SUBJECT CURRENTLY AND I STILL NEED SOLUTION - Now at day 3 :-) - sorry!

I have old laptop with a very broken CDR... so just a floppy and a hard drive and 2 USB 1.1 ports.

[Need commands and which floppy is best]

The USB install WIKI

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ins … _USB_stick

says to write the .img file to flash stick...

--- that I can do!

Though trying a similar process:
I've had no luck with a hard drive install (also on wiki) as I believe that once I write the .img file to the hard drive it WILL boot though can't create mount points as the drive's in use!

Anyways...

IF I have the flash stick with the .img file on it as per the wiki instructions
what commands would I use and what boot floppy would work for:

- booting from floppy

- mounting? the flash stick with arch core on it

- then installing from there to single hard drive partition.

thing is I'm just barely ok with using

dd fdisk and mke2fs

So: I need to know what command to mount USB stick... then HOW do I get arch installer on the img file to boot up??

Any guru tips really needed ....thank you!

Last edited by yvonney (2009-01-28 08:44:59)

ahcaliskan · 2009-01-28 17:08:44

simple dd will boot your flash stick, however, you have to have usb boot sport in your BIOS, which I doubt you have, since it's an old laptop. Try instead an external CD, with usb support.

yvonney · 2009-01-28 19:58:49

ok ahcaliskan...
what I need is the best way to use what I have.. I don't have an external cdr and as I only have usb 1.1 ....well,

I used to just take the hd out of the laptop and install it on a different pc with the little ide ribbon cable adaptor to make it fit on full size IDE.. that comes with issues due to the laptop having a broken CDR so installing from a CDR on the other desktop pc enbeds knowledge of the secondary ide in the kernel or something ..... and anyways it's not a powerful skill to have like being able to boot from floppy and install from a flash stick on an old usb 1.1 laptop... and it's messy like I pointed out.

so..... I have heard that it is possible to modify things like the puppy linux wakepup floppy to get it to

1) BOOT from a floppy
2) Find / mount and boot the USB 1.1 flash stick that has an expanded .img file on it of arch core.... then go thru the install creating partition and setting mountpoints etc etc etc...

Here's what I should do though NEED to have the floppy boot mount and run the arch core installer on the flash stick.
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ins … _USB_stick

And here's the ubuntu posts about modifying the wakepup flopppy from puppy linux

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=573508&page=2

I've also done the full tutorial that eldamar is still helping me with in my other post. Install from hard drive.
I've had a good week of learning though still need to get some magic going on this...

http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php? … 14#p488414

there HAS to be a way...

:--)

Last edited by yvonney (2009-01-28 20:03:19)

ahcaliskan · 2009-01-28 20:24:23

I agree, there are many ways of installing linux. Why not install puppylinux via floppy and then archlinux through it? Read this if you find it interesting:
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ins … ting_Linux
http://puppylinux.org/wiki/archives/old … iskinstall

Another option is to update your BIOS.

Last edited by ahcaliskan (2009-01-28 20:28:05)

yvonney · 2009-01-28 20:39:49

ahcaliskan ooooooo good stuff! thanks! that should keep me busy... hehehe

the first thing I think is... I ONLY want/HAVE one partition made on my laptop....
So... as I'm very beginner with dd mke2fs and fdisk I wil have fun...

I have been struggling with 'almost' getting puppy to boot into ram with a flash stick as I have funny vlack screen problem at end of boot sequence

So, I put in wakepup floppy, run puppy in ram then somehow access a second flash stick which has the arch core .img file expanded to it...

hmmm... why can I not boot up a good floppy linux ...I have one from eldamar's tutorial which is a two floppy boot which mounts the flash sticks very very well... I used it to attempt a hard drive install though am now thinking that I only have/want ONE partition on the drive so I can read the arch core from it AND install to same partition...

well, this is all nice .... I will think and think and think...

IS there a way to start the installer of arch core FROM a usb flash stick.... so I boot from floppy and go from there?

ahcaliskan · 2009-01-28 20:47:08

I think that your best option is to find out how to install from FTP, which most linux distros offer. However, since you can't boot usb, you need a floppy image for ftp install. Here is a redhat and debian solution:
http://www.linuxmigration.com/quickref/ … ml#bootnet
http://stason.org/TULARC/os/linux-faq/0 … g-FTP.html
http://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/dists/e … es/floppy/

ArchLinux Floppy + USB installation:
http://www.eldamar.se/2009/01/archlinux … tallation/

Also, make cdrom bootable through GRUB:
http://www.gentoo-wiki.info/GRUB/Chainloaded_CD-ROM

I think there are some solutions for usb-stick, making them bootable, perhaps GRUB can make it possible as well.
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-re … 43532.html

pendrivelinux.com offers a tool to make usb bootable despite unsupported BIOS.

Boot from USB
http://www.weethet.nl/english/hardware_ … bstick.php

Ok, I've provided you with more resources, and I hope that you'll manage installing archlinux in some way!

Last edited by ahcaliskan (2009-01-28 21:14:10)

yvonney · 2009-01-28 21:16:50

Highly grateful ahcaliskan... and i will enjoy learning and write as soon as I can to respond on details.
I do not use a cdr in this laptop only floppy and hard drive.
I am currently not getting puppy to boot into ram though it is a finny problem and should be working.

thank you for being part of my improving.

yvonney · 2009-01-28 21:21:38

On the pendrive site which is much bigger than when I was there months ago... I see that they have create boot cd for usb boot if bios can't boot...
I am wondering if this can be adapted 'by me' to do same from floppy boot.

Also, I have enjoyed eldamar's help and done his tutorial though don't yet get why my arch witll go thru install then fail and i'm trying again after that though not allowed to create mountpoints... I think it is because the .img file is on the partition I try to install to.

this is not clear for me.

I like the idea:

boot floppy, mount and install arch from flash stick to the one partition hard drive. all without cdr.

Last edited by yvonney (2009-01-28 21:22:32)

ahcaliskan · 2009-01-28 21:30:38

Do whatever you feel right. I think you'll manage it soon or later, just take your time and consider the options you have. I wish archlinux could provide floppy images for ftp installation. Perhaps you could push this development forward, who knows

yvonney · 2009-01-29 02:36:02

Like most of us. through perserverence and kind assists there's a kinda guarantee that there will be ways to get exactly the desired result.... nice! I'll write soon!

Right now it's my very very presky puppy floppy boot issues...it goes almost all the way then black screen... and I'm working thru that to get to some ARCH magic... hehehe

There's so many interesting things to think and read on thanks to you and eldamar this week....

Here's the eldamar post so they're both linked up:

http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php? … 77#p488877

best wishes everyone!

Kirurgs · 2009-02-02 10:37:39

Posting laptop specs would be really good idea in the first place
I built my own router using old Intel Celeron 1.2GHz (Tualatin) and some really old motherboard for Socket 370, dated early 2000s, which does BOOT from USB - I have to set option to enable legacy USB + set first boot device as HDD, apparently flash is considered as HDD ... Actually I boot OS from that USB and it works like a charm Is Your laptop THAT old that it can't boot from USB?
Installation from USB should be very easy, like from CD...

P.S. Rememeber that Arch is i686 which is equivalent to at least PentiumII...

Last edited by Kirurgs (2009-02-02 10:40:16)

yvonney · 2009-02-03 02:06:25

nice Kirurgs

doesn't boot from usb... and CDR very broken... good though as I've learned a lot....

dell inspiron 2500 1 ghz pentium III

method 1) used puppy after booting off wakepup2 floppy ....very handy that wakepup flopppy though be advised there's several versions of wakpup2 and try the second boot option on the aug or sept 2008 version it WILL find your USB device even if like me I had an old 128 meg one. also, Crash, a guy at the puppy forums has a 3 floppy set that's specific to whatever puppy version you're running... try that as a last resort

UN-NECESSARY BLATHER COMMENT: The way those puppys are created weird me out., the more I looked around, Yes, I've read a wee bit about Aufs, and what goes into the whole persistent thing.... seems like lotsa almost impossible to ever 'really' know stuff is going on it there.... Consider the source of that comment of course... I have huge blank spots in my knowledge and skill and am actually only a relentless year one linux'r... [not counting 6 years of hum and haw] though I'd wanna build my own live arch usb with tips from here before I ever tried to REALLY figure out what goes into creating puppy. I'm saying that at one or two points I thought.. hmnmm... perhaps puppy on this old laptop.... though concluded that ARCH for ALL things is really the only option. puppy's a great boot and hunt around thing though (for me, and in my current opinion).

method 2) eldamar and eldamar's guide which started me towards success .. which I basically now just do the dd command to an empty partition after booting from puppy .... THEN thrown in a supergrub floppy .... have it 'bring alive' the partition I've just dd'd the arch .img to.... and reboot.... oh, and from puppy I can create partitions as well.. gparted I think.

method 3) untested also can use plop floppy it's a boot loader... you may be able to get slitaz distro to create one for you through the 'bootfloppybox' terminal command... not sure if it uses the old floppy linux version of PloP or the win version or what.... dunnno dunno!!! gotta go! :--)

crazy busy so writing to say... pretty much all fine! :--)

for me this move was 3-4 days of lots of WONDERFUL bad luck... with everything from puppy hell, my partial-dumbness and back..

thing is.... I'm real good at it now.... hehehehe

gotta love problems!

Last edited by yvonney (2009-02-03 17:27:56)

eldamar · 2009-02-04 14:47:43

yvonney,
maby this would help: http://www.freewebs.com/tsj/bootingUSB_ldp_v0.1.htm

yvonney · 2009-02-04 17:22:35

yes....! With where I am now after last week's learning about dd etc. etc. That's very relevant and nicely clear .....

I did get everything going beautifully and even did a kernel downgrade last night on the laptop after FTP install as my old install and updating the kernel was what (it turns out) started the whole 'need' to re-install thing ....

Arch Linux

#1 2009-01-28 08:35:00

Boot from floppy and install arch from flash stick - NO CDR - USB 1.1

#2 2009-01-28 17:08:44

Re: Boot from floppy and install arch from flash stick - NO CDR - USB 1.1

#3 2009-01-28 19:58:49

Re: Boot from floppy and install arch from flash stick - NO CDR - USB 1.1

#4 2009-01-28 20:24:23

Re: Boot from floppy and install arch from flash stick - NO CDR - USB 1.1

#5 2009-01-28 20:39:49

Re: Boot from floppy and install arch from flash stick - NO CDR - USB 1.1

#6 2009-01-28 20:47:08

Re: Boot from floppy and install arch from flash stick - NO CDR - USB 1.1

#7 2009-01-28 21:16:50

Re: Boot from floppy and install arch from flash stick - NO CDR - USB 1.1

#8 2009-01-28 21:21:38

Re: Boot from floppy and install arch from flash stick - NO CDR - USB 1.1

#9 2009-01-28 21:30:38

Re: Boot from floppy and install arch from flash stick - NO CDR - USB 1.1

#10 2009-01-29 02:36:02

Re: Boot from floppy and install arch from flash stick - NO CDR - USB 1.1

#11 2009-02-02 10:37:39

Re: Boot from floppy and install arch from flash stick - NO CDR - USB 1.1

#12 2009-02-03 02:06:25

Re: Boot from floppy and install arch from flash stick - NO CDR - USB 1.1

#13 2009-02-04 14:47:43

Re: Boot from floppy and install arch from flash stick - NO CDR - USB 1.1

#14 2009-02-04 17:22:35

Re: Boot from floppy and install arch from flash stick - NO CDR - USB 1.1

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