Small Suggestion to Improve Installer

mac57 · 2007-08-12 23:23:13

I have just installed Arch 2007.08 (Don't Panic - I LOVE that name! ... derived from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy I hope!).

The install went smoothly and all is running well (with the exception of an Opera plugin issue I have noted in another post). This post addresses one small thing I think could be done to improve the install process.

When it gets to the boot loader section, it offers you a choice of places to install the boot loader. These basically come down to the MBR of the disk you are on, or the boot sector of just about any partition on that disk. There is no option to install on a floppy, if your machine has one.

I ended up installing Arch 2007.08 because I had just made the bone headed move of all time and inadvertantly wiped out my partition table while messing with boot loader records - I lost access to my previous Arch 0.7.1 install in the process. As a result, I was VERY concerned about overwriting the disk MBR again. In this case, since the Arch installer didn't offer the fd0 option, I selected the boot sector of the partition I was installing in, and then went through lots of gyrations to eventually get that transferred onto a floppy. I have been successful and it works well.

So, my suggestion for an improvement is to have the installer offer the option of placing the boot loader record onto the floppy in addition to all the other choices (in fact, any BIOS bootable media that can be detected should be offered as an option).

Any chance of a change to future iterations of the installer? Cheers!

xaw · 2007-08-12 23:33:25

you might want to post this feedback message to the official thread for the new Installer in the new isos.

You can find it in Index >> Announcements, Package, and Security Advisories >> 2007.08 Don't Panic Isos released, installation feedback thread

Cheers

ozar · 2007-08-12 23:53:14

...but isn't the floppy drive a fast dying breed in itself?

I still have one on my box, but since lots of computers don't even come with them these days I can't imagine the devs actually adding that option.

Still, you probably won't get it if you don't ask!

ralvez · 2007-08-13 01:17:56

I concur with ozar. It seems to me that since floppy drives are deprecated in favor of USBs that the option seems destined to be short lived.
I must admit not having used a floppy at least if the last 3 years.

R

Lone_Wolf · 2007-08-13 09:56:28

try updating the bios.
Many mobo manufacturers give you only 2 choices :
windows based bios update
dos/floppy based update program

All systems i build (regardless of os) still get a floppydrive.

Edit :
I agree with the OP.
The option to put grub on a floppy can be useful for testing/troubleshooting.

Last edited by Lone_Wolf (2007-08-13 10:06:25)

test1000 · 2007-08-13 10:22:15

you can still burn a floppy image to a cd and have it as a bootup cd. how to do that search google i guess, since i don't have a link or descriptions...

Lone_Wolf · 2007-08-13 16:06:03

@test1000 :
I know, i've done it for a few laptops without floppydrives (don't have an usb-floppy).
The bios update program for one of those laptops needed 2 floppies.
After a lot of searching i found a program capable of booting with a custom-made 2.88 Mb floppy image.
Although i had to use a windows program to make it, it saved me from installing dual-boot on that laptop just for a bios update.

Sometimes even in 2007 floppy is the easiest solution.

Last edited by Lone_Wolf (2007-08-13 16:06:54)

Arch Linux

#1 2007-08-12 23:23:13

Small Suggestion to Improve Installer

#2 2007-08-12 23:33:25

Re: Small Suggestion to Improve Installer

#3 2007-08-12 23:53:14

Re: Small Suggestion to Improve Installer

#4 2007-08-13 01:17:56

Re: Small Suggestion to Improve Installer

#5 2007-08-13 09:56:28

Re: Small Suggestion to Improve Installer

#6 2007-08-13 10:22:15

Re: Small Suggestion to Improve Installer

#7 2007-08-13 16:06:03

Re: Small Suggestion to Improve Installer

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