Upgrading knoppix 3.7 HDD install to 4.0.2

Hi,

I have a knoppix 3.7 HDD installed on /dev/sda1. I also have a linux swap partition on /dev/sda2. /dev/sda3 is an NTFS (windows only) partition and /dev/sda4 is a partition that I use to transfer files between windows and knoppix (FAT partition). I don't have a bootloader, but if I want to boot to knoppix, I pop my CD in, and my BIOS boots from the CD, and I tell the knoppix boot screen to run from /dev/sda1. This all works fine when I boot from a Knoppix 3.7 CD to boot. However, I recently downloaded and burned a Knoppix 4.0.2 image, and tried to get it to load the Knoppix 3.7 HDD install, but I got a load of fatal errors, and ultimately I got an error about the nVidia driver not being found, so I got a text based login screen. I can post the fatal errors later on today when I get to the machine in question.

Basically, I reckon that all these errors are due to the fact that the boot CD is version 4.0.2, and the knoppix HD install is version 3.7, so what I'm trying to find out is how can I install Knoppix 4.0.2 over a current HDD install? If I do this, will it completely overwrite my current configuration/settings?

My setup is as follows:

AMD Athlon64 3000+
768 MD DDR RAM @ 200 MHZ FSB
40 GB maxtor HDD
300 GB SATA maxtor HDD
GeForce FX 5900XT (256 MB RAM)
Sound Blaster SBPCI 128
Belkin 54g wireless USB adapter
Acer flatscreen monitor
Microsoft intellimouse (infrared)

I can't remember the model of the mobo, but I think it's a VIA KT266 chipset.

Yes, if you install Knoppix 4.0 to your HD it will completely overwrite your current installation.

but...

If your happy with the HD installation you are currently running & don't want to upgrade it, why bother with 4.0? Continue to use the 3.7 disk, you are only using it to start up anyway.

If you want to upgrade your HD installation to 4.0, the only way is to completely overwrite the current installation. This will also hold true when 4.1 comes out, etc. etc. I used to run a fairly modified Knoppix installation on two computers, starting with 3.1 & progressing through to 3.4 including several remasters in between. I was frequently reinstalling & I wrote up a little 'set-up guide' so that I could reinstall quickly.

(example:
step1:install
step2: modify lilo, fstab, xf86config-4 ...I had copies of the setup files I wanted
step3: apt-get update, install localepurge
etc etc)

If you are going to want to keep your HD install up to date I suggest you do the same.

Eventually I installed Kanotix BH9 instead of Knoppix & haven't reinstalled since. It does a less buggy HD install (closer to a pure Debian system) & I have kept it up to date with apt-get just as if it was regular Debian.