how to install linux without using the boot installer?

[Josh83]

hi all

is there a way to start the knoppix installation from a dos prompt?

thanks for info.
josh

[DuckDodgers]

If I understand you correctly, it sounds like you want the computer to boot the CD. Enter BIOS (setup) and check you boot options, make sure first boot device is CD drive, insert knoppix CD in the drive, exit BIOS making sure to save changes. In most cases this should work. After the CD boots up, open konsole and type sudo knoppix-installer to begin installation on harddrive.

[Josh83]

no sorry, i meant exactly the other way!

i want to start the computer e.g. to dos and then i'd like to start a setup program from the knoppix cd... is this possible?

because i have boot manager that can hide partitions, and i'd like knoppix NEVER to see the hidden partitions, but if it boots directly from cd room it never passes the boot manager, so nothing will be hidden...

[Harry Kuhman]

i want to start the computer e.g. to dos and then i'd like to start a setup program from the knoppix cd... is this possible?

because i have boot manager that can hide partitions, and i'd like knoppix NEVER to see the hidden partitions, ...

You could certainly use XOSL as a boot manager to hide some prtitionns (which basically is done by temporarly changing their type) and then booting the CD. I don't know what your boot manager is and so can't say if it can do it or not. What is really confusing is the you say that you want to start DOS rather than starting your boot manager. If your boot manager can't do it, try XOSL.

And what is this setup program of which you speak?

[Josh83]

@ harry:
thank you. fortunately i DO run xosl! so could you tell me how i can boot a cd rom from it?

forget about the dos, it was a thinking-failure... now i see it!

[Harry Kuhman]

so could you tell me how i can boot a cd rom from it?

What a strange question. It was so easy when I first set up XOSL so long ago that just someone asking it came as a shock.

Install XOSL. Boot to the GUI screen. Press the setup button (tab until it is highlighted and enter is needed). Press ADD. Give the new entry a name, select the smart boot manager from the list of things that you can boot (XOSL uses SBM to boot the CD, but there is more than just that). Select Apply. You can now use the hiding button to hide any partitions you want when this item is booted. I suggest that you make at least on CD boot button with no hiding, it can be handy if you ever boot recovery CDs. You can make another button for "CD, hide parrtitions" You could set up boot keys now by going to the keys tab, but since the exact sequence depends on the partitions on that hard drive that SBM sees I find it is best to boot the CD "manually" once first. Do a Save and you will be back at the XOSL main GUI. There should be a new entry in the menu for the CD (you can move this up or down in the setup screen if you don't like it's position in the list). Select the CD option you just created. Now make note of every keystroke that you use to select the CD (this is generally just a count of the number of lines you needed to move down, then the return). When you hit return the CD should boot.

Once you have the system booting this way, reboot and go back into XOSL setup. Select the CD menu item and go to the keys tab (highlight the general tab and then use the right arrow twice), here you will want to set up the exact same keystrokes as you needed to select the CD dirve from the SBM menu. (I have 2 CD drives so I have a menu entry for each. The only difference is that I have one extra keystroke here to select and boot the second CD drive rather than the first.) Save this, save out of the setup menu and you will be at the normal XOSL boot menu. Now when you select the CD now it will enter SBM and feed it the proper keystrokes to select the CD drive for you.

If you need or want any cheat codes for booting Knoppix you should also be able to enter them in the boot keys settings. Again, if you do this you should make a seperate entry such as "CD with Knoppix cheat codes" and leave yourself a CD boot option without the extra codes for other CDs. I have not done this for Knoppix CD's (don't need cheat codes onthe XOSL system) but I do use it for some Windows booting options. For example I have an entry, in addition to my normal windows boot menu item, that passes in an extra F8 to my Win98 system to let me force the system to boot into DOS rather than into Windows.

[mr_ed]

Hi Josh!

i'd like knoppix NEVER to see the hidden partitions

I'm wondering why not. Not that it's any of my business but Knoppix won't touch 'em if they don't get mounted - and by default they don't after an installation to HD. And if you pass the boot paramater (cheatcode) nofstab Knoppix won't even go looking for them.

-- Ed

[mr_ed]

Hi Harry!

force the system to boot into DOS rather than into Windows

I've lost my Win98 system - I'm pretty sure Boot Magic trashed the FATs beyond recovery - so now that box runs WinMe. But back to the point. Doesn't DOS start Win98 with a "call" to win.exe, maybe in autoexec.bat? I remember there's some way to keep Windows from firing up.....

-- Ed

[Harry Kuhman]

..... Doesn't DOS start Win98 with a "call" to win.exe, maybe in autoexec.bat? I remember there's some way to keep Windows from firing up.....

There are several ways to stop Win98 from starting. Long ago I did have a system configured to only boot to DOS and I would type WIN to start windows (based on a technique I found in PC magazine). But over the years in having to reinstall Win98 several times, I can no longer find that article and don't remember exactly the few things one had to do to make that happen properly. But you can get to the Windows start-up menu by typing F8 at boot time, you get a menu that lets you select between things like normal boot, safe mode, safe mode with network, a few other less useful options, and DOS. DOS is the one I wanted, nice clean DOS, not DOS under Windows. So rather than booting and trying to hit F8 at just the right time I set up an XOSL menu entry for DOS, it boots the hard drive win98 partition and puts the f8 in the keyboard input buffer for me in one step. Works great for what I want.

[Harry Kuhman]

Doesn't DOS start Win98 with a "call" to win.exe, maybe in autoexec.bat? ...

It's not quite as simple as a call in autoexec.bat. In fact, the best Win98 installs have no autoexec.bat or config.sys files (and, of course, Win98 still starts).