usb hardrive.

**esabacz** · 10-27-2004, 04:55 PM

ok i'm new to the form and to knoppix, i'm trying to install an external WD 80gig hd on a hp laptop that i have booted into knoppix so i can back up the data. my problem is that i can't even figure out where to start. If anyone could point in the right directions i would really be greatfull

**outanet** · 10-27-2004, 11:05 PM

ok well there are a few tips, some more useful than others.
when you boot knoppix from the cd, dont plug the usb drive in until it has finished booting. an icon should apear on the desktop with the drive name of sda1 (or something similar). you should then be able to mount this and change to read write mode before copying data.

also if you are new to this, you may not be aware of running from the hard drive as a poor mans install, at the boot prompt, type

Code:

knoppix tohd=/dev/hda1

this should then copy the cd image to your internal hard drive and run it from there leaving your cd writer free. However, something I do regularly is to do this with my usbhd i type

Code:

knoppix tohd=/dev/sda1

which then allows me to take the drive to a friends house and get my desktop on his computer.
one its copied, you use the cd to kick it off with

Code:

knoppix fromhd=/dev/sda1

or as i often do, press return at the boot prompt,
or type

Code:

knoppix home=scan

for your persistant home then eject the cd after the miniroot has loaded (knoppix3.4+ will scan usb drives automatically, as does the floppy)
To save your config or a home it needs to be saved on a different partition, but i have found that you can use qtparted to put an extra partition on the usbhd for the knoppix image, then use the rest of the drive for home config and files.

does that help at all?

**marat** · 10-28-2004, 09:32 AM

I've got a Seagate 20GB notebook HDD and "Sarotech Cutie" smallATA-to-USB converter. Recent knoppix detects it both at boot and if you plug it during the work (icon appears on KDE, /dev/sdb# becomes live etc). However I only have USB version 1 ports.

**adrianmak** · 11-06-2004, 01:26 AM

knoppix tohd=/dev/sda1 for example as an external usb hdd

outanet said that it will told knoppix to copy the cd image to /dev/sda1 and let knoppix running on the hdd and leave the cdrom/cdwriter free for other purpose

I have a question.
My usb hdd has some others data files, if I execute "knoppix tohd=/dev/sda1" wll it overwrite all existing files ? or will it partition the hdd ? which filesystem of the usb hdd should it be, fat32, ntfs, ext2 ?

**outanet** · 11-06-2004, 09:10 PM

it will not overwrite anything, but it will copy a KNOPPIX directory and 700mb to the fat32 partitioned drive.
the problem arises when you will want to save your home or config, knoppix will make the whole partition read only, so the home/config cannot be saved.
I got around this by booting to a cd, and partitioning using sudo qtparted, then creating a second fat32 partiton 1 gig in size for the copied img, the config and all my data could be saved on the rest of the drive.

Code:

knoppix fromhd=/dev/sda2 home=/dev/sda1

**adrianmak** · 11-07-2004, 01:48 AM

I created two virtual hdds.
/dev/hda1 is 800M in vfat filesystem
/dev/hdb1 is 100M in vfat filesystem

Booting the knoppix cd, I first knoppix tohd=/dev/hda1
after a few mins to copy the cd contents to /dev/hda1
I can boot knoppix from hdd by issue command at the boot prompt
knoppix fromhd=/dev/hda1 (TEST OK)

After boot up, I run "create Permanent home" , I selectd /dev/hdb1 and it asked me to format the parition in linux filesystem or answer "NO" to create a image file. I select "NO" to create a image file instead.

Then I reboot again and at the boot prompt I enter
knoppix fromhd=/dev/hda1 myconf=/dev/hdb1 home=/dev/hdb1

Everything go smooth, but I found that the account being used is root but not knoppix

What's the problem ?

**firebyrd10** · 11-07-2004, 04:04 AM

Weird, I haven't heard of that problem before, try recreating the PH.

(Some folders are always root, I think the Lost and Found is one of them)

**outanet** · 12-16-2004, 10:47 AM

Originally Posted by outanet

knoppix will make the whole partition read only, so the home/config cannot be saved.

Code:

knoppix fromhd=/dev/sda2 home=/dev/sda1

*update*

it seems this is only applicable to a fat32 fs, if a pmi is placed on an ext2 fs the config can be saved along with a persistant home on the same partition no problems.