Booting Knoppix from USB HDD

[zdrojew]

Hello all,

I have seen a lot of post about how to transfer Knoppix to a Usb stick, and I thought that i just use the same HOW TO (SUCCESS) to install (and boot) it from my 20 gig USB HDD. However it does not seem to work. I tried it using pbs's post at http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=64999 . I want to boot it from the harddisk, to take it to work and use it at home without changing any computer setting e.g. MBR or install any lilos.

Did anybody try to install and boot knoppix from an USB HDD?

Thanks for the help.

P.S. I'm a TOTAL linux newbie, but consider myself to have some computer understanding

[d00m3d]

Did anybody try to install and boot knoppix from an USB HDD?

Yes, I do. There are already many posts in the forum to describe how can you install Knoppix to a USB stick. Actually, this is a PMI installation. Are you going to do a full installation, i.e. Knoppix to HDD as if Debian to HDD?

Below is extracted from my post at http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20539

Be warned, Knoppix is designed to be a LiveCD in principle. The use and installation to any media are at your own risks.

I haven't tried the installation of Knoppix-4.0 DVD version, but installing Knoppix to a USB is indeed possible, but tricky.

I have installed successfully Knoppix3.9 to a USB HDD, major steps are:

1. Prepare a custom kernel without the ub support
2. Install Knoppix into USB HDD, GRUB will fail at this point because of the nasty ub support
3. Reboot an existing Linux system (or other LiveCD without ub), chroot into the Knoppix-partition in your USB HDD and install the custom kernel from (1).
4. Make few changes to the mkinitrd.conf and modules in the /etc/mkinitrd directory
5. Create a initrd for this kernel so that the kernel is capable to find the necessary modules during boot process.
6. Install GRUB into the MBR of your USB HDD

I know Knoppix-4.0 already get rid of the ub, so it may be more straightforward.

If you are still interested in the steps as described above, I may write in more details.

If you don't want to go thru these tedious steps, then the easiest way is to download and install the latest version of Kanotix (bleeding edge variant of Knoppix).

Would this help?

[zdrojew]

Thanks a lot, I'm going to try this over the weekend. I will also try the Kanotix version. So far I never heard of it. Maybe that might be an easier way for me, so I can start getting deeper into linux..

Thanks, I keep you updated.