Install Knoppix 5.1.1 on a second HDD

[mikem67]

I would like to install Knoppix 5.1.1 on an empty second hard drive and dual boot with WindowsXP without installing Grub in the MBR. I'm new to linux and I absolutely don't know hot to do command line. Can anyone tell me if it's possible, and give me some clear instructions on how to do it? Thanks in advance for anyone's help.

[JohnnyH]

For a first step, I recommend that you familiarise yourself, with using the command line and the system generally, running the Knoppix live CD on your system. In particular, use this to find out how the system designates your second hard drive - if it is an IDE disk it might be something like hdb but if it is SATA it will be something else.
You should also read up about partitioning and what you should allocate for a swap partition and so on

Next, you would really be better off to install a 'pure' Debian system (rather than Knoppix) on the hard drive - if you read the forum you will see that there are all sorts of 'gotcha's to deal with when you use Knoppix in that way.
With Debian you are likely to want a Workstation type installation - this will give you the Gnome desktop by default but you can then download KDE if you want (I'm assuming that you have broadband & are not just relying on CD/DVD).

It would take far too long to give details here, they are to be found in this site's wiki http://www.knoppix.net/wiki/Category...e_Installation and the Debian site http://www.us.debian.org/distrib respectively. But, yes, the installers will offer you the choice of installing the bootloader to the 'working' (= 'root' or '/') partition or the MBR. As you don't want it to use the MBR then presumably you have a seperate boot manager.
Oh, you will want to manage the partitioning manually - don't accept an offer from the installer to wipe & use your first hard drive
- it might be most convenient to pre-prepare the partitions using GParted on the Knoppix CD.

[mikem67]

Thank you for your quick reply, Johnny. I appreciate your help and I will certainly follow your advise and get more information before I install anything. I will visit the links that you provided me. Thanks again. Mike