a few hdd install questions

[bigjohn]

As a "knoppix n00b",

I have only tried it since last weekend.

Someone gave me a burned copy of 3.1 ages ago, but I never got round to trying it.

But since I have installed debian sarge, and had lots of problems, someone at my LUG reminded that you can boot knoppix and install to my hard drive, hence my finding this forum.

Well, all I can say is "WOW". Very, very impressive(so I have also downloaded 3.2 )

It seems to detect all my hardware, only minor config for my ethernet card and net access. the only thing that I didn't check out was printers, but that can wait.

My questions are that If I do the Hdd install, do I loose any of the configuration detected by the live version. Also I note that this forum title "when installed to the Hdd, it basically becomes debian" so does it do the stuff like configuring appropriate sources for "apt-get" or do I have to work that out myself? (sorry, being a noob at this debian thing - even attempts at minor configuration turn into major events for me!)

regards

John

[rickenbacherus]

My questions are that If I do the Hdd install, do I loose any of the configuration detected by the live version.

Well the autoconfig doesn't run everytime you boot if that's what you're wondering but it isn't necessary either. It is possible however to simply invoke the autoconfig script yourself if necessary.

Also I note that this forum title "when installed to the Hdd, it basically becomes debian" so does it do the stuff like configuring appropriate sources for "apt-get" or do I have to work that out myself? (sorry, being a noob at this debian thing - even attempts at minor configuration turn into major events for me!)

Yes, you will have an /etc/apt/sources.list installed. There are some things that still need to be worked out in making the transition from live cd to hdd install but they are usually fairly simple to resolve. If you successfully bootsrapped Debian then you shouldn't really have alot of trouble tweaking Knoppix into shape. Of course there's only one way to find out.

[bigjohn]

Thanks for the reply rickenbacherus,

What I meant, was that because the auto detection facility of knoppix is so good, when compared to a "normal" debian install, I was thinking that if it detected all my various hardware items, then once installed on my hard disk, I wouldn't have to mess around too much. Surely the various hardware preferences, once detected would be "saved" as preferences.

I appreciate that the "autodetect" doesn't need to run everytime I would boot into the hard disk install (afterall, that is only really needed when running from a cd), but if I had to re detect/select the various preferences everytime I boot into the knoppix/debian hdd install, then I wouldn't be gaining anything by installing it to my hard drive?

These are the lines on which I am thinking, because even after about a month or so of having a debian install, I still can't get it looking as I really want it. The goal being to get it as close (visually and functionally) to my mandrake 9.1 install (having only settled on mandrake thus far, because I am not really into the how's and why's of the software, the aim being to have a fully functional desktop system that will do everything - well as much as possible - that my windows XP will/can do, but a system which is in no way related to microsoft!).

In truth, what I know about linux systems, could easily be written on the back of a very small postage stamp

regards

John