Install .deb packages with Live CD

[Anime_Collector]

Hello i`m a real real newbie in this so i have encountered a lot of problems but the one that i couldn`t get past was this:
I have Knoppix live CD v3.3, i have a /home dir saved on the hdd and a myconfig saved .... now my problem is ... i d/l the yahoo messenger for debian, i copyed it in the /home dir and tryed
dpkg -i name_of_the_file.deb
but i got a eroor message :
dpkg: unable to access dpkg status area: Read-only file system

maybe i don`t understand quite good the knoppix working mode,but if i have a /home on the hdd why does it say that??

(i have also tryed to unpack the .deb and run it from the dir but it doesn`t find the .bin file and i don`t know how to declare the libraries yet)

p.s. don`t hit me too hard if the question is stupid ...

good to find u all!

[pau1knopp]

In order to install a .deb package, you will need to either install KNOPPIX to a hard drive partition (using knx-hdinstall), or remaster the CD to add / delete .deb packages. There is a fine HOWTO regarding the best way to do this, and its not very hard if you have an intermediate (or higher) linux / unix skill set level.

A live cd file system is read only, and will not let you add packages, as the error message is (correctly) informing you.

Sometimes, as a workaround, I try to locate the executables for an application I want to use from an existing system, and copy them to a spare partition that I mount from my CD based KNOPPIX desktop. I am able to run RealPlayer, jpluck, and streamripper this way without actually installing them.

If there are a lot of library dependencies, you will have to consider one of the first two options I mentioned.

Hope this helps,

~pau1