Is there any way to install something like Ubuntu (or any other major linux distro) from within Knoppix? As my cd rw drives are all not working :/ they burn corrupted images every time. I have a working Knoppix disk so is there any way to install from within Knoppix? or a way to force a download/install (like PXE but right off the net instead of another local computer acting like a server) without burning a disk (a floppy perhaps? or something)? Any help is much appreciated. Thanks, Colt 45 J
im assuming knoppix is installed to the hard drive, in which case gentoo can be installed from it, dunno about any other distro thou
You can install from a USB key, if you have one big enough. Exactly how you 'burn' the key depends on the distro, there are guides for (X)Ubuntu and Debian ('the flexible way' works best). For the Xubuntu guide, follow the method there (it will work with any Ubuntu flavour) but you can ignore the part about making an additional partition if you don't want changes you make in the "LiveUSB" thing you end up making to be saved. Ignore steps 7.v, 7.vi (both bullet points), 10 and 11 and you'll basically have a LiveCD on a USB key. You can use the remaining space on the key like normal. If you have a USB 2.0 key big enough to get the full size ISO on (so about 700 meg) then it's an amazingly fast way of installing. -x- If you only have a small USB key, there's a <30 meg Ubuntu ISO which installs everything from the internet, I haven't tried it but if I had to guess I'd say that it probably uses a Debian-Like (i.e. non-GUI) installer to save space in the ISO and so the Debian method of making the USB key might be more applicable. Edit: here's a link to the dinky ISO for Ubuntu - 9.5mb I also just looked inside the ISO and it does seem the debian method is the one you use. It does need slight adaption to work though - specifically where the guide says "copy these files from the debian archive" you need to use the ones inside that ISO instead, though initrd.gz is the only one applicable. File vmlinuz doesn't exist inside that ISO and so would be "linux" instead, and syslinux.cfg doesn't exist so you'd have to create it - the guide says what should go inside it [change vmlinuz to linux again here too]. Everything needed to install the system is contain in 'linux' (small linux which boots for the installer to run in) and 'initrd.gz' (ramdisk image which contains the installer). Everything else comes from the internet.
If you have already downloaded an Ubuntu ISO image to burn, it can be installed on a blank, formatted USB stick (FAT32 or EXT2/3 and > 1GB ) using a script called "isotostick.sh" Instructions are on the Ubuntu Wiki here.
Some OS's ... such as Gentoo support a "Network Install" allowing you to remotely install the OS (by mounting it off a LiveCD via CD-Drive/USB/Network) you then select the packages and compile the kernel and applications that you need.
There is always unetbootin which will allow you to install a variety of linux distros from within a current windows or linux system.
Hmmm, I will give them a try, thanks guys. (I'm still new to the whole linux thing ) You guys always come through, wish I could give you points or something for it. Thanks, Colt 45 J
