Re: Installing Linux from within Linux?

On Tue, 14 Mar 2006 00:30:07 +0000, Jules wrote:



Seriously.

I've got a laptop that currently dual-boots Debian and Windows 2k. I'd
like to replace the Debian installation with Slackware (I'm more used to
the latter).

Problem is, the laptop has no floppy drive, a questionable CDROM drive (it
reads commercial CDs fine, but hates anything created in a home burner),
and is too old to boot from the network or USB devices.

So, what I'd *like* to do is boot Debian and kick off a Slackware
installation (via NFS) from within that, which would then overwrite the
Debian install itself.

Can it actually be done? I'm suspecting not, as by the time Debian's
booted to a prompt where I can set anything off from, the OS is all up and
running and won't let something so horrible happen (unlike firing the
install off from MSDOS say, where DOS will let things stomp all over
memory if they want!)

(My other options are taking the hard disk out of the laptop and sticking
in another machine to do the install, or finding a floppy drive for the
laptop... I doubt the latter's going to be easy though)

cheers

Jules

There was a recent topic on a.o.l.s: no cdrom, which I commented:
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.os.linux.slackware/msg/7d128facee780cbe

I think all you would need to do is boot the kernel with the initrd (as I
indicated.) When the kernel loads and you arrive at the login prompt,
start networking followed by the setup program. NFS is a supported
install option, but I've haven't done it that way (yet). The setup kernel
does not rely on mounting any discs (just the initrd into ram), so you are
free to overwrite the space being used by Debian with no conflicts.

There were quite a few ideas on the referenced thread.

--
Douglas Mayne

.

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