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#1 (**permalink**) 01-18-2008, 05:14 AM

I have a laptop with an additional hd in the slot that would be for cd or
floppy. I can place linux install files on a different drive and have a
network connectin to windows computers. Is it possible for me to install
linux? Can I load linux from windows where it can reboot to the installer?
Or is there a way to boot off cdrom for netowrk access then hotswap drive
for install process?

thanks.

drew

#2 (**permalink**) 01-18-2008, 05:15 AM

Generally it's possible to install to one computer from an
installation CD residing in the CD-ROM drive of another computer.
There are a variety of rules, like the other computer has to run an
nfs or ftp or http server to extend its files to yours. I've done this
where the other computer was dual-boot, the installation CD iso files
were in a windows partition, I booted the box to linux, ran ftp
server, mounted the windows partition and it worked. Your windows box
IS a dual-boot machine if you care to use knoppix (boots linux from CD
without involving the hard drive). So you could do similarly.

However, the target machine (your laptop) gets onto the network and
finds the installation files by booting from a special diskette (might
be found in the /images subdirectory of the #1 installation CD). Since
your laptop has no floppy drive from which to do that, you have an
obstacle to doing it this way. If you could temporarily put a CD-ROM
or floppy drive in the slot now occupied by one of the hard drives,
for use during the installation, then possibilities open up.

On Mon, 4 Oct 2004 15:19:57 +0100, "Drew" <drew@drew.com> wrote:

>I have a laptop with an additional hd in the slot that would be for cd or
>floppy. I can place linux install files on a different drive and have a
>network connectin to windows computers. Is it possible for me to install
>linux? Can I load linux from windows where it can reboot to the installer?
>Or is there a way to boot off cdrom for netowrk access then hotswap drive
>for install process?
>
>thanks.
>
>drew
>

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install without floppy or cdrom