In just a few short steps, it is possible to install Kubuntu from the harddrive. Here's how (We'll get to here's why shortly):
Discussion:
Your boot.ini should look exactly like the one shown here. Your menu.lst may be different, depending on your individual system settings. My ISO was in F:\install, for example, which was the 6th partition on the first hard drive, counting from zero. If you place your image file in a different location, adjust the menu.lst accordingly.
Why do all this? It's faster. I can do a complete Kubuntu install on my system in less than 30 minutes. I wanted Kubuntu on a PC without a DVD drive. And, for whatever reason, Nullsoft's Install Linux over Network did not work for me .. I wound up cannibalizing their file, and offering the results here to you.
The broadband connection is necessary because the installer will look for a DVDROM, and when it fails to find it, it will go out on the network looking for its files. If it does not find a network connection, install will fail at that point ..
HTH. If there are any errors in this process, please post them here and I will be glad to correct them. Please know that I have tested this process thoroughly (if you count four installs as thorough), and can vouch that it works. On my system. As always, YMMV ..
Packing List
C:\boot.ini
C:\grldr
C:\menu.lst
kubuntu-5.10-dvd-i386.iso
vmlinuz
initrd.gz
C:\boot.ini
C:\grldr
C:\menu.lst
kubuntu-5.10-dvd-i386.iso
vmlinuz
initrd.gz
System Requirements
Windows XP already installed
Broadband connection automatically configured with DHCP
WinRAR or PqiExp32.exe, or some other application capable of opening and extracting individual files from ISO files. K3b or Nero Burning Rom will not work, because while they read ISO files, they have no extract capability ..
Windows XP already installed
Broadband connection automatically configured with DHCP
WinRAR or PqiExp32.exe, or some other application capable of opening and extracting individual files from ISO files. K3b or Nero Burning Rom will not work, because while they read ISO files, they have no extract capability ..
Step by Step
1) Create a folder on your system called install
2) Download the Kubuntu DVD ISO and save it into that folder
3) From the install folder in the ISO, extract vmlinuz and initrd.gz and put them where you have the ISO file. These three files must be in the same folder.
4) Download grldr, and save it as C:\grldr You can Google "Grub For DOS" to find it
5) Backup C:\boot.ini at least once
6) Open boot.ini in notepad, and save the file as dual_boot.ini
7) Add the following line to dual_boot.ini
This should be the last line in the file. Save the file as boot.ini.
8- In notepad or any text editor (not a word processor), create a file called menu.lst and save it into the root directory of Drive C: (where grldr and boot.ini live) Your file will look like this:
Save the file. Please note that everything you see from the word kernel above to the number 17000 must be on one line
9) Reboot
10) Select Install Kubuntu from the XP multi-boot menu
11) Select Kubuntu Install from Grub
12) The kernel will start to load, and the screen will blank for a few seconds. Not to worry, that's the Debian GUI loading. When it loads, you are on your way.
1) Create a folder on your system called install
2) Download the Kubuntu DVD ISO and save it into that folder
3) From the install folder in the ISO, extract vmlinuz and initrd.gz and put them where you have the ISO file. These three files must be in the same folder.
4) Download grldr, and save it as C:\grldr You can Google "Grub For DOS" to find it
5) Backup C:\boot.ini at least once
6) Open boot.ini in notepad, and save the file as dual_boot.ini
7) Add the following line to dual_boot.ini
Code:
C:\grldr="Install Kubuntu"
This should be the last line in the file. Save the file as boot.ini.
8- In notepad or any text editor (not a word processor), create a file called menu.lst and save it into the root directory of Drive C: (where grldr and boot.ini live) Your file will look like this:
Code:
Title Kubuntu Install kernel (hd0,6)/install/vmlinuz linux expert vga=771 root=dev/ram0 devfs=mount,dall ramdisk_size=17000 initrd (hd0,6)/install/initrd.gz
9) Reboot
10) Select Install Kubuntu from the XP multi-boot menu
11) Select Kubuntu Install from Grub
12) The kernel will start to load, and the screen will blank for a few seconds. Not to worry, that's the Debian GUI loading. When it loads, you are on your way.
Discussion:
Your boot.ini should look exactly like the one shown here. Your menu.lst may be different, depending on your individual system settings. My ISO was in F:\install, for example, which was the 6th partition on the first hard drive, counting from zero. If you place your image file in a different location, adjust the menu.lst accordingly.
Why do all this? It's faster. I can do a complete Kubuntu install on my system in less than 30 minutes. I wanted Kubuntu on a PC without a DVD drive. And, for whatever reason, Nullsoft's Install Linux over Network did not work for me .. I wound up cannibalizing their file, and offering the results here to you.
The broadband connection is necessary because the installer will look for a DVDROM, and when it fails to find it, it will go out on the network looking for its files. If it does not find a network connection, install will fail at that point ..
HTH. If there are any errors in this process, please post them here and I will be glad to correct them. Please know that I have tested this process thoroughly (if you count four installs as thorough), and can vouch that it works. On my system. As always, YMMV ..