============================================================================ How To Install LoopLinux ... 12-10-2000 ============================================================================ It's best to download using ftp, you can resume an interrupted download and there's less chance of corruption. ftp> open ibiblio.org username: anonymous password: your@email.address ftp> cd /pub/Linux/distributions/looplinux ftp> binary "Set to binary mode" ftp> get looplnx.tgz ftp> quit In netscape (hold down the [Shift] key then click on whatever you want to download). The complete system ... looplnx.tgz looplnx.exe You also need a kernel to boot linux. If you go to the looplinux home site, there's a url link called kernels that connects to the site that has the kernels. http://www.tux.org/pub/people/kent-robotti/looplinux/index.html http://ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/distributions/looplinux/index.html Make sure "looplnx.tgz" matches the size that is stated in the "looplnx.lsm" file, before you download it. If you're not sure if looplinux will boot on your system get "looplnx.exe" and a kernel = "bzImage", boot the small setup linux system and run "fdisk -l /dev/hd? /dev/sd?". if you can boot the small setup system and your hard drive is detected by "fdisk", you can then get "looplnx.tgz". In these examples i use C:\ as the drive letter, it could be D:\ E:\ etc. C:\ looplnx.exe Move/rename the kernel bzImage to c:\looplnx\kernel\zimage on your system. C:\ move bzimage c:\looplnx\kernel\zimage C:\looplnx\kernel\zimage C:\ cd looplnx\setup C:\looplnx\setup> setup.bat # fdisk -l /dev/hd? /dev/sd? Disk /dev/hda: 32 heads, 63 sectors, 524 cylinders Units = cylinders of 2016 * 512 bytes Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/hda1 * 1 523 527152+ b Win95 FAT32 Fdisk found my win9x partition on /dev/hda1. Now try to mount the dos/win partition under the /mnt/loop directory. # mount -t vfat -o noexec /dev/hda1 /mnt/loop "Mount win9x partition!" # mount -t msdos -o noexec /dev/hda1 /mnt/loop "Mount dos partition!" # ls /mnt/loop # umount /mnt/loop If your hard drive is found by "fdisk" and you can mount it like above without errors, then get "looplnx.tgz", if your hard drive is not found or you can't mount it without errors, there's no point getting "looplnx.tgz", you just have to forget about it. Now get looplnx.tgz and do this with it, if there were no problems above. C:\ move looplnx.tgz c:\looplnx\package C:\looplnx\package\looplnx.tgz C:\looplnx\setup> setup.bat Run "loop -create", answer a few questions and it will create a loop version of linux. # loop # loop -create After you run "loop -create" to create the loop version of linux, you should have this. C:\looplnx\system\looplnx.img C:\looplnx> looplnx.bat Linux login: root # mc After you're done using the system 'halt' or 'reboot' it, don't just turn the computer off. # halt # reboot To open consoles on looplinux press left-[Alt] & [Up]-arrow-key, then left-[Alt] F1 etc. to change back, you can open 12 consoles F1-F12. **************************** MS-DOS MODE ... ******************************** You can't boot looplinux in a window. If you're in windows do this. Click on [Start] in the lower left-hand corner of the window, then click [Shut Down] and chose "Restart in MS-DOS mode". C:\looplnx> looplnx.bat You can create a shortcut icon in the [Programs] file that points to C:\looplnx\looplnx.bat, and then click on the icon to start looplinux in a window. Click on [Start] then [Programs] then [MS-DOS prompt] Try to start c:\looplnx> looplnx.bat in a window at the MS-DOS prompt it will refuse to boot looplinux, it will then ask you if you want to create a shortcut to c:\looplnx\looplnx.bat, answer yes, accept the defaults and chose a icon for looplinux. You can also enter dos mode by pressing [F8] before your win98 system boots, and chosing option 5 "command prompt" from the menu. C:\ win "To start windows" C:\looplnx\loadlin.exe is the program that will boot looplinux on your dos system. End of ms-dos mode ... ***************************************************************************** **** Putting zimage & setup.gz from looplnx.exe on 1.44 floppy disks ... **** You can put the small linux setup system on two 1.44 dos formatted floppy disks and boot it from them. Read c:\looplnx\floppy\readme. C:\looplnx\floppy> mkboot "Create boot floppy 1" C:\looplnx\floppy> mkroot "Create root floppy 2" End ... ***************************************************************************** ************ Putting looplnx.tgz on it's own linux partition ... ************ If you have free space on your hard drive, you can install looplnx.tgz on it's own linux partition and boot it from your dos system, run 'native' on the small setup system for info on how to do it. # native If you don't have any free space on your hard drive you can use the fips program to split a win9x fat16 or FAT32 partition, you can then install linux on the free space and boot it from your dos system. Fips comes with instructions. http://www.tux.org/pub/people/kent-robotti/looplinux/index.html ftp://ftp.tux.org/pub/people/kent-robotti/looplinux/package "fips.exe" End ... ***************************************************************************** *************** Putting looplnx.tgz on 1.44 floppy disks ... **************** If you want to put looplnx.tgz on 1.44mb dos formatted floppy disks, you can split it. C:\looplnx\package> split looplnx.tgz 1450000 The parts will be named looplnx.001-005. Copy the parts 001-5 to 5 floppies. C:\looplnx\package> copy looplnx.001 a: C:\looplnx\package> copy looplnx.bat a: etc... To put the parts back together on a DOS system, do this. Put floppy 1 in the drive. C:\ a: A:\ looplnx.bat a:\ c:\ You'll be told when to change floppies. If the parts 001-5 are on the hard drive, you can do this. C:\ copy /b looplnx.0* looplnx.tgz Or you can just run the bat file that split creates. C:\ looplnx.bat To put the parts back together on a UNIX system, do this. # cat looplnx.0* > looplnx.tgz The whole system will fit on 7 floppies. looplnx.tgz <5 floppies> zimage looplnx.exe The split program is included in the looplnx.exe package. End of floppy disks ... ***************************************************************************** ************************* Resizing LoopLinux ... **************************** If you ever want to enlarge or reduce the size of the loop linux system, you can run 'loop -resize' on the small setup system to do it. # loop ***************************************************************************** The small linux setup system that's used to create the loop linux system c:\looplnx\system\looplnx.img, can also be used to gain access to the loop system to make repairs. You can also use the small setup system even if you don't install looplnx.tgz, it can be used as a general purpose boot-rescue system. Q. Can i boot looplinux on a Win95/98 system that has the 'fat16 or FAT32' filesystem? A. YES for sure. Q. Can i boot looplinux on a Win2000, WinME, or WinNT system? A. I don't think they have a dos mode, loadlin the program used to boot linux requires dos mode to run. Q. Can i boot looplinux on a DOS system i.e. msdos, pcdos, drdos, etc? A. YES for sure. Q. Can i boot looplinux on a OS/2 system in dos mode? A. I don't know, probably not. End ... ==============================================================================