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From: Marc Shapiro on 30 May 2010 18:50
My wife has an early eeepc with a 4GB SSD running Xandros. She would like to change the OS so that she can install other software easily. I have a newer eeepc with a 160GB HD that came with the OS that must not be named and now also has Eeebuntu 3.0.

I wanted to install Debian on my eeepc.

On mine, I installed Lenny, then upgraded to Squeeze to get the 2.6.32 kernel so that all of the hardware would work properly. So far, so good. Then, after a dist-upgrade, the wireless started to have problems. I could connect anywhere EXCEPT at home. Unsecured, or not, I could connect when not at home. My home wireless, with WEP security, would not connect.

I came across a site with with a Lenny installer but with the 2.6.32 kernel. I created a 4 GB partition on my eeepc to simulate what the installation would be like on my wife's eeepc and how much space could be made available with only a 4 GB SSD. I did the install, updated grub, installed Gnome and rebooted. Everything worked fine, including connecting to my wireless network at home. Life is good. I expect to blow away the Squeeze install that will not connect to my wireless, and replace it with this Lenny install. I can do a dist-upgrade when Squeeze goes stable.

Now, I have a 4 GB SD card that I want to install Lenny on, just like the installation to my hard drive. That way, my wife can try it out on her eeepc WITHOUT MAKING ANY CHANGES TO HER HD. I have gone through the install, but can not boot from it. I am 99% certain that it is just a case of getting grub properly installed on the SD card. From MY pc, how do I install grub on the SD card to that Lenny can boot directly from the SD card (on my box, or my wife's) without affecting the booting of my machine, or needing to change anything on my wife's machine?

I expect that I will need to make changes to /etc/grub/menu.lst on my box, then run 'grub-install' to install grub on the SD card, and restore the original /etc/grub/menu.lst for my box. I also expect that I may need to make changes to /etc/grub/menu.lst on the SD card. My problem is that I hafe used LILO since Debian Bo (and am by NO means a bootloader guru) and I do not know what changes need to be made to /etc/grub/menu.lst on either my box, or the SD card, to make this work.

Can anyone help me with this?


Marc Shapiro
mshapiro_42(a)yahoo.com


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From: Mark Allums on 31 May 2010 00:00
On 5/30/2010 5:46 PM, Marc Shapiro wrote:
> My wife has an early eeepc with a 4GB SSD running Xandros. She would like to change the OS so that she can install other software easily. I have a newer eeepc with a 160GB HD that came with the OS that must not be named and now also has Eeebuntu 3.0.
>
> I wanted to install Debian on my eeepc.
>
> On mine, I installed Lenny, then upgraded to Squeeze to get the 2.6.32 kernel so that all of the hardware would work properly. So far, so good. Then, after a dist-upgrade, the wireless started to have problems. I could connect anywhere EXCEPT at home. Unsecured, or not, I could connect when not at home. My home wireless, with WEP security, would not connect.
>
> I came across a site with with a Lenny installer but with the 2.6.32 kernel. I created a 4 GB partition on my eeepc to simulate what the installation would be like on my wife's eeepc and how much space could be made available with only a 4 GB SSD. I did the install, updated grub, installed Gnome and rebooted. Everything worked fine, including connecting to my wireless network at home. Life is good. I expect to blow away the Squeeze install that will not connect to my wireless, and replace it with this Lenny install. I can do a dist-upgrade when Squeeze goes stable.
>
> Now, I have a 4 GB SD card that I want to install Lenny on, just like the installation to my hard drive. That way, my wife can try it out on her eeepc WITHOUT MAKING ANY CHANGES TO HER HD. I have gone through the install, but can not boot from it. I am 99% certain that it is just a case of getting grub properly installed on the SD card. From MY pc, how do I install grub on the SD card to that Lenny can boot directly from the SD card (on my box, or my wife's) without affecting the booting of my machine, or needing to change anything on my wife's machine?
>
> I expect that I will need to make changes to /etc/grub/menu.lst on my box, then run 'grub-install' to install grub on the SD card, and restore the original /etc/grub/menu.lst for my box. I also expect that I may need to make changes to /etc/grub/menu.lst on the SD card. My problem is that I hafe used LILO since Debian Bo (and am by NO means a bootloader guru) and I do not know what changes need to be made to /etc/grub/menu.lst on either my box, or the SD card, to make this work.
>
> Can anyone help me with this?
>
>
> Marc Shapiro
> mshapiro_42(a)yahoo.com
>
>

Off the top of my head, you will need a boot loader installed on the
main drive that can see the SD card. My Eee PC can't boot off of the SD
card. It may be that other models, possibly yours, can, but mine can't.

As long as you can boot off of a CD (for installation), and GRUB/Grub2
can see the SD card, I would guess you could make it work.

If I were doing it, I might look for an 8 GB or even 16 GB SD card.
Look for a card with a higher speed class.

You might also consider a bootable USB flash drive. Much easier to boot
off of USB than SD.

MAA



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From: Marc Shapiro on 31 May 2010 02:50
> From: Mark Allums <mark(a)allums.com>
>
> On 5/30/2010 5:46 PM, Marc Shapiro wrote:
> My wife has an early eeepc with a 4GB SSD running Xandros.
She
> would like to change the OS so that she can install other
software easily.
> I have a newer eeepc with a 160GB HD that
came with the OS that must
> not be named and now also has Eeebuntu 3.0.
>

> Now, I have a 4 GB SD card that I
want to install Lenny
> on, just like the installation to my hard drive. That way, my wife can try
> it out on her eeepc WITHOUT
MAKING ANY CHANGES TO HER HD. I have gone
> through the install, but can not boot from it. I am 99% certain that it is
> just a
case of getting grub properly installed on the SD card. From MY pc,
> how do I install grub on the SD card to that Lenny can boot directly
from the SD
> card (on my box, or my wife's) without affecting
the booting of my machine, or
> needing to change anything on my
wife's machine?
>

> Can anyone help me with
> this?
>
>
> Marc Shapiro
>
> Off the top of my head, you will
need a boot loader installed on the main drive
> that can see the SD card. My Eee PC can't boot off of the SD card. It may
> be that other models, possibly yours, can, but mine can't.

If you hold down the escape key while booting you get the option to boot from the hard drive, or the SD card reader.

>
If I were doing it, I might look for an 8 GB or even 16 GB SD card.

The plan is, if she likes it, to install onto her SSD in place of the original Xandros installation. Since it is only 4 GB I wanted a card of the same size to make sure that we could fit the OS, software and data into that amount of space.

> You might also
consider a bootable USB flash drive. Much easier to boot
> off of USB than SD.

For testing purposes, that may be true, but I would still need to get grub installed so that it can boot without affecting my wife's current installation and booting process. She doesn't want any changes to her current system until she has tested the new system for herself.


--

Marc Shapiro
mshapiro_42(a)yahoo.com


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From: Mark Allums on 31 May 2010 04:20
>> My Eee PC can't boot off of the SD card. It may
>> be that other models, possibly yours, can, but mine can't.
>
> If you hold down the escape key while booting you get the option to boot from the hard drive, or the SD card reader.

Well, whaddayaknow, learn something new every day!


>
>>
> If I were doing it, I might look for an 8 GB or even 16 GB SD card.
>
> The plan is, if she likes it, to install onto her SSD in place of the original Xandros installation. Since it is only 4 GB I wanted a card of the same size to make sure that we could fit the OS, software and data into that amount of space.
>

I see, and you already possess the 4 GB card.


>> You might also
> consider a bootable USB flash drive. Much easier to boot
>> off of USB than SD.
>
> For testing purposes, that may be true, but I would still need to get grub installed so that it can boot without affecting my wife's current installation and booting process. She doesn't want any changes to her current system until she has tested the new system for herself.

I think that if you know the device that that USB drive is under, you
can install GRUB to it. On my model 1000, the SD card reader is not a
'native' SD device from hardware stand point (all SDs are USB, sort of,
but that is a big, tangential, topic) but appear as a USB device. You
need to know where it is mounted, and then cope with the drive 'moving
around'. The usual method is with labels and/or UUIDs, I think.

I am not sure how to install GRUB to the 'MBR' of the drive, but would
it not be similar to that of USB flash 'thumb' drives?

I would be very interested to know this, myself, as I plan to 'hack' an
ARM-based, embedded device soon.

Good luck.


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From: Klaus Wolf on 31 May 2010 04:40
Hi,

last version of Knoppix ( www.knopper.net ) have the Option - after
starting from DVD - to install on an SD-card.
Perhaps this may solve your problem

best regards and a nice day

klaus


Am Sonntag, den 30.05.2010, 23:43 -0700 schrieb Marc Shapiro:
> > From: Mark Allums <mark(a)allums.com>
> >
> > On 5/30/2010 5:46 PM, Marc Shapiro wrote:
> > My wife has an early eeepc with a 4GB SSD running Xandros.
> She
> > would like to change the OS so that she can install other
> software easily.
> > I have a newer eeepc with a 160GB HD that
> came with the OS that must
> > not be named and now also has Eeebuntu 3.0.
> >
>
> > Now, I have a 4 GB SD card that I
> want to install Lenny
> > on, just like the installation to my hard drive. That way, my wife can try
> > it out on her eeepc WITHOUT
> MAKING ANY CHANGES TO HER HD. I have gone
> > through the install, but can not boot from it. I am 99% certain that it is
> > just a
> case of getting grub properly installed on the SD card. From MY pc,
> > how do I install grub on the SD card to that Lenny can boot directly
> from the SD
> > card (on my box, or my wife's) without affecting
> the booting of my machine, or
> > needing to change anything on my
> wife's machine?
> >
>
> > Can anyone help me with
> > this?
> >
> >
> > Marc Shapiro
> >
> > Off the top of my head, you will
> need a boot loader installed on the main drive
> > that can see the SD card. My Eee PC can't boot off of the SD card. It may
> > be that other models, possibly yours, can, but mine can't.
>
> If you hold down the escape key while booting you get the option to boot from the hard drive, or the SD card reader.
>
> >
> If I were doing it, I might look for an 8 GB or even 16 GB SD card.
>
> The plan is, if she likes it, to install onto her SSD in place of the original Xandros installation. Since it is only 4 GB I wanted a card of the same size to make sure that we could fit the OS, software and data into that amount of space.
>
> > You might also
> consider a bootable USB flash drive. Much easier to boot
> > off of USB than SD.
>
> For testing purposes, that may be true, but I would still need to get grub installed so that it can boot without affecting my wife's current installation and booting process. She doesn't want any changes to her current system until she has tested the new system for herself.
>
>
> --
>
> Marc Shapiro
> mshapiro_42(a)yahoo.com
>
>


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