Ubuntu Installation from USB-CDROM where it can not be booted at all -> DOS-Floppy! ( https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-doc/2007-January/007873.html ) Lars Weissflog L at rs-w.de Fri Jan 5 17:51:15 GMT 2007 Good day. Looking for a way to install Ubuntu (6.10 which came with a recent issue of german c't magazine) on my recently obtained Fujitsu Stylistic 3400 I had to workout the below quick and dirty way. Why? Well, all other ways seemed far more laborious or were relying at least in part on the ability to boot from USB or an internal CD-Rom. I have posted my solution in a related thread on ubuntuforums.org: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=37432 However, maybe including this or a link to it on your pages might help people (even for other distros and hardware, as this is mostly transferrable to just about any install disk for any linux I think). However, some of the tools used might be subject to legal restrictions, mainly the panasonic driver. Hence, you might want to reword the information in a way that allows people to find it without posting the link itself. I'm not subscribing to the ubuntu-doc list for the moment, as I will not have to add too much more for the time being - just learning to walk with ubuntu ;-) If you want me to make the howto up to fit on your style, let me know by mail. Also, if you have any questions etc. Regards Lars -------8<-------------8<------ -------8<------ -------8<------ Stylistic 3400 Ubuntu Install via FreeDos Boot Floppy with USB CD Support and external USB-DVD Aim: Install Ubuntu 6 on a Stylistic 3400 which can not boot from external USB or PCMCIA CD-ROM without going through the pain of a hdd/knoppix/dsl/foreign host installation. The Stylistic is not the sole target of this method, but rather any outdated (er, better: older) hardware not supporting booting external devices should be designed to work with this method. (I) Requirements (I.i) Hardware (a) A working external floppy drive (legacy system connector, not a USB floppy!) for the Stylistic 3400 (b) A working USB-DVD drive (or a CD-Drive if you have an installation CD, I had a DVD from c't magazine 25/2006) (c) The Stylistic 3400 with an internal hard disk (or any other older PC hardware suffering the symptoms mentioned above) (d) A working 1.44MB floppy disk. Be prepared to need more than one as these things are always damaged. (e) A working PC to download some software (about a meg or two only) from the web (I.ii) Software (0) WinImage or another software that can write an .imz file to a floppy under your OS on the PC you will be using to prepare the boot floppy (1) A "FreeDos" based boot floppy image (http://www.fdos.org/bootdisks/autogen/FDSTD.144.imz) (2) DOS USB ASPI Drivers for CD-Roms from Panasonic (http://panasonic.co.jp/pcc/products/drive/other/driver/f2h_usb.exe) Disclaimer: Above driver might be subject to copyright restrictions, allowing use of it only if you have panasonic hardware. (3) DOS USB Storage/CD Driver from (http://www.driver.novac.co.jp/driver/hd351u/mhairudos.zip) (4) Linld, a dos based linux loader (http://port.imtp.ilyichevsk.odessa.ua/linux/linld/linld.com) Reason for not using "Loadlin": Loadlin even in version 1.6c had problems loading the large vmlinuz image of the ubuntu disk (loadlin error message "ran out of input data") Linld.com can do it! (5) The Ubuntu Install CD / DVD. (II) Preparing the Boot Floppy (a) use Winimage or the tool of your choice to write the fdd image from (1) to your lovely floppy disk (b) extract the self-extracting archive f2h_usb.exe from (2) (c) copy the files \f2h\usbaspi.sys and \f2h\usbcd.sys from the freshly created f2h subfolder to your floppy (root folder) (d) extract the zip archive from (3) (e) from the created unzip folder mhairudos, copy only the file di1000dd.sys to your floppy (root folder) (f) edit the config.sys file on your floppy to look like -------8<------ DOS=HIGH,UMB DEVICE=FDOS\HIMEM.EXE lastdrive=Z rem The following line loads Panasonic's universal USB- controller driver rem the /v switch makes it verbose rem the /w switch makes it wait for you to connect your USB-CD-Rom and press enter devicehigh=USBASPI.SYS /v /w rem the following is an aspi mass storage driver for usb- connected HDs rem and compactflash memory cards devicehigh=DI1000DD.SYS rem The following one loads CD-ROM driver devicehigh=USBCD.SYS /d:USBCD001 ------->8------ (g) edit the autoexec.bat file on your floppy to look like -------8<------ @ECHO OFF CLS ECHO Welcome to FreeDOS (http://www.freedos.org)! LH \FDOS\SHSUCDX.EXE /d:USBCD001 ------->8------ (h) done, your floppy is ready to be used. Should work on nearly any hardware and support not only external CD-Roms but also DVDs, HDDs, maybe even sticks!?!? What a great tool..... Wish we had had that 10 years ago! (III) Booting the ubuntu installer (a) connect the external FDD and CD drives to the Stylistic 3400 (b) insert the Ubuntu DVD (CD) and FDD (c) boot the system off the floppy disk. It will ask you to connect your CD drive. Make sure it is spun up before pressing enter, otherwise it might not get detected. Note: If you are using a bus-powered drive, make sure you use both USB-Plugs on the Stylistic (the docking station port and the unit's own port) or an additional power supply unit for the USB CD drive. Mine regularly dropped out during the later package copy operations when using it with the USB data cable connected only (though on a different Laptop the same drive even burns CDs with power only provided through the data cable and the additional power-to-usb-cable unplugged) - assume this is because the USB 1.1 ports on the 3400 docking station do not provide enough amps for the DVD to work in heavy load situations. (d) once the floppy boot is complete, type in the following commands to start the linux installation: -------8<------{Space} c: cd install a:\linld image=vmlinuz initrd=initrd.gz cl=root=/dev/ram ------->8------{Space} (Note: C: is assumed the drive letter assigned to your external CD-ROM. If your hdd on the stylistic holds dos-recognized partitions, it might be d: or e: etc here. Look for the output of SHSUCDX.exe, it will tell you what letter has been assigned) (Note: Not certain if the "cl=root=/dev/ram" part is required, might also be /dev/rd0 or similar with other distros/kernels) (e) there you go. Ubuntu installer will load (f) after the language and keyboard settings have been made, the installer will look for the CD drive. It won't find the USB drive, so we have to tell it: - When asked whether you want to load cd drivers from a floppy, say no. - Next, you are asked to select manually from a list. Do so, and select "cdrom". - Next, it will ask you to specify the cd device. type in -------8<------ /dev/scd0 ------->8------ and confirm with enter. This will give you access to the CD drive. (g) From here on, piece of cake. Follow the installer and fill in whatever you need to do TADA! You just installed Ubuntu with a FREEDOS BASED USB BOOT FLOPPY. Incredible!