Very Computer

For some obscure reason, we want to install linux on a NT machine that's already
well used and have quite a lot of files on it already. Don't really feel like
backup and re-format and repartition and the whole lot ( I know it can be done
and if I am willing to reinstall, I can make it dual boot with the windows NT
loader). Does loadin runs under NT?

Quote:> For some obscure reason, we want to install linux on a NT machine that's already
> well used and have quite a lot of files on it already. Don't really feel like
> backup and re-format and repartition and the whole lot ( I know it can be done
> and if I am willing to reinstall, I can make it dual boot with the windows NT
> loader). Does loadin runs under NT?

--
Peter Fein
1005 E. 60th St.
Chicago, IL 60637
773-834-6206

http://pfein.home.ml.org/

Quote:> Does loadin runs under NT?

Get the native mode executable source from www.ntinternals.com.
This code can run before NT holds open files on the disks,
so you can rip NT out of memory. You can still read files though.

Modify it to load and start the Linux kernel depending on
the state of a flag. Maybe use the unique disk ID as a flag.

The kernel may need to mount the root filesystem over NFS,
but at least /usr can be on the NTFS partition.

If you want to be daring: use Richard Gooch's devfs patches to
handle /dev and enable NTFS write support for a local root fs.

: > For some obscure reason, we want to install linux on a NT machine that's already
: > well used and have quite a lot of files on it already. Don't really feel like
: > backup and re-format and repartition and the whole lot ( I know it can be done
: > and if I am willing to reinstall, I can make it dual boot with the windows NT
: > loader). Does loadin runs under NT?

: Nope. Loadlin just overwrites the kernel into ram & probably forces a
: context switch. NT's security, such as it is, will NOT allow such
: low-level hardware access.

: --
: Peter Fein
: 1005 E. 60th St.
: Chicago, IL 60637
: 773-834-6206

: http://pfein.home.ml.org/

In my environment I use the NT-loader to boot either NT or DOS. With
DOS I use loadlin to select between 'really DOS' and Linux.

With NT the default is DOS, in DOS the default is Linux. ;-)
Works perfectly.

   Thomas

--
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Posted and Mailed.

-For some obscure reason, we want to install linux on a NT machine that's already
-well used and have quite a lot of files on it already. Don't really feel like
-backup and re-format and repartition and the whole lot ( I know it can be done
-and if I am willing to reinstall, I can make it dual boot with the windows NT
-loader). Does loadin runs under NT?

I think I'd better jump in here quickly before you go way around the bend
with some other suggestions posted.

The short answer is no. The not so short answer is that it's unnecessary
because NTLoader does the job.

Here how to do it.

1) Install Linux normally. Be sure to create a Linux boot floppy.

2) Install LILO carefully! Instead of installing in the Master Boot Record
(because that's where NTLoader lives) install in the root partition where
Linux is installed. Normally the LILO config file would have:

boot=/dev/hda

which would install LILO in the MBR of hda. Instead use:

boot=/dev/hda3

Where hda3 is the partition where the Linux root is installed.

3) After installing LILO get the boot sector from the partition and store
it in a file. Something like:

# dd if=/dev/hda3 of=bootsect.lnx bs=512 count=1

Will copy the boot sector into the file bootsect.lnx

4) Copy the boot sector file into the boot NT filesystem. The easiest way to
do this if NT is installed in an NTFS is to copy the file to a MSDOS floppy
in Linux then boot NT and read the file from the floppy.

5) Update the NTLoader config file (Boot.ini IIRC) to add Linux and the
bootsect.lnx file to the menu.

And Voila! You can choose Linux right off the NTLoader menu. You can even
set up the machine to boot Linux as a default.

There are several article on the subject posted to the newsgroups. Use DejaNews
(www.dejanews.com) to search on the subject.

Hope this helps,

BAJ

--
Another random extraction from the mental bit stream of...
Byron A. Jeff - PhD student operating in parallel - And Using Linux!

I would add one follow-up. I personally think that it is best to install LILO
to a floppy and copy the boot record from the floppy onto the NT hard
disk. Otherwise, Byron did exactly what I did.

BTW, I now have a multitude of NT machines running this way. By only putting
the absolutely necessary files on the local machine (using a UMSDOS for boot)
and mounting the entire /usr tree from a server, I can make a machine dual
boot using only about 13MB of disk space.

        Paul Rensing

Quote:> Here how to do it.

> 1) Install Linux normally. Be sure to create a Linux boot floppy.

> 2) Install LILO carefully! Instead of installing in the Master Boot Record
> (because that's where NTLoader lives)

Quote:> install in the root partition where
> Linux is installed. Normally the LILO config file would have:

> boot=/dev/hda

> which would install LILO in the MBR of hda. Instead use:

> boot=/dev/hda3

> Where hda3 is the partition where the Linux root is installed.

> 3) After installing LILO get the boot sector from the partition and store
> it in a file. Something like:

> # dd if=/dev/hda3 of=bootsect.lnx bs=512 count=1

> Will copy the boot sector into the file bootsect.lnx

> 4) Copy the boot sector file into the boot NT filesystem. The easiest way to
> do this if NT is installed in an NTFS is to copy the file to a MSDOS floppy
> in Linux then boot NT and read the file from the floppy.

Quote:> 5) Update the NTLoader config file (Boot.ini IIRC) to add Linux and the
> bootsect.lnx file to the menu.

> And Voila! You can choose Linux right off the NTLoader menu.
> You can even set up the machine to boot Linux as a default.

Quote:>For some obscure reason, we want to install linux on a NT machine that's
already
>well used and have quite a lot of files on it already. Don't really feel
like
>backup and re-format and repartition and the whole lot ( I know it can be
done
>and if I am willing to reinstall, I can make it dual boot with the windows

Best way, if your file system is still FAT under NT, is to use 'fips' to
shrink your NT partition a bit, and then load linux in the free space.

Do a search for 'fips' at your closest linux mirror site.

Quote:>loader). Does loadin runs under NT?

Since NT has already taken over the whole machine, you'll simply get
something like a general protection fault, or if you're lucky, a nice
blue screen crash. :)

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