Debian Gets Win32 Installer 232
An anonymous reader writes "Debian hacker Robert Millan has just announced the availability of a Debian-Installer Loader for win32. The program, inspired by Ubuntu's similar project, features 64-bit CPU auto-detection, download of linux/initrd netboot images, and chainloading into Debian-Installer via grub4dos. The frontend site goodbye-microsoft.com/ has been set up for advocacy purposes. Here are some screenshots."
Re:Almost Too Easy? (Score:3, Informative)
I was kind of disappointed though, because without reading the documents on the site, the average user would not know what the installer is actually doing. They show a screen of the Windows XP bootloader, the one we are familiar with that lets you boot into Windows or Win with safe mode. It's the bootloader that you get when you hit F8 during startup. However, now it's got a "Ubuntu operating system" listed under "Windows XP professional." How did that get there? I'm not sure. The screenshot that precluded the bootloader screenshot only showed a message asking the user if he/she wanted to reboot. It's the ?????? step between steal underpants and profit.
I'm actually pretty happy with my windows xp pro install, and have been so for about three years. I'm not going to switch back over to any other OS anytime soon, even after owning a mac for six months. The point of this comment is to make sure that people know that users will NOT BE FORMATTING THEIR HARD DRIVES by using the installer. I believe they're only modifying the bootloader and installing a small linux on the ntfs or fat32 drive right alongside winxp or 2k. I could easily be wrong, but the images and the guide on the site didn't do anything to explain the process so it's all speculation.
Re:questions (Score:5, Informative)
It is, at least, quite different from a CD install in that your Windows install (presuming this works the same as the Ubuntu version) remains untouched (aside from getting a new directory and a couple of extra files) with no risk of data loss via repartioning etc. Certainly an interesting idea.
Re:questions (Score:4, Informative)
d-i does allow optional resizing of the windows partition and setting up a dual-boot system. It does not scan windows for settings or the like.
Oh BTW, while it's slashdotted, you can see it at http://www.mirrordot.org/stories/f592f4a8f9a66105d 885ff7a49228380/index.html [mirrordot.org]
Re:questions (Score:2, Informative)
2. No
You only avoided the need for burning a CD, but not the d-i. That's why the Ubuntu one is much easier to use.
Re: Windows .ISO burner (Score:3, Informative)
Here is a link to the ISO Burner Power Toy for Windows XP. This will allow you to record a CD or DVD
http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.ht
Re:questions (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Ubuntu+Windows not hard at all. (Score:4, Informative)
WHY they can't simply distribute a mission critical tool like this along with the OS I have no idea.
Worms (Score:4, Informative)
All it would take is a silent installer with a built in bit torrent client to download the files and an XP theme for Gnome or KDE.
They could even advertise - don't like Windows? Want Linux? No problem - just plug your Windows machine into the net, turn off your firewall and go out for a few hours.
Re:Almost Too Easy? (Score:5, Informative)
The process is, basically - GRUB loads a kernel+initrd from the Windows filesystem. Kernel loads, mounts / from the initrd, mounts the NTFS or FAT filesystem from the Windows box, and finds the hardfile and initrd - then it swivels root to use the image via the loopback filesystem (so you can mount files as disks).
Not sure how this bodes for expandability of the disk image though. I guess the idea is the Ubuntu install just works, and you can put the data back onto your Windows disk..?
Re:Ubuntu+Windows not hard at all. (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Because... (Score:2, Informative)
(By the way, you do know about shift-command-G in the Finder, don't you? I take it this is how you are directing the user to open
Re:Almost Too Easy? (Score:2, Informative)
Installing linux to the hard drive is not a safe option for those who do not know how to do this, here I recommend trying it on a spare machine. Spare machines are hard to come up with, since XP, and now Vista are more or less married to the machine. Who would want to experiment with your nicely set up XP box?
I tried FC6 dual boot with XP and had to give up, took hours to restore XP, since I did hose the ntldr. Did use my livecd linux [geocities.com] to look around in the filesystem and see what I needed to do with the Dell restore CD.
On my older PC's I do use Windows 98, or preferrably MSDOS 6.21 to do a poor man's install of my live cd linux with some loadlin batch files, and a MSDOS menu to select.
On boxes with small monitors, I have an additional choice, 800x600, instead of 1024x768. I use QTParted to partition the drive, and usually put the main filesystem knoppix folder in a 1 GB partition, have a swap partition, and put a 1 GB "persistent home directory" image in the Windows or DOS partition.
So, with XP, or Vista, I would just run the livecd linux with the "toram" knoppix cheatcode boot option, that would work well on boxes with a GB of RAM.
I notice in today's paper, Office Depot and others have tons of new Vista laptops and desktops for sale, in their flyer. A lot have only 512 MB of RAM, that might result in a "slow" Vista, I suppose.
-- Rapidweather