alright here i go,

i am installing slack 4.0 on a laptop for fun so i can use it(obviously)
and get better with linux. i can make the boot and root disks fine and they
work. The question is, how do you use windows to write floppys that are
binary(i am using a friends computer, mine took a crap) and what ftp client
will ensure that i get the transfer and download to be in binary as well? i
have tried three times now using xp's version of copy to no avail(the binary
switch is simple but the man is vague). the error messages go as followed:

#gzip.stdin: unexpected end of file and there is a huge explaination of what
COULD have gone wrong

any thoughts, ideas on how to install better would be nice and appreciated

jennie


oh buy the way it is a little machine with no cdrom or anything and it is
one of those no name lappys that you pick up at auction for ten bux

On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 00:58:01 GMT, Jennie St John <tillhhaturne232@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> alright here i go,
>
> i am installing slack 4.0 on a laptop for fun so i can use it(obviously)
> and get better with linux. i can make the boot and root disks fine and they
> work. The question is, how do you use windows to write floppys that are
> binary(i am using a friends computer, mine took a crap)

I think it's called rawwrite2.exe or very close to that.

and what ftp client
> will ensure that i get the transfer and download to be in binary as well? i
> have tried three times now using xp's version of copy to no avail(the binary
> switch is simple but the man is vague). the error messages go as followed:


Any ftp client that supports binary mode. I think that's not only most of
them, but the default setting on most of them.

>
> #gzip.stdin: unexpected end of file and there is a huge explaination of what
> COULD have gone wrong
>
> any thoughts, ideas on how to install better would be nice and appreciated
>
> jennie
>
>
> oh buy the way it is a little machine with no cdrom or anything and it is
> one of those no name lappys that you pick up at auction for ten bux
>
>

On older laptops, using PLIP to transfer large volumes is the standard way.

You need a parallel null-modem cable to link your printer ports, to set
the parallel port to bi-directional in the BIOS (probably) and to create
the interface. There's a HOWTO for it.

I use it to connect two boxes and its a breeze.

One of the brands of null-modem parallel cables is called "Laplink" or
"Turbo-Laplink" ....

--
Alan C
Post validation at http://tinyurl.com/rv0y

"Jennie St John" <tillhhaturne232@hotmail.com> writes:
> alright here i go,
>
> i can make the boot and root disks fine and they work.

How did you make these? On a linux machine with 'dd' or a msdos
machine with one of the flavours of 'rawrite'? If "mdos + rawrite"
then this answers question below:

> The question is, how do you use windows to write floppys that are
> binary




> what ftp client
> will ensure that i get the transfer and download to be in binary as well?

Use the 'i' or 'binary' setting of your ftp program.


> any thoughts, ideas on how to install better would be nice and appreciated
>
If you have any networking capability on the laptop (doubtful), you could
use an NFS install.

You could use 'toms root boot disk' to boot up, clean your hard drive and ftp
stuff across.

You could remove the hard drive, put it in another machine and install
Linux, or even just copy the distro stuff across, then replace it in
your laptop.

Another (slower) way is to use a serial-transfer program to transfer one or
more of the 'disk sets', (say the 'a' and 'n' series, being the 'base'
and 'network' sets) to a spare partition on the hard drive and install a
bootstrapping system from there. Use that initial system to transfer and
install the rest of the stuff you want.

As the Perl enthusiasts say, "There is More Than One Way to Do It".
:-)

It all depends on what resources you happen to have available.


Jack
--
Vlad, Heisenberg & Thomas: The originators of FUD.

"Alan Connor" <zzzzzz@xxx.yyy> wrote in message
news:BrFmb.2590$RQ1.2080@newsread3.news.pas.earthl ink.net...
> On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 00:58:01 GMT, Jennie St John
<tillhhaturne232@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> > alright here i go,
> >
> > i am installing slack 4.0 on a laptop for fun so i can use
it(obviously)
> > and get better with linux. i can make the boot and root disks fine and
they
> > work. The question is, how do you use windows to write floppys that are
> > binary(i am using a friends computer, mine took a crap)
>
> I think it's called rawwrite2.exe or very close to that.
>
> and what ftp client
> > will ensure that i get the transfer and download to be in binary as
well? i
> > have tried three times now using xp's version of copy to no avail(the
binary
> > switch is simple but the man is vague). the error messages go as
followed:
>
>
> Any ftp client that supports binary mode. I think that's not only most of
> them, but the default setting on most of them.


>
> >
> > #gzip.stdin: unexpected end of file and there is a huge explaination of
what
> > COULD have gone wrong
> >
> > any thoughts, ideas on how to install better would be nice and
appreciated
> >
> > jennie
> >
> >
> > oh buy the way it is a little machine with no cdrom or anything and it
is
> > one of those no name lappys that you pick up at auction for ten bux
> >
> >
>
> On older laptops, using PLIP to transfer large volumes is the standard
way.
>
> You need a parallel null-modem cable to link your printer ports, to set
> the parallel port to bi-directional in the BIOS (probably) and to create
> the interface. There's a HOWTO for it.

ok tell me where you can get this decent how to
>
> I use it to connect two boxes and its a breeze.

alright and do i have to have an operating sytem already on it to do this or
is this part of the slack prompt for your source
>
> One of the brands of null-modem parallel cables is called "Laplink" or
> "Turbo-Laplink" ....
>


thanks for replying
> --
> Alan C
> Post validation at http://tinyurl.com/rv0y

On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 02:56:59 GMT, Jennie St John <tillhhaturne232@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> ok tell me where you can get this decent how to

Where you get ALL the wonderful HOWTOs! The Linux Documentation Project

http://www.tldp.org/

>>
>> I use it to connect two boxes and its a breeze.
>
> alright and do i have to have an operating sytem already on it to do this or
> is this part of the slack prompt for your source

Well, by that time you DO have a rudimentary operating system loaded into
memory. I would think that it had PLIP support compiled into the kernel....

And yes, (a big gold star for YOU :-) it is "part of the slack prompt for
your source". You will need to point the install program at the PLIP interface
plip0

This is covered VERY thoroughly in the HOWTO. There is also a mini-HOWTO
on PLIP which I found very helpful. (Although the mini-HOWTOS are now
mixed in with the regular ones.)

The main one details a Debian install, but there isn't much difference, if
any. (at this level the distros are all pretty much alike, thank the gods)

------------------------

If I were you I'd get tomsrtbt http://www.toms.net/rb/
(which can be built on Windoze)

and use it to make the connection from the windoze box

It's a tiny OS with bunches of utilities (including PLIP support) that
loads as in a ramdisk from a floppy.

Just follow the simple directions in the FAQ that comes with the
sources. (get the ones for DOS, of course)

Boot it up in your windows box, (it will ignore Windoze) create the PLIP
link, mount the CDROM with Slack and you are there.

Everything is so much more straightforward on Linux!

In fact, I'd just boot up tomsrtbt in both of the boxes, (use the same floppy)
create the PLIP link between the two toms, format the laptop's hdd with fdisk
(which toms has) and copy Slack there. Now THAT's the easy way!

toms has nc (netcat) which would make copying Slack over a breeze!
And you'd then start the install program again from the floppies and point it
to the hdd.


>>
>> One of the brands of null-modem parallel cables is called "Laplink" or
>> "Turbo-Laplink" ....
>
> thanks for replying

My pleasure.


--
Alan C
Post validation at http://tinyurl.com/rv0y

> and get better with linux. i can make the boot and root disks fine and
> they work. The question is, how do you use windows to write floppys

if "i can make the boot and root disks fine and they work." why are you
worried about making them?


> oh buy the way it is a little machine with no cdrom or anything and it
> is one of those no name lappys that you pick up at auction for ten bux

from personal experience, i would suggest you look to:

http://tiny.seul.org/en/

it's a small linux (based on slackware) that is premade to install via
floppy only...

i suggest you install the 'a' series (base system) and the 'n' series
(network) no graphical (x)(kde)... read the books(websites) learn a
little, as soon as you feel you 'need' X or KDE or start 'using' it to
the point where you see it's pitfalls, then get a machine with a 486
(+) and a cdrom , and install 9.1.

But, this is just my opinion. So you know, this is also how i learned
linux, started with tiny linux, then slackware, then redhat, then
mandrake, then slackware. But it was nice to start from an old
version... and the same feel as everyone else .."where we came from"..
and .."this is so much better than"..


--
-alex49201

alex49201 <alex@ae.homelinux.com> says...

>from personal experience, i would suggest you look to:
>
>http://tiny.seul.org/en/

That's a good solution, but I like this one a bit better:

http://www.volny.cz/basiclinux/oldpc/


--
Guy Macon, Electronics Engineer & Project Manager for hire.
Remember Doc Brown from the _Back to the Future_ movies? Do you
have an "impossible" engineering project that only someone like
Doc Brown can solve? My resume is at http://www.guymacon.com/

"Guy Macon" <http://www.guymacon.com/> wrote in message
news:g_WdnXfb0IhvEAaiRVn-ig@speakeasy.net...
>
> alex49201 <alex@ae.homelinux.com> says...
>
> >from personal experience, i would suggest you look to:
> >
> >http://tiny.seul.org/en/
>
> That's a good solution, but I like this one a bit better:
>
> http://www.volny.cz/basiclinux/oldpc/
>
>
> --
> Guy Macon, Electronics Engineer & Project Manager for hire.
> Remember Doc Brown from the _Back to the Future_ movies? Do you
> have an "impossible" engineering project that only someone like
> Doc Brown can solve? My resume is at http://www.guymacon.com/



ok you guys you have been awesome so i am going to recap:

i should use plip so i can install whatever distro over plip through a nfs
file system by running a distro like tom's rt bt and setting up the ips and
so forth. than mounting the cdrom on the target or source computer(also has
to be in linux as well to be native) and on and on and on....i have tons of
patience so this may work ahhh but then i had a thought> "could i boot the
computer with knoppix and write my floppies with dd and so forth thus saving
myself all this time or is it something i should tryout anyway just for
fun?" cmon hit me back all suggestions ideas and flames are all cool
>

On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 05:22:21 GMT, Jennie St John <tillhhaturne232@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> ok you guys you have been awesome so i am going to recap:
>
> i should use plip so i can install whatever distro over plip through a nfs
> file system by running a distro like tom's rt bt and setting up the ips and
> so forth. than mounting the cdrom on the target or source computer(also has
> to be in linux as well to be native) and on and on and on....i have tons of
> patience so this may work ahhh but then i had a thought> "could i boot the
> computer with knoppix and write my floppies with dd and so forth thus saving
> myself all this time or is it something i should tryout anyway just for
> fun?" cmon hit me back all suggestions ideas and flames are all cool
>>
>
>

Seems like you could do the Knoppix thing. But do you have ANY idea how
many floppies it would take to install a complete Slackware version?

I recently did a floppy install that resulted in a 40mb Slack on my box.
It took about 20. Maybe more. I kept recycling them and ran out of fingers
and toes :-)

The PLIP trip |-) is really simple.

Here's my plipup.sh script

#!/bin/sh

modprobe parport
modprobe parport_pc io=0x378 irq=7
modprobe plip

ifconfig plip0 192.168.0.1 pointopoint 192.168.0.2 up


I don't think you even need to do the modprobes with tomsrtbt (it
does have insmod)

--
Alan C
Post validation at http://tinyurl.com/rv0y

"Alan Connor" <zzzzzz@xxx.yyy> wrote in message
news:Yu2nb.3675$Px2.1596@newsread4.news.pas.earthl ink.net...
> On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 05:22:21 GMT, Jennie St John
<tillhhaturne232@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > ok you guys you have been awesome so i am going to recap:
> >
> > i should use plip so i can install whatever distro over plip through a
nfs
> > file system by running a distro like tom's rt bt and setting up the ips
and
> > so forth. than mounting the cdrom on the target or source computer(also
has
> > to be in linux as well to be native) and on and on and on....i have tons
of
> > patience so this may work ahhh but then i had a thought> "could i boot
the
> > computer with knoppix and write my floppies with dd and so forth thus
saving
> > myself all this time or is it something i should tryout anyway just for
> > fun?" cmon hit me back all suggestions ideas and flames are all cool
> >>
> >
> >
>
> Seems like you could do the Knoppix thing. But do you have ANY idea how
> many floppies it would take to install a complete Slackware version?
>
> I recently did a floppy install that resulted in a 40mb Slack on my box.
> It took about 20. Maybe more. I kept recycling them and ran out of fingers
> and toes :-)
>
> The PLIP trip |-) is really simple.
>
> Here's my plipup.sh script
>
> #!/bin/sh
>
> modprobe parport
> modprobe parport_pc io=0x378 irq=7
> modprobe plip
>
> ifconfig plip0 192.168.0.1 pointopoint 192.168.0.2 up
>
>
> I don't think you even need to do the modprobes with tomsrtbt (it
> does have insmod)
>

i understand that it may be faster on the plip and infact it is( i read the
benchmarks it is 100%) but this is my friends comp and i am worried that if
i dont do it the knop way i amy bang up there stuff which is what i am more
worried about if it was mine i would go about it the plip way for sure is
it possible touse an xp machine for the source ? help me out man the howtos
are dated to an extent and i will try anything

> --
> Alan C
> Post validation at http://tinyurl.com/rv0y