# [FYI:] Installing to a laptop with no bootable USB



## jb_fvwm2 (Nov 3, 2012)

If one has a (ide) laptop with no bootable USB; and not enough memory to install a live cd (ghostbsd for example); in some instances remove the ide disk and use a "2.5 mobile HD box" 
(no brand name, but it was less than $10...) if one has another system to install from.
(Usb 2.0; it has two usb cables, both plug in apparently to provide data and power...)


----------



## tiny (Nov 3, 2012)

I have an ide laptop with no bootable usb and have found that by using a live cd of  Plop linux that I can boot from the usb.


----------



## jb_fvwm2 (Nov 3, 2012)

Worked great! Upto a point... [1]
Ghostbsd v3 -- lxde version (from thumbdrive; the CDR did not work...)
...install
...select timezone, keyboard, disk size, passwords
...finish
Recovered rc.conf, firewall.conf, etc from the last working version
Rebooted to the new ide disk, still in the USB enclosure.
Installed a slew of .tbz /lookat/, /mmv/, /w3m/, 
Mistakenly tried to install a boot manager.
No combination of forum posts, man page examples, etc would enable it to boot again.
(The boot manager, defaulted to F2 or boot: each of which failed to proceed with the
terse failure one might expect in the worse cases...)
Sysinstall has recovered (or destroyed, depending upon how one
might want to describe the end result)... the partition (now mountable and empty). 

Might get around to installworld upon it, or even repeat the GhostBSD again. (Not 
installing a boot manager AFAIK...)

[1] For under $10, the enclosure, whose cable has two/1 ends (each of the 2-side plugged into usb) and one end to
its usb caddy side... never failed to have the disk detected, etc... WAY useful if anyone has a ide laptop...


----------



## jb_fvwm2 (Nov 4, 2012)

*Fixed!*


```
env -i make -DNO_PROFILE -DNOPROFILE -DALWAYS_CHECK_MAKE -DNO_CLEAN -DNOCLEAN  DESTDIR=/mnt installworld && yell || yell
# failed multiple times, fixed with such as: (about five in all)

cd /usr/src/sys/modules/virtio
make 
make install
#then make distribution, make installkernel, similar and according to UPDATING
```
Though the UPDATING was referring to CURRENT into a seperate partition.
...
copied files from the thumbdrive/backup disk(s) to the new /mnt, for later upgrade (or 
configuration: rc.conf, etc... out of time today.
Took a guess on fstab.
All works. No boot manager necc (low-power laptop).  Booted right off (9.1-PRERELEASE).

Now if *this* box boots after reboot... (I did this all from a roxterm...:\


----------

