Q4OS Forum

detoo

Member

Registered: 2019-01-17

Posts: 86

Install-CD that will actually fit a CD?

With Aquarius, install-CD files are now over 800 MB.

Maximum capacity of a CD is 700 MB.

(Gemini was in the mid-to-upper 600 MB range.)

Is there any way to get Aquarius under 700 MB -- i.e., a minimal installation version, or something similar?

Thanks!

q4osteam

Q4OS Team

Registered: 2015-12-06

Posts: 4,501

Website

Re: Install-CD that will actually fit a CD?

Yes, following the next release, we will shrink the install-cd size to fit it on a regular CD media.

detoo

Member

Registered: 2019-01-17

Posts: 86

Re: Install-CD that will actually fit a CD?

Updated info here.

Thanks q4osteam.

detoo

Member

Registered: 2019-01-17

Posts: 86

Re: Install-CD that will actually fit a CD?

Yes, following the next release, we will shrink the install-cd size to fit it on a regular CD media.

So this only applies to the 32-bit install-CD version of 5.4 Aquarius?

Last edited by detoo (2023-11-28 02:26)

q4osteam

Q4OS Team

Registered: 2015-12-06

Posts: 4,501

Website

Re: Install-CD that will actually fit a CD?

@detoo
Yes, we suppose most of 64bit computers should have bootable USB slot. For 64bit computers that haven't, the feasible way is to install Debian, and subsequently Q4OS on top of Debian https://q4os.org/dqa017.html

detoo

Member

Registered: 2019-01-17

Posts: 86

Re: Install-CD that will actually fit a CD?

For 64bit computers that haven't, the feasible way is to install Debian, and subsequently Q4OS on top of Debian https://q4os.org/dqa017.html

Ok, thanks...and this would be done with the minimal CD?

q4osteam

Q4OS Team

Registered: 2015-12-06

Posts: 4,501

Website

Re: Install-CD that will actually fit a CD?

...and this would be done with the minimal CD?

Yes, just install Debian without desktop environment and apply the script https://q4os.org/dqa017.html to set Q4OS up.

detoo

Member

Registered: 2019-01-17

Posts: 86

Re: Install-CD that will actually fit a CD?

Yes, we suppose most of 64bit computers should have bootable USB slot.

Using this method, do you just boot to flash drive containing the .iso?

(Does .iso unpack itself for installation when booted from flash drive?)

Does it matter if flash drive is formatted in default FAT32?

hchiper

Member

From: Belgium

Registered: 2020-07-28

Posts: 519

Re: Install-CD that will actually fit a CD?

Using this method, do you just boot to flash drive containing the .iso?

Yes, but the flash drive dosen't contain the .iso file, see next answer...

(Does .iso unpack itself for installation when booted from flash drive?)

No, .iso is not "unpacked" at boot time; it is "unpacked" when you use it to create the bootable flash drive. If you look at its content, there is no .iso file on it, but the  full hierarchy of directories of the file system (/boot, /etc, and so on) needed by the OS. So you cannot just copy the .iso file to the flash drive, instead use a dedicated program like Rufus to create it.

Does it matter if flash drive is formatted in default FAT32?

I think this doesn't matter, although not totally sure (I believe that when the bootable device is created from the .iso it is created will the appropriate formatting -- can somebody confirm this?)

Last edited by hchiper (2023-12-01 08:39)

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Q4OS machine: Samsung R519 - Pentium T4200 2.0 GHz - 4 GB RAM - 500 GB SSD

q4osteam

Q4OS Team

Registered: 2015-12-06

Posts: 4,501

Website

Re: Install-CD that will actually fit a CD?

@detoo
See https://q4os.org/dqa018.html#creat for how to create a bootable USB.

detoo

Member

Registered: 2019-01-17

Posts: 86

Re: Install-CD that will actually fit a CD?

@hchiper @q4osteam

OK, thank you!

hennmann

Member

Registered: 2023-04-05

Posts: 6

Re: Install-CD that will actually fit a CD?

Or you can still attempt USB like I have been on my prehistoric computers that still run on steam and some of which still have ISA slots?.
I use pLop on a boot floppy and yes some of us still use floppies. Once it boots up to the menu it gives the selection of USB and then ?and I have gotten some 1990's ans early 2000's running with that. One thing that REALLY SUCKS is more and more distros are only offering their versions, usable on this hardware as live and if you are a user learning how to use Linux and don't know the work around for a direct installation vs being forced to run it live and then install during live, you will be in for a painfully slow struggle?. Live TOTALLY runs in RAM and if you only have 256 megs of RAM, a snail sliding through peanut butter would run circles around it and this includes Puppy Linux. It is beyond useless during live but when fully installed, including setting up a very large swap partition, it is very usable.
If you want to make your product look questionable, simply offer it only in live forcing anybody that takes it for a "test drive" to run it in RAM and if your looking for fast performance on older hardware you will get the wrong impression during live vs a clean install.
For myself with hardware more than usable that I don't want to "bin" I always do a full install and give it a proper test and evaluation and never use live.

hennmann

Member

Registered: 2023-04-05

Posts: 6

Re: Install-CD that will actually fit a CD?

@detoo
Yes, we suppose most of 64bit computers should have bootable USB slot. For 64bit computers that haven't, the feasible way is to install Debian, and subsequently Q4OS on top of Debian https://q4os.org/dqa017.html

You would be surprised how far back bookable USB goes and this also applies to 32 bit only Intel hardware. Some even early 2000's have the selection in BIOS or by pressing a key gives you a boot menu. If it doesn't and if I want to do a clean install including the fact that if you don't have a CD/DVD I use pLop and of course this vintage of hardware even up to 2007ish will usually have a floppy or floppy port on the hardware.

https://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager/download.html

detoo

Member

Registered: 2019-01-17

Posts: 86

Re: Install-CD that will actually fit a CD?

@hennmann

OK, thanks for the tips!

Does anyone know if the Debian minimal CD preinstalls partitions (including swap) and GRUB, like the Q4OS installation disk does?

Senas Komunistas

Member

From: Lithuania

Registered: 2016-04-17

Posts: 52

Re: Install-CD that will actually fit a CD?

Does anyone know if the Debian minimal CD preinstalls partitions (including swap) and GRUB, like the Q4OS installation disk does?

Hello.

Yes, Debian minimal CD (it is called netinst CD image)  preinstalls partitions (including swap) and GRUB, like the Q4OS installation disk does (if you choose guided partitioning).

Just check Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide

https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/ … ex.en.html

detoo

Member

Registered: 2019-01-17

Posts: 86

Re: Install-CD that will actually fit a CD?

@Senas Komunistas

Great, thank you!