Installing dvd image when computer only has cd

I have an older laptop (originally, it was a Win 98 machine) that I would like to install Zorin on. The problem is that the laptop does not have a dvd drive, only the older cd drive, and it's BIOS will not boot from USB. The installation iso is too large to place on a CD. Is there a way I can install the OS to this machine? Perhaps the iso can be split and the installation can be done using two cds?

One other thought I have is to install the OS on another laptop that does have a DVD drive, remove the hard drive from that machine and place it in the older machine. Of course the drivers would be all wrong, but if it will boot in the older machine, I should be able find most, if not all of the correct drivers at that point. I know older Windows OSes could do this, but the newer ones will not. Will Zorin do this?

Hi,

you could try the lite version of Zorin and build on that!!. (32 Bit only!)

http://www.zorin-os.com/free.html

Regards Wolfman

For your situation that the laptop/PC has no DVD (only CD) capabilities and also has no USB boot option, I propose the following:

1) Go to http://www.zorin-os.com/free.html and download the zorin 5.2 iso using firefox.

2) Go here and download the univershal USB installer: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal- ... -as-1-2-3/

3) Go here and download the plop boot manager: http://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager/download.html

4) Use the universal USB installer to write the iso into your USB pen drive.

5) Burn the plop boot manager iso image into a CD.

6) Prepare your laptop/s BIOS to boot from CD.

7) Insert the plop boot manager CD, plug your USB pen drive, reboot and enter the plop boot manager menu.

8) Select to boot from USB.

9) Start the installation of Zorin!


Swarf, I don't know if you would like to make a sticky out of this post!

Thanks for your reply, Wolfman, but, unfortunately, the 32 bit version is 1.1 GB in size, too large for a CD.

Also, thank you, madvinegar. I shall try your solution and let you know if it works. Give me a few hours (or a day). I'll probably have lots of time for the project as we expect more than a foot of snow in the next 24 hours, and I'm not going anywhere.

madvinegar ... your method worked and I was able to boot the computer using the USB stick, but, unfortunately, I found that this ancient machine, a Dell Latitude CPx H500GT, did not have enough "horsepower" to run Zorin. It does have a 500 MHz Pentium III CPU and 256 MB memory, and that should be enough according to what I have read, but apparently it is not. The first thing I tried was to run the OS "live" via the USB stick and it took better than 2 hours for the "start" screen to appear, and it was very sluggish. I really do not think an install would work on this machine.

So I think I will try "Feather Linux" and see what it will do on the machine. It should be an interesting project.

Again, thanks.

Hi,

try Xubuntu:

http://xubuntu.org/

or Voyager:

http://voyager.legtux.org/

which is based on Xubuntu and looks great!!.

XFCE is designed for lightweight machines!!.

Regards Wolfman