Re: [gentoo-user] Booting an exernal usb drive from grub
On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 6:56 PM, Michael Sullivan wrote: > On Wed, 2009-08-12 at 18:51 -0500, Paul Hartman wrote: >> On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 5:16 PM, Michael Sullivan >> wrote: >> > We can't take the hard drive out and put a different one in. I strongly >> > implied that my wife and I are clumsy. We don't have the fine motor >> > skills needed to put a hard drive into a computer. She barely had >> > enough skill to get that one out. >> >> Understood. What's the make and model of the computer? Maybe there is >> some info on the web about it that we can dig up. Perhaps someone else >> has the same computer and has tried to figure out how to do the same >> thing. >> > > It's a Compaq Presario CQ5110F. And it's going back to Office Depot > tomorrow. If they're willing to install my old hard drive without > voiding the warrantee, that's fine, but if they don't, I'm demanding a > refund and telling everyone that asks me for advice on where to buy a > new computer not to shop there. My wife found on the internet that all > new computers built since 2002 come with a bios option to boot from an > external device. This one didn't. I found this page that walks through the BIOS screens, but it all looks fairly generic: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=bph07110&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&product=3978596 Ironically, it even says "Boot Device Priority (The order for the boot process. For example, removable devices, DVD optical drive, and hard disk drive)." but, again, the descriptions all seem fairly generic so they probably just copy & pasted from other manuals. It looks like the most recent BIOS update for the motherboard in that computer is from 2004, so I don't think there's much hope for an update coming from there. If you have trouble adding/removing parts, I would recommend taking a look at a Dell computer if you can find one around. I have a Dell Dimension from about 3 years ago (about $400 or so at the time, Pentium 4) and it is the easiest computer I've ever seen to get into. Completely tool-free. There's a button that makes the side of the case pop off, the hard drives are in plastic clip that slide gently in and out of a side-facing drive bay at the bottom of the case, away from the rest of the mess, and the PCI cards are held in by plastic levers. No screws, no tiny spaces that you can't see. The SATA cables in newer computers are much easier to deal with than IDE, too. I can literally open it, take a hard drive out, put a new one in, and close it in about a minute. It takes me longer to catch my breath after climbing around on the floor under the desk than it does to actually change the part. :) (And it has successfully booted from a USB hard drive.)
Re: [gentoo-user] Booting an exernal usb drive from grub
On Wed, 2009-08-12 at 18:51 -0500, Paul Hartman wrote: > On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 5:16 PM, Michael Sullivan wrote: > > We can't take the hard drive out and put a different one in. I strongly > > implied that my wife and I are clumsy. We don't have the fine motor > > skills needed to put a hard drive into a computer. She barely had > > enough skill to get that one out. > > Understood. What's the make and model of the computer? Maybe there is > some info on the web about it that we can dig up. Perhaps someone else > has the same computer and has tried to figure out how to do the same > thing. > It's a Compaq Presario CQ5110F. And it's going back to Office Depot tomorrow. If they're willing to install my old hard drive without voiding the warrantee, that's fine, but if they don't, I'm demanding a refund and telling everyone that asks me for advice on where to buy a new computer not to shop there. My wife found on the internet that all new computers built since 2002 come with a bios option to boot from an external device. This one didn't.
Re: [gentoo-user] Booting an exernal usb drive from grub
On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 5:16 PM, Michael Sullivan wrote: > We can't take the hard drive out and put a different one in. I strongly > implied that my wife and I are clumsy. We don't have the fine motor > skills needed to put a hard drive into a computer. She barely had > enough skill to get that one out. Understood. What's the make and model of the computer? Maybe there is some info on the web about it that we can dig up. Perhaps someone else has the same computer and has tried to figure out how to do the same thing.
Re: [gentoo-user] Booting an exernal usb drive from grub
On Wed, 2009-08-12 at 23:22 +0100, Stroller wrote: > On 12 Aug 2009, at 22:49, Michael Sullivan wrote: > >> ... > >> Usually in the boot order section of BIOS one of those > >> choices will be "removable disk" or "external device" or something > >> like that. That will typically boot your USB disk. > >> > > > > Nope. The only things it has are floppy boot (It doesn't even have a > > floppy drive!), cd boot, and hdd boot... > > Plug the external USB drive in & boot to the BIOS again. Then look > under the hard-drive boot-order section of the BIOS menus. > > Stroller. > I have done exactly that about a hundred times this afternoon...
Re: [gentoo-user] Booting an exernal usb drive from grub
On 12 Aug 2009, at 22:49, Michael Sullivan wrote: ... Usually in the boot order section of BIOS one of those choices will be "removable disk" or "external device" or something like that. That will typically boot your USB disk. Nope. The only things it has are floppy boot (It doesn't even have a floppy drive!), cd boot, and hdd boot... Plug the external USB drive in & boot to the BIOS again. Then look under the hard-drive boot-order section of the BIOS menus. Stroller.
Re: [gentoo-user] Booting an exernal usb drive from grub
On Wed, 2009-08-12 at 17:11 -0500, Paul Hartman wrote: > On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 4:49 PM, Michael Sullivan wrote: > > On Wed, 2009-08-12 at 16:38 -0500, Paul Hartman wrote: > >> On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 4:30 PM, Michael Sullivan > >> wrote: > >> > My server box died last week, and, as it was about ten years old, I > >> > decided to replace it. My wife and I opened the case and removed the > >> > hard drive (A major undertaking for us, I might add). We hooked the old > >> > hard drive up to a hard drive enclosure and plugged it via USB into a > >> > new computer we bought this morning. This new computer runs Windows > >> > Vista and only Windows Vista. I want to run Gentoo Linux on the > >> > enclosure. I have to keep Windows on it because all the computer repair > >> > shoppes around here only know Windows, and will be confused if I take it > >> > in to be repaired and it isn't running Windows. I planned to install > >> > grub on the main internal hard drive and use that to boot to the USB > >> > drive. I checked the BIOS, and there's no option to boot to USB. I've > >> > spent a couple of hours today googling this question, but all I can seem > >> > to find is how to do this from a linux partition other than the one on > >> > the USB drive. Is this even possible, and if so, how would I do it? > >> > >> It seems surprising that such a new computer wouldn't let you boot > >> from USB. Usually in the boot order section of BIOS one of those > >> choices will be "removable disk" or "external device" or something > >> like that. That will typically boot your USB disk. > >> > > > > Nope. The only things it has are floppy boot (It doesn't even have a > > floppy drive!), cd boot, and hdd boot... > > I have also seen one computer where the external USB hard drive > actually showed up in the "Hard drives" section along with the normal > internal drives, in case you didn't look there already. > > Anyway, I am sure you can install GRUB to hard drive and have it boot > from the USB disk without any problems -- as long as the USB disk can > be seen by grub. I am not sure how the Vista boot loader and GRUB > interact (or interfere) with each other. I think there is a way to > calling grub from the Windows Vista boot loader so as to leave the > Windows pieces of the boot process in-tact. I haven't done that myself > so I can't give specific help, sorry. > > An alternative would be to do what I did with the Windows laptop I > bought - just take out the factory Windows hard drive and put it on a > bookshelf somewhere. Put in another hard drive and install Linux on > it. If you ever need to bring it back to "Factory" you can just take > it out and put the original hard drive back in the machine again. If > you intend on actually using Windows, or do not have/cannot afford a > second hard drive, then this is obviously not a realistic solution. > We can't take the hard drive out and put a different one in. I strongly implied that my wife and I are clumsy. We don't have the fine motor skills needed to put a hard drive into a computer. She barely had enough skill to get that one out.
Re: [gentoo-user] Booting an exernal usb drive from grub
On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 4:49 PM, Michael Sullivan wrote: > On Wed, 2009-08-12 at 16:38 -0500, Paul Hartman wrote: >> On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 4:30 PM, Michael Sullivan >> wrote: >> > My server box died last week, and, as it was about ten years old, I >> > decided to replace it. My wife and I opened the case and removed the >> > hard drive (A major undertaking for us, I might add). We hooked the old >> > hard drive up to a hard drive enclosure and plugged it via USB into a >> > new computer we bought this morning. This new computer runs Windows >> > Vista and only Windows Vista. I want to run Gentoo Linux on the >> > enclosure. I have to keep Windows on it because all the computer repair >> > shoppes around here only know Windows, and will be confused if I take it >> > in to be repaired and it isn't running Windows. I planned to install >> > grub on the main internal hard drive and use that to boot to the USB >> > drive. I checked the BIOS, and there's no option to boot to USB. I've >> > spent a couple of hours today googling this question, but all I can seem >> > to find is how to do this from a linux partition other than the one on >> > the USB drive. Is this even possible, and if so, how would I do it? >> >> It seems surprising that such a new computer wouldn't let you boot >> from USB. Usually in the boot order section of BIOS one of those >> choices will be "removable disk" or "external device" or something >> like that. That will typically boot your USB disk. >> > > Nope. The only things it has are floppy boot (It doesn't even have a > floppy drive!), cd boot, and hdd boot... I have also seen one computer where the external USB hard drive actually showed up in the "Hard drives" section along with the normal internal drives, in case you didn't look there already. Anyway, I am sure you can install GRUB to hard drive and have it boot from the USB disk without any problems -- as long as the USB disk can be seen by grub. I am not sure how the Vista boot loader and GRUB interact (or interfere) with each other. I think there is a way to calling grub from the Windows Vista boot loader so as to leave the Windows pieces of the boot process in-tact. I haven't done that myself so I can't give specific help, sorry. An alternative would be to do what I did with the Windows laptop I bought - just take out the factory Windows hard drive and put it on a bookshelf somewhere. Put in another hard drive and install Linux on it. If you ever need to bring it back to "Factory" you can just take it out and put the original hard drive back in the machine again. If you intend on actually using Windows, or do not have/cannot afford a second hard drive, then this is obviously not a realistic solution.
Re: [gentoo-user] Booting an exernal usb drive from grub
Excuse the top post - bb email. You might be able to change the hdd boot priority in another menu to try usb hdd first then fallback on sata/ide whatever. Also you might have to add a slowusb kernel boot param if after the kernel boots you get a unable to sync vfs error when handing off to init. Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile -Original Message- From: Michael Sullivan Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:49:51 To: Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] Booting an exernal usb drive from grub On Wed, 2009-08-12 at 16:38 -0500, Paul Hartman wrote: > On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 4:30 PM, Michael Sullivan wrote: > > My server box died last week, and, as it was about ten years old, I > > decided to replace it. My wife and I opened the case and removed the > > hard drive (A major undertaking for us, I might add). We hooked the old > > hard drive up to a hard drive enclosure and plugged it via USB into a > > new computer we bought this morning. This new computer runs Windows > > Vista and only Windows Vista. I want to run Gentoo Linux on the > > enclosure. I have to keep Windows on it because all the computer repair > > shoppes around here only know Windows, and will be confused if I take it > > in to be repaired and it isn't running Windows. I planned to install > > grub on the main internal hard drive and use that to boot to the USB > > drive. I checked the BIOS, and there's no option to boot to USB. I've > > spent a couple of hours today googling this question, but all I can seem > > to find is how to do this from a linux partition other than the one on > > the USB drive. Is this even possible, and if so, how would I do it? > > It seems surprising that such a new computer wouldn't let you boot > from USB. Usually in the boot order section of BIOS one of those > choices will be "removable disk" or "external device" or something > like that. That will typically boot your USB disk. > Nope. The only things it has are floppy boot (It doesn't even have a floppy drive!), cd boot, and hdd boot...
Re: [gentoo-user] Booting an exernal usb drive from grub
On Wed, 2009-08-12 at 16:38 -0500, Paul Hartman wrote: > On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 4:30 PM, Michael Sullivan wrote: > > My server box died last week, and, as it was about ten years old, I > > decided to replace it. My wife and I opened the case and removed the > > hard drive (A major undertaking for us, I might add). We hooked the old > > hard drive up to a hard drive enclosure and plugged it via USB into a > > new computer we bought this morning. This new computer runs Windows > > Vista and only Windows Vista. I want to run Gentoo Linux on the > > enclosure. I have to keep Windows on it because all the computer repair > > shoppes around here only know Windows, and will be confused if I take it > > in to be repaired and it isn't running Windows. I planned to install > > grub on the main internal hard drive and use that to boot to the USB > > drive. I checked the BIOS, and there's no option to boot to USB. I've > > spent a couple of hours today googling this question, but all I can seem > > to find is how to do this from a linux partition other than the one on > > the USB drive. Is this even possible, and if so, how would I do it? > > It seems surprising that such a new computer wouldn't let you boot > from USB. Usually in the boot order section of BIOS one of those > choices will be "removable disk" or "external device" or something > like that. That will typically boot your USB disk. > Nope. The only things it has are floppy boot (It doesn't even have a floppy drive!), cd boot, and hdd boot...
Re: [gentoo-user] Booting an exernal usb drive from grub
On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 4:30 PM, Michael Sullivan wrote: > My server box died last week, and, as it was about ten years old, I > decided to replace it. My wife and I opened the case and removed the > hard drive (A major undertaking for us, I might add). We hooked the old > hard drive up to a hard drive enclosure and plugged it via USB into a > new computer we bought this morning. This new computer runs Windows > Vista and only Windows Vista. I want to run Gentoo Linux on the > enclosure. I have to keep Windows on it because all the computer repair > shoppes around here only know Windows, and will be confused if I take it > in to be repaired and it isn't running Windows. I planned to install > grub on the main internal hard drive and use that to boot to the USB > drive. I checked the BIOS, and there's no option to boot to USB. I've > spent a couple of hours today googling this question, but all I can seem > to find is how to do this from a linux partition other than the one on > the USB drive. Is this even possible, and if so, how would I do it? It seems surprising that such a new computer wouldn't let you boot from USB. Usually in the boot order section of BIOS one of those choices will be "removable disk" or "external device" or something like that. That will typically boot your USB disk.
[gentoo-user] Booting an exernal usb drive from grub
My server box died last week, and, as it was about ten years old, I decided to replace it. My wife and I opened the case and removed the hard drive (A major undertaking for us, I might add). We hooked the old hard drive up to a hard drive enclosure and plugged it via USB into a new computer we bought this morning. This new computer runs Windows Vista and only Windows Vista. I want to run Gentoo Linux on the enclosure. I have to keep Windows on it because all the computer repair shoppes around here only know Windows, and will be confused if I take it in to be repaired and it isn't running Windows. I planned to install grub on the main internal hard drive and use that to boot to the USB drive. I checked the BIOS, and there's no option to boot to USB. I've spent a couple of hours today googling this question, but all I can seem to find is how to do this from a linux partition other than the one on the USB drive. Is this even possible, and if so, how would I do it? -Michael Sullivan-
