Install from image on harddrive

[jwilliams]

Hi, I don't have any CD-Rs right now, so instead of buying some i figured I'd learn a new trick.

I am trying to install linux onto a harddrive from another harddrive. Currently it's sitting on the second hard drive as a .iso, but i can of course dump the image to a folder if needed.

How do you setup a hard drive so that it can be recognized as boot media (i can handle the bios boot menu!) and load an OS installer?

Thanks!

[Javasnob]

I have the feeling you could persuade GRUB to do it...like on boot open a GRUB shell and do something crazy like:

root (hd0,0)
kernel /path/to/image/image.whatever
boot

(Don't try this code =P)
I think if you mess around with GRUB enough you'll find something.

[antidrugue]

This should be doable, but which linux distro are you trying to install?

[pavlo_7]

I've done that by installing VMware Server (it's free now) in Linux on one drive, and then installed another Linux
on the second drive through VMware. Installed from ISO images on a raw partition (you can choose which one and on which drive) . That way Linux gets installed on the the actual hard drive instead of on the virtual drive. It initially uses VMware drivers, but when you reboot into it directly (not through the VMware) Linux detects changes and gives you an option to load new drivers which is what you need.
The tricky part is to configure grub.conf file correctly so you will be able to boot that system when you reboot computer. Also, you will have to reconfigure X server, using new drivers, if you want to use GUI. I know, it's extra work than normal installation, but at end it works the same.