Linux on an iBook G4 that has no HDD

[dawozman1]

I have an iBook G4 with a completely dead hard drive. After I loaded Linux on my current macbook I became hooked, and started thinking back on a way to get linux onto my iBook even though it has no hard drive. I know there are many possibilities such as Live Cds booting from a thumb drive etc. I have quite a few distros as Live Cds because i have been getting a group of ~5 year old machines ready to be sent off to a mission down in Haiti for a school for orphans. So now on my iBook, i managed to boot Finnix from a Live CD but out of all the distros I have tried as of yet (Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Fluxubuntu, Puppy, Knoppix, and DSL I have had no luck getting it to boot from a Live CD, just the Finnix distro.

Any Ideas of how to get this working, or alternatives?

[rokytnji]

I have tried as of yet (Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Fluxubuntu, Puppy, Knoppix, and DSL I have had no luck getting it to boot from a Live CD, just the Finnix distro.

Are these distros the ppc versions. PPC version of Linux is for MAC systems.

[dawozman1]

Yes the ones I have been using are the PowerPC distros which I downloaded specifically for the iBook, so I dont know whats goin on

[Dark_Stang]

Why not just throw a new hard drive in it?

[dawozman1]

Many of them I have seen are pretty cheap, I was just thinking of putting together more of a lightweight hybrid internet surfer with it maybe using usb to boot or solid state, idk just putting together some ideas

[rokytnji]

http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/installation/5190...

Just copied this from a thread for installing Open Suse PPC in G3 MAC

look there is way but only SUSE 10 but you have to go PPC Installation Issues - openSUSE and read the prossidure, but there other issues too here just one pease of it this copy of the page, Booting of the Installation CD/DVD

CD1 is bootable on all NewWorld G3/G4/G5 Macs, IBM RS/6000 and pSeries, and also on PReP systems. To install on an OldWorld Mac, use BootX (from Ben's linux/ppc page ). To install on a legacy IBM iSeries systems, boot the CD1/ISERIES64 file as *STMF.

yaboot will automatically pick the correct kernel for your machine.
and this is page PPC Installation Issues - openSUSE
hope this help's enjoy.

[dawozman1]

ok thanks for the links and all. im wondring tho how i can figure sumtihn out to install it into RAM, i know puppy linux can but theres not one ive found for PPC

[rokytnji]

I posted the previous post because you mentioned about using a USB for your hardrive.

This link has good write ups and different choices of distros, I am just giving it to you in case you see something you haven't thought of ,like maybe SLAX.
Linux.com :: Distributions

This link is from PPC Penguin .org penguinppc.org: Distributions

I hear that yellowdog linux could be an option also. I do not own a Mac, thats why I am not a great help with this. An older version of PPC Damn Small Linux like in this blog, which also mentions Knoppix might be worth a try also. Damn Small Linux 0.8.2: a quick view :: ppcnerds.org :: powerpc addicted guys

Hopefully a Mac user reading your post will be a better help than I have been for ya.