advice sought on package and OS installation

[Yellowcave]

Hi, I am helping a friend with a packaged installation and am completely stuck, or going round in circles.
I have the original package install discs which included the OS and a new thinkpad laptop as per requirements and then the problems started.

The laptop was preloaded with XP and booting from the install disc did not do anything as it tried to set up dual boot but objected to the partitioning, one of the partitions did not end on a page boundary.

I wiped XP but the partitioning still failed so I installed Opensus 10.3 to prove Linus would run.
Tried booting off the installation CD again and it failed on the partitioning.
I wiped the partitions again and installed Kubuntu which worked.
To my surprise, this time the installation disc successfully carried out the partitioning, unfortunately the script flies off the page and prompts for the "CD Labelled xxxx" to be inserted and the PC turned off and on. ( I now think there may be an error but cannot stop the screen fast enough)
Overjoyed with success I obeyed only to get the grub loader stage 1.5 ... error 15 message.
Much investigation and complete lack of success with Supergrub led me to believe it wasn't actually writing the files so I installed OPensuse in the already existing partition having to reformat the large one from GNU something to EXT2.
Opensuse loads fine: rebooting from the install disc gives the impression of working and asks for the base CD to be inserted and computer turned off and on etc, but opensuse 10.3 is the only thing that ever loads.

The Install disc contains the following folders:
BIN,BOOT,DIPLINUX,ETC,HOME,LIB,LOST_FOU,ROOT,SBIN, USR,VAR

so I thought I may try executing the scripts one at a time under Opensuse to see if it would copy over what was missing. No joy as I found it hard to reconcile the requirements with what I had.

Next step was to see if the "xxxx base CD" would install but they are not RPMd so opensuse doesn't like them.
All that is on that are two folders GP1OS5 and OS5
The contents are BOOT,INSTALL,USER and ROOT.Z
and ROOT and USER respectively.

Trying to do anything with them like clicking on them invokes ARC which throws a wobbly as they are detected as x-CPIO format.

I have also looked at installing just the prgram CD but that consists of tgz and tar files with scripts that appear to depend on system environment variables that need setting up by the base disc. at the root there is a .cat file but I can't figure out what to do with that as all the searches uselessly return the command cat or furry cat for the first ad nauseum results.

This must be a simple task but beacuse my problems are so basic all searches return hundreds of results none of which are relevant until I have dropped off to sleep.

Can someone point me in the right direction to figure out how to either install the original OS disc by hand, install the base disc by hand on top of opensuse, or any clue at all as to where to go next.
I chose opensuse as the original packaged "diplinux" seems to be based upon the original SCO linux which I thought was bought by Novell etc.

Thanks

[Daan]

Hello there. Sounds like you had a rough night.

Did you try to Google for your laptop model + linux? Which model do you have? With what kind of CD came your laptop? Does it come with both Windows and Linux? You mention so many abbreviations that is very hard to understand.

There are many websites devoted to Thinkpads and Linux out there... Try to see which Linux distros people have successfully installed on your laptop.

Anyway, the way to install both Windows and Linux is to first install Windows, preferably from the CD that came with laptop, because then you would get all the drivers for your laptop in one go. It is quite well possible that such a CD would remove all existing partitions and then install Windows. The next step would be to use a Linux live CD (like Kubuntu) to resize (shrink) the existing partition to make room for Linux. Then install Linux to the free space (Kubuntu is a very good choice). Kubuntu will set up GRUB and dual boot for you. If you do not have working CD that came with your laptop, the best way would to start of with making two partitions from the live CD, then install Windows from some standard Windows CD, and then install Linux. In any case, it's easier to first install Windows, and then Linux, because Windows has the indecency of overwriting the master boot record and thus removing the dual boot option (tho' that would be fixable).

Copying files by hand from a Linux CD is not the way to go, unless you're a Linux expert.

Good luck!

[yancek]

Did you download the Kubuntu and Opensuse CD's? Did you do the md5 checksum before burning? Did you burn them as iso images?

[Yellowcave]

I have obviously confused everyone else as well as myself.
This is an "old" (hence no support or presence on the web) "diagnostics" package designed to run on this model Thinkpad I am trying to install which presumably runs on its own customised version of Linux.

The one intention is to run the diagnostics package and so there is no need for any other computing facility/service/desktop environment/security etc.

I can install opensuse, kubuntu etc and run them with no problems. have also set up a dual boot with windows but none of the scenarios let the package discs install either from scratch or on top of whatever linux system is on there.

There is obviously some error occuring during the initial boot and install process in this package but it is flying off the screen so quick I can't read it, hence my attempts to "step through" the various parts of the installation.
I have the original install disc which seems to want topartition the drive and install enough OS to load the next disc. The next (base) disc has all the cpio format files which I think sets up the entire basic system but I have been unable to fathom out how to find the magic script let alone invoke it. The last disc is the program disc with the tar and tgz files but the scripts appear to want preset environmental variables and so it needs the base disc installed first.
I have been fluffing at this for about 3 weeks now and as I stated most of the searches return basic stuff none of which are relevant to the actual problem and by the time I have waded my way through a couple of pages of entries, the will to live can be seen running out the door!

I am green behind the ears with Linux but have been involved with many operating systems for more times than I care to remember.
I am now confusing them all in my head hence the plea for fresh guidance.

Thanks again

Steve

[Daan]

Well, if you have both Linux and Windows working, you're problems are not so big. Why do you need those diagnostic tools? If you do want them, maybe there's a README on the CD?

[Yellowcave]

Hi Daan, but when you have been around the houses a bit like I have, putting an operating system on a PC is not a major target, it is a minor step.

This is a dedicated application, built on(into?) a customised old linux base, used for diagnosing hardware with real time input. That is the only function of the laptop. The purpose of the exercise is not to make the laptop a working computer but to make it a working diagnostic tool, or rather control for the tool. It should boot straight into the program and exit to power off state. That's it, no other computing facilities such as gui required.

My problem is that the original package is quite niche, old and out of warranty so there is no support or web presence that I can find for support.
The package installation should be as simple as insert and boot from disc1, insert dic2 and reboot from hard disc and then reboot and insert disc 3.

Unfortunately there is no readme of use or file containing installation guidance that is relevant to the problems.

Stage 1 fails but where I am a newbie to Linux I do not know the best way to disect the discs and step through so that I can resolve the issues as they arise. I have been trying for a few weeks now and have tried all the above measures drawing blanks each time but am hoping for a nudge in the right direction or direct pointer to where I can get the required info.

Thanks anyway

Steve