Erik Steffl <steffl@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > Ismael Valladolid Torres <ismael@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >>El viernes, 22 de agosto de 2003, a las 12:19, Chris Share escribe:
> >>>It correctly detected my video card and monitor, something that
> >>>Debian couldn't do.
> >>It's not that the Debian installer can't detect your video card. It
> >>simply does not try to.
> on intel machines you can use knoppix to 'jump-start' debian, it has
> pretty good auto-detection (boot knoppix live CD, instal to disk, change
> /etc/apt/sources.list to debian and then use normal debian maintenance
> procedures (apt-get, aptitude etc.))
I usually keep binaries {debs} and config files {sources list pointed at
the second partition... most of the /etc directory} on a second partition.
{I use cfdisk to format things... I've not yet had it eat a partition
other than the one I'm targeting.} I generally copy the home directory
and whatever other stuff I've changed there as well. {you can automate this}
After the intial install and configuration all you had to do to reinstall
to a pristine state is boot the {there's a really small Debian install
distribution that seems almost failsafe to me {installs on anything}}
install disk, run the install and after the restart, when the installer
runs dselect. you can log in on a second terminal, cp the appropriate
files and just run dselect from there. Takes an hour or so at the outside
{depending on what you have installed ...keep specific debs {just copy
the /var/cache/apt/archives directory to a directory after you do an
online install} and you can just select everything in dselect}.
You can afford to take a few risks this way. {Which I do all too often}
It also helps to recreate the install on a second disk or partition {8o gig
disks are ~100.oo ...an install only takes a few gigs.} ...You can put all
of the relevant systems into lilo {Debians install will do this automatically}
and just boot another system should you happen to munge things.
If you use pluggable drives you can set up specific system environments for
specific uses {only need the first few gigs on the drive} ...Linux {unlike
windows} travels really well. You can generally switch drives between systems.
If you save a copy of the config files on a partition it becomes a simple
matter to move a system between machines.
