How to install MX Linux from other Linux? (no USB)

[piakbt]

Hi!

Is it possible to install MX Linux in a way similar to Debian installation via debootstrap?

[anticapitalista]

Why would you want to do that?

[piakbt]

I have no access to BIOS, it is password-protected, so I cannot change boot order.
But I have sufficient privileges to configure grub, to partition the disk.

[Huckleberry Finn]

If it won't be a problem (say, it's your pc and you forgot the password) you know, there're ways to reset that.

Maybe as a workaround, install MX an another machine temporarily (to a tiny partition like 8GB on something external, unchecking and skipping the grub installation) then dd or on GParted copy-paste the partition to un-allocated space (which's just a bit bigger than the partition) ...

[chrispop99]

Temporarily remove the HDD, and see if it boots from USB. If it does, plug the HDD back in whilst booted. You can then install to the HDD. You may need to mount it as root.

I'm assuming it's a SATA drive, not IDE.

Chris

[anticapitalista]

Or boot from a cd/dvd if there is one.

So to answer the question, no there is no debootstrap method.
There is a boot fromiso one though.

[fehlix]

I have no access to BIOS, it is password-protected, so I cannot change boot order.
But I have sufficient privileges to configure grub, to partition the disk.

Here are 2-to-3 ways:
You can try to chainload booting from LiveUSB from grub.
On your existing grub menu, press "c" for command line.
First load the chainlaoder:

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insmod chain

list the detect drives:

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ls

if you can identify the LiveUSB (made with MX Live-USB-Maker) , it should have 2 partitions, it may look like

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(hd1) (hd1,gpt1) (hd1,gpt2)

or

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(hd1) (hd1,msdos1) (hd1,msdos2)

hd1 can also be hd0, or even something else.
Now change root, to the first partition on the LiveUSB:

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set root=(hd1,msdos1)

and check the content of the root-folder:

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ls /

You should see the content like

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/antix /boot version made-by-live-usb-maker ...

Now type this to chainload and to boot from the LiveUSB:

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chainloader +1
boot

In case GRUB does not "see" the USB-key yet,
There are two other ways:
Boot from the ISO via GRUB, and install from the running ISOboot. (You might need to put the ISO on a partition not used by the installer.)
Such menentry to ISOboot: e.g. put into /boot/grub/custom.cfg an your existing grub-folder:

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menuentry "MX-19.2_August_x64.iso" {
  insmod ext2
  set isopath="/iso/MX-19.2_August_x64.iso"
  search --no-floppy --file --set=root $isopath
  probe -u $root --set=buuid

  loopback loop $isopath
  linux  (loop)/antiX/vmlinuz buuid=$buuid fromiso=${isopath}  lang=de tz=Europe/Berlin quiet nosplash
  initrd (loop)/antiX/initrd.gz
}

or you can use the magic bootcodes invented by our magician Bitjam

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blab=MX-Live-USB

to make the MX-Live loader search the USB-partition "MX-Live-usb"
and further boot from the liveUSB:

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menuentry "MX-19.2_August_x64.iso" {
  insmod ext2
  set isopath="/iso/MX-19.2_August_x64.iso"
  search --no-floppy --file --set=root $isopath
  probe -u $root --set=buuid

  loopback loop $isopath
  linux  (loop)/antiX/vmlinuz blab=MX-Live-usb lang=de tz=Europe/Berlin quiet nosplash
  initrd (loop)/antiX/initrd.gz
}

Adjust the timezone and lang parameter accordingly.
Here a working example
/boot/grub/custom.cfg:

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submenu "MX ISO BOOT" {
menuentry "MX-19.2_August_x64.iso" {
  insmod part_gpt
  insmod part_msdos
  insmod ext2
  set isopath="/iso/MX-19.2_August_x64.iso"
  search --no-floppy --file --set=root $isopath
  probe -u $root --set=buuid

  loopback loop $isopath
  linux  (loop)/antiX/vmlinuz buuid=$buuid fromiso=${isopath} kbd=de kbvar=nodeadkeys kbopt=caps:none   lang=de tz=Europe/Berlin quiet nosplash
  initrd (loop)/antiX/initrd.gz
}

menuentry "MX-19.2_KDE_x64.iso" {
  insmod part_gpt
  insmod part_msdos
  insmod ext2
  set isopath="/iso/MX-19.2_KDE_x64.iso"
  search --no-floppy --file --set=root $isopath
  probe -u $root --set=buuid

  loopback loop $isopath
  linux  (loop)/antiX/vmlinuz buuid=$buuid fromiso=${isopath} kbd=de kbvar=nodeadkeys kbopt=caps:none   lang=de tz=Europe/Berlin quiet nosplash
  initrd (loop)/antiX/initrd.gz
}

menuentry "LiveUSB MX-19.2_KDE_x64" {
  insmod part_gpt
  insmod part_msdos
  insmod ext2
  set isopath="/iso/MX-19.2_KDE_x64.iso"
  search --no-floppy --file --set=root $isopath

  loopback loop $isopath
  linux  (loop)/antiX/vmlinuz blab=MX-Live-usb kbd=de kbvar=nodeadkeys kbopt=caps:none   lang=de tz=Europe/Berlin quiet nosplash
  initrd (loop)/antiX/initrd.gz
}

}

EDIT: added insmod part_gpt and insmod part_msdos, so it will work regardless of the current grub.cfg.
HTH

[piakbt]

Wow! All your help is just amazing, thanks a lot! I'll try to boot from iso.

[j2mcgreg]

Wouldn't it just be simpler to reset the bios by removing the CMOS battery, waiting a few minutes and then replacing it?

[piakbt]

j2mcgreg, you know, it's a corporate computer, so any hardware manipulation is not an option, unfortunately.