Install Tiny Core Linux

Tiny Core 1.X

Install Tiny Core

Without Being Connected to the Internet

This method may be used to install Tiny Core on a computer not connected to the internet. It may also be used by people using wireless internet connections and dial up modems, which can't be connected to the internet until after Tiny Core is installed.

Another option is to Install Tiny Core While Connected to the Internet.

Modes of Operation

There are different modes of operation with Tiny Core. These can be seen from the menu (right mouse click), if you select Help. They are also explained in Tiny Core Concepts.

Following is an explanation of how to install Tiny Core using Persistent Personal Repository (PPR), which is ideal for most people.

Download Tiny Core

Download Tiny Core. Get the latest version. Write it to a CD.

Tiny Core can also be installed without being written to a CD. For more information, see Mount an ISO Image Without Writing it to a CD or DVD.

Tiny Core may be downloaded from various internet sites. Examples include:

ftp://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/tinycorelinux/

http://ftp.nluug.nl/os/Linux/distr/tinycorelinux/

http://ftp.vim.org/os/Linux/distr/tinycorelinux/

ftp://sunsite.icm.edu.pl/pub/Linux/sunsite.unc.edu/distributions/tinycorelinux/

Verify Checksum

You can check if your download has been corrupted by verifying the MD5 checksum. The checksum must be exactly the same. If it is different, the download is corrupted, and it needs to be downloaded again.

Partition the Hard Drive

Before installing Tiny Core, the hard drive needs to be partitioned appropriately.

Before partitioning the hard drive, save a copy of all files you want to keep. All files on the hard drive will be lost.

Use one of the Live CDs for Partitioning to partition the hard drive before installing Tiny Core.

If you plan to install only Tiny Core using the entire hard drive, make an Ext3 partition and a swap partition (Another option is to have separate partitions for different directories).

If you plan to install more than one operating system, set up partitions appropriately.

For more information see Partitioning.

Method of Copying Files

You need a method to copy files to the partition you will use for Tiny Core.

If you run another Linux distribution on the computer, you can mount the partition you will use for Tiny Core, open the Root File Manager, and copy files using the Linux Operating System.

A Slax live CD may be used to copy Tiny Core to the partition. If you run Slax in "Copy to Ram" mode, you can remove the Slax CD and put in the Tiny Core CD.

Another option is to make a Tiny Core live CD with programs needed during installation. If you plan to install Tiny Core on several computers, you can make installation easier. For example, you can set up Grub in the correct directory on the CD, so when you copy and paste Tiny Core to the hard drive, Grub is already set up.

Copy Tiny Core to the Partition

Copy and paste Tiny Core (the directory "boot" and its contents) to the partition.

Set Up Grub

To start Tiny Core, Grub needs to be set up.

If you also have another Linux distribution on the Computer, you can just add the Tiny Core start commands to the existing Grub.

If Tiny Core is the only Linux distribution on the the computer, download the extension "grub-0.97-splash.tce," and extract its contents. This can be done using the Root Terminal and typing:

cd (path)
tar xzf grub-0.97-splash.tce

Insert the appropriate path where it says (path). For example, if it is in the home directory of peter, use "cd /home/peter."

Another option with many Linux distributions, is using the Root File Manager, change the ending from "tce" to "tgz" and click on it to extract its contents.

Go to the directory "usr/lib/grub/" in this extension, and copy the directory "i386-pc," including all of the files in it. Paste it to the directory "boot" in Tiny Core, and rename it "grub."

Another option is to copy Grub from a computer with a Linux operating system. If you use this method, open the Root File Manager, go to the directory "boot," and copy the directory "grub," including all of the files in it. Paste the directory "grub" and its contents, to the directory "boot" in Tiny Core.

Tiny Core Grub Commands

If you are using Grub from the Tiny Core extension, open a Root Text Editor, type the Tiny Core start commands in a new file, and save it with the name "menu.lst" in the directory "/boot/grub" (note "menu.lst" contains a lower case L, not a one).

If you are using Grub from another Linux distribution, open a Root Text Editor, and edit "/boot/grub/menu.lst," in the partition containing Grub.

In this example, Tiny Core is in sda1, which is the same as (hd0,0) in Grub. If Tiny Core is in a different partition in your computer, enter appropriate partition information. For more information, see Grub.

The Grub commands for Tiny Core are:

default 0
timeout 5

title Tiny Core
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/bzImage quiet tce=sda1 restore=sda1 home=sda1 max_loop=255
initrd /boot/tinycore.gz

If you are adding the Tiny Core start commands to Grub from another operating system, the first two lines will already be in Grub. So just add:

title Tiny Core
root (hd0,0)
kernel /boot/bzImage quiet tce=sda1 restore=sda1 home=sda1 max_loop=255
initrd /boot/tinycore.gz

Master Boot Record

If you added the Tiny Core start commands to a working Grub in another Linux distribution, setup is complete. When you turn the computer on, Tiny Core can be selected from the menu and started.

If you added them to a new Grub, the master boot record needs to be set up before Tiny Core can be started.

To set up the Master Boot Record, you need a Grub prompt.

You can get a Grub prompt with most Linux live CDs. If you made a Tiny Core live CD with programs, including the Grub extension, you can use this.

To get a Grub prompt, open the Terminal and type:

sudo grub

With some Linux distributions, you may need to open the Root Terminal and type:

grub

In this example, Grub is in sda1, which is the same as (hd0,0) in Grub. Enter appropriate information for the partition you have Grub in. For more information see Master Boot Record.

After getting the Grub prompt, type:

root (hd0,0)
setup (hd0)
quit

Another option is to download the Super Grub Disk. You can set up the master boot record by making the appropriate selections from the menu.

Start Tiny Core

If you now turn the computer off and restart, Tiny Core can be selected from the Grub menu and started. Remember to remove any CDs.

Before copying and pasting additional extensions, start Tiny Core and shut it down again. The Grub menu includes "tce=sda1 restore=sda1 home=sda1." When Tiny Core is started and shut down again, the home directory, tce directory, and the backup file, will be created.

Another option is to create a directory called "tce," and paste extensions to it.

Copy Tiny Core to Other Computers

If you install Tiny Core on another computer, you don't need to download the files again. You can just copy all files and directories to the other computer.

If Tiny Core is in a different partition in the other computer, change the partition details in /boot/grub/menu.lst.

You may also need to set up the Master Boot Record.

max_loop=

The Grub commands include max_loop=255. The actual number you need depends on how many tcz extensions you install. If you don't install many, you can leave this out. Don't make it the absolute minimum, as you may install additional programs. If you are not sure, make it 50 more than the number of tcz extensions you think you may install.

If this is left out, or the number is too low, you will get an error message during startup, "mount: could not find any free loop device," and affected programs will not work.

Alternate Grub Commands

These Grub commands may be used instead of those above.

title Tiny Core
kernel (hd0,0)/boot/bzImage quiet tce=sda1 restore=sda1 home=sda1 max_loop=255
initrd (hd0,0)/boot/tinycore.gz

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