Install with no bootable CD, floppy, or USB

[bhobjj]

I ran into a problem. A friend of mine wanted to install Linux on a laptop. The laptop had Win Xp installed and a broken CD drive. It would not boot from USB.
As usual, someone had already solved this problem:

http://marc.herbert.free.fr/linux/win2linstall.html

Instlux is a windows exe that can be used to install Linux:
http://instlux.sourceforge.net/

[castaway]

Kudos to bhobjj for his interesting post!

1) Herbert's procedure can be simplified for those unfamiliar with DOS. You can edit Win-XP's boot.ini file by clicking Control Panel > System > Advanced > Startup & Recovery > Settings > Edit. After you have finished installing linux, repeat the above sequence and remove your supplemental text. For details, see:

http://marc.herbert.free.fr/linux/win2linstall.html

2) Instlux offers three installation programs. Only one, Ubuntu, installs from the internet. The other two actually require a cd.

http://instlux.sourceforge.net

3) If you want to install Debian Etch, use a combination of Herbert's procedure and instlux. This will reduce the number of files downloaded, copying, and file editing. The combined procedure may be found in this forum:

http://www.linuxagora.com/vbforum/showthread.php?p=2471#post2471