[SOLVED] How to install without Live system?

[Member berndbausch]

I want to evaluate Antix for an HP t520 thin client. It has 4GB RAM, which should be plenty, but no internal disk. I can boot into the Live system from a USB thumb drive, but the installation to a USB harddisk stalls at some point.

For this reason, I would like to try the CLI installer, in the hope that it has better troubleshooting information. However, I don’t find it in any of the boot menus. Pressing function keys has no effect. How do I launch it?

I am using the x86_64 version released on Oct 31.

Thanks in advance.

• This topic was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by berndbausch.

[Moderator BobC]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Why not investigate running with persistence from the flashdrive? Many people do. antiX is designed to work well that way.

/usr/local/bin/cli-installer might be what you are looking for?

I see there is another package that sounds like it might be what you want… I’ve never tried it.

live-usb-cli-antix
Script for installing antiX to usb device.

[Member Eismckwadraat19]

Helpful

Up

0

::

I think you need 2 USB, one to install and one for the live usb…

-I find capitalism repugnant. It is filthy, it is gross, it is alienating... because it causes war, hypocrisy and competition-

Fidel Castro

[Member berndbausch]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Thanks! To my shame, I thought that cli-installer was a function of the live boot menu rather than a shell script on the running Antix system.

I figured it out eventually and ran it from a terminal window. It completed, but unfortunately the disk is not recognized as bootable. More troubleshooting required.

I will definitely look into the persistence option.

[Member PPC]

Helpful

Up

0

::

I know this is marked as solved, but I have a possible solution, even easier than setting up persistence (It’s not hard, but persistence implies several steps to set up)-
If you want to simply test antiX and not install anything, you can run it live and save any documents you create on the user live folder sorry, I forgot how it’s called). You can even have .appimages there, and have any .appimage you want available in live mode…

Edit: thanks BobC, I meant ” antiX-Live-usb volume called /Live-usb-storage/demo”

To have a fully working system (that you can update, install apps, etc) persistence is the way to go, although a bit slow, it’s perfect if you don’t have a hard drive in your computer.

P.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by PPC.

[Member ModdIt]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Running without internal drive, do it quite often especially while testing
during repairs.

I do a personal live remaster after after updates or changes to configuration,
Save files or downloads to live USB storeage or another stick.

Persistence is great but slows the system more than I like. Using the remastering
I have very fast boot, better in many cases than with a spinning drive.

[Moderator BobC]

Helpful

Up

0

::

I also use what I think PPC is referring to.

If you create a live USB and let antiX have all the space, you will find that you can have a folder

in the antiX-Live-usb volume called /Live-usb-storage/demo and if you store files there you don’t need to use persistence and the files still stay there after rebooting.

[Member berndbausch]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Many thanks for all the suggestions.

I believe the disk that I wanted to install to (a spinning disk connected via USB) has a flaky connection, which led to errors. I have ordered an M.2 SSD and will try that. Meanwhile, I did get Persistence to work, although I have to admit I still don’t understand all the options.

Right now, Antix works quite well without disk and with Persistence. Sometimes, programs take their time to start up, but it’s not a concern. A very interesting OS.

[Member Wallon]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Dear berndbausch,

I use a Live USB stick to install antiX on a good USB3 stick or External SSD (in Legacy mode and not UEFI mode). It works really well and is very fast.

Best regards,
Wallon

[Author]

Posts