How To install and boot a 2nd (or more) Debian-based Distro without need for a USB/DVD/SD - Wizards Corner

[wizardfromoz]

I am starting 3 new threads because I could not choose between them - two now and one to come soon, I hope.

This one could be placed here or in Ubuntu or Linux Mint, but I felt Debian and derivatives was best because it applies to all three.

It involves use of a package known as

grml-rescueboot

and I take no credit for this, as it has been mentioned on this site before by @trawglodyte and @sofasurfer - I had simply failed to notice their posts/threads.

I'll give you a spoiler or appetiser of what I have established so far, in terms of what had worked for me and what has failed for me


WORKS TO INSTALL

Linux Mint (Ubuntu-based)

Linux Lite 7.2

Ubuntu

Debian 12 Bookworm

Q4OS Aquarius (Debian-based)

MX-23.5 (Debian-based)

antiX (Debian-based)

PeppermintOS Classic appears to work - PeppermintOS-Classic_x86-64.iso

PeppermintOS PCNetSpec edition appears to work - PeppermintOS-amd64.iso

NOTE - partly based on Debian 11 - Debian 11 was first released on August 14, 2021. So, its regular support phase concluded on August 14, 2024. From August 15, 2024, until August 31, 2026, it will be maintained by the Debian LTS Team.

ALSO NOTE - when exiting the environment, whether before installing or on completion of install, it shows the "eject removable media and press Enter" message, just press Enter.


PeppermintOS (Debian) edition appears to work - PeppermintOS-Debian-64.iso

PeppermintOS (Devuan) edition appears to work - PeppermintOS-devuan_64_loaded.iso

Pearl MATE (Ubuntu-based) appears to work - PearlMATE_Full_12-09-30-2024_amd64.iso

NOTE - when exiting the environment, whether before installing or on completion of install, it hangs - I chose to power down

Neptune 8 (Debian)

Nitrux (based on Debian Sid and Ubuntu) appears to work fine - nitrux-nx-desktop-plasma-5943de83-amd64.iso used

Bodhi (based on Ubuntu with Enlightenment [Moksha]) appears to work fine, Installer (Ubiquity) hangs after a couple of steps - bodhi-7.0.0-64-hwe.iso used

Feren OS (based on Ubuntu and Mint, Calamares installer) appears to work fine, Installer goes through steps to manual partitioning, Feren-OS-standarddt.iso used. Based on Focal though so EOL imminent, filled a question to Dev.

Zorin OS - Zorin-OS-17-Core-64-bit.iso used.


STILL TO TRY

Spiral
Tuxedo
EndlessOS
PureOS
Sparky
Voyager
Netrunner
Makulu
Qubes
BunsenLabs
Elive
Refracta
Pardus


DOESN'T INSTALL

LMDE6

EmmabuntusDE5 (Debian-based)

KDE Neon (Ubuntu-based) ... accepts item to grub menu but does not boot into

Devuan Daedalus ... accepts item to grub menu but does not boot into - devuan_daedalus_5.0.0_amd64_desktop-live.iso

Parrot (Debian-based) ... accepts item to grub menu begins the boot but ultimately drops to Busybox, saying "failed to find medium containing live iso"

Elementary OS

AVL (MX-based), gets right to the point of seeing a cursor on a black screen but won't resolve to the Live Desktop. AVL_MXE-23.2-20240405_x64.iso used.

Rhino Linux (Ubuntu-based) ... accepts item to grub menu begins the boot but ultimately Rhino logo just spins nouiet nosplash output indicates no medium found. Rhino-Linux-2025.1-amd64.iso was used.

So, you have been suitably warned, lol.

More to come

Cheers

Wizard

 

[wizardfromoz]

The following shows an example of my installing grml-rescueboot, in this case, on my Linux Mint 21.1 'Vera' Cinnamon install.

chris@VeraCinn-HDD:~$ apt policy grml-rescueboot
grml-rescueboot:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 0.5.1

chris@VeraCinn-HDD:~$ sudo apt -y install grml-rescueboot
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
The following additional packages will be installed:
  debian-keyring
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  debian-keyring grml-rescueboot
Need to get 29.7 MB of archives.
After this operation, 32.1 MB of additional disk space will be used.

...
Preparing to unpack .../grml-rescueboot_0.5.1_all.deb ...
Unpacking grml-rescueboot (0.5.1) ...
Setting up grml-rescueboot (0.5.1) ...
INFO: No *.iso files found inside /boot/grml.
INFO: Execute 'update-grml-rescueboot' to download and integrate a Grml ISO.
Setting up debian-keyring (2021.12.24) ...

On the references to the INFO, near bottom

• INFO: No *.iso files found inside /boot/grml. - that is because I have not put any there yet, before the folder itself has been generated, D'oh, don't know why they bother with that?
• INFO: Execute 'update-grml-rescueboot' to download and integrate a Grml ISO. - I have not yet done this, as best I can tell, the GRML.iso may be like a Rescueboot stick or disk... I will write about that elsewhere, but we don't need it for now, to enjoy the functionality as described in my thread title.

Once the operation has completed -

1. First check your file /etc/default/grub, if you do not already have a Grub Menu that displays when you boot your machine each day. If that is the case, then change the line in it that says

   GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=hidden

   to

   GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=menu

   and save the file. You do not need to run update-grub yet.
2. When you are ready, use your File Manager to drag and drop, or copy and paste, an eligible iso from your Downloads or other iso storage point to the folder /boot/grml ...it may take some seconds for the iso file to be copied completely.
3. Once that is complete, then in Terminal/Konsole, run

   sudo update-grub

   and once that has completed
4. Reboot

You should see the reference to the iso at the bottom of your menu.

You can boot that entry, and go through the usual screens to get to the desktop, and install your distro from there, to wherever you wish.

More soon, and any questions, sling them my way.

Wizard