[SOLVED] Install Mint Xfce from partition ... not LiveCD ???

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timber

[SOLVED] Install Mint Xfce from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by timber »

Hi,

I would like to install Mint XFCE on two partitions (e.g. sda4 & sda5) ... root and home
Can I just download the ISO and install from my Mint 8 Gnome partition (sda1, my default OS) rather than burning the ISO to make a LiveCD?

Do I just mount the ISO then double click on the mounted icon from my Gnome desktop? Probably not that simple, right?
Once the install has started, I will be directing gparted which partitions and mount points to use.

Thanks for any info.

Dave
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 3 times in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
bobcollard

Re: Install Mint XFCE from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by bobcollard »

timber wrote:Hi,

I would like to install Mint XFCE on two partitions (e.g. sda4 & sda5) ... root and home
Can I just download the ISO and install from my Mint 8 Gnome partition (sda1, my default OS) rather than burning the ISO to make a LiveCD?

Do I just mount the ISO then double click on the mounted icon from my Gnome desktop? Probably not that simple, right?
Once the install has started, I will be directing gparted which partitions and mount points to use.

Thanks for any info.

Dave
Are you patiently waiting for Xfce Linux Mint 8? I am, though I just got notification it will only be in 32 bit. If you already have Mint 8 Gnome you could just add Xfce desktop to that and save your partition. Then you would have both on one partition and a choice at bootup. I'm doing that right now with Linux Mint 8 x86_64 and Xfce desktop.
timber

Re: Install Mint XFCE from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by timber »

Hey Bob,

More like anxiously waiting for the Xfce Linux Mint 8 release.
Actually I'm very happy with Gnome but want to try Xfce to see if it seems a little faster and more responsive on my laptop.
I'm not familiar with Xfce at all, only read about it and checked out a few screen shots.

Is it difficult to add the Xfce desktop to a fresh install and updated Mint 8 Main?
I suppose it's a matter of adding a repository (or repositories?) installing the desktop meta file then using replace --???? to change from metacity desktop.
Could you elaborate on the process (i.e. which repositories to add and what to install) so I'm ready when ver 8 comes out?
Isn't the release on the 23rd or so?

Can I make it so I choose which desktop at boot? Must be an addition to the grub file so it shows up in grub2 menu, correct?

Thanks for your response, it's appreciated!

Dave
vrkalak

Re: Install Mint XFCE from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by vrkalak »

No need to mess with the repositories, at all.

Just go to the Synaptic Package Manager and search > Xfce
Click to 'install' the Xfce4 Meta Package

Then, after it has downloaded, re-boot your computer.
At the Log-in screen, there is a 'tab' at the bottom, marked 'Session' > select Xfce

Nothing to add to Grub. :mrgreen: Simple . . . Done.

I have the Xfce Meta Package installed over the Gnome desktop . . . Xfce in Mint ... is fast and pretty
timber

Re: Install Mint XFCE from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by timber »

Nice!
Thanks Vrkalak, just what I needed.

I'll just add the option to my Gnome partition now, then.
Very nice and easy.

Is the Xfce 8 release itself any leaner and faster as a separate install or would I end up with the same thing either way (with the exception of Gnome desktop not being installed in Xfce 8 )?

Thank You,

Dave
breaker

Re: Install Mint XFCE from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by breaker »

Hi there, I use Linux Mint 7 XFCE Community Edition as my main install on my desktop and on a usb key for laptop. It is very nice, in fact, I prefer it to Helena. It is snappy, and actually you can add the XFCE desktop over Helena, it will not be quite the same experience as the fully customized Gloria XFCE CE.

There is a way to install via hard drive if you have Helena installed. You can add a menu entry to grub2 that will enable you mount the Live CD iso as a loop device, reboot and from there you just pick the Live CD from the menu, boot it up, and install (better to a couple of different partitions than Helena just in case). Or if you just want to try the live cd, it will load very quickly compared to a real CD. I have a few isos I can boot off a data partition on my desktop, as well as a couple usb sticks with some Live CD isos booting from grub2.
timber

Re: Install Mint XFCE from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by timber »

I can't find 'Xfce4 Meta Package' in synaptic. I must not have the same repositories as Vrkalak has.
I'm running Mint 8 Main, Gnome with the default repositories plus a few third party repository additions.

At the Mint site I found 'mint-meta-xfce' here: http://packages.linuxmint.com/list.php? ... elena-Xfce
but it has several packages. Tried the mint-meta-xfce_8.0.2_all.deb but it wouldn't install using GDeb-Package-Installer, giving an error that it needed the xfce-artwork package ... tried adding that but it said it was in conflict with gnome-artwork.

FYI: The reason I want to install via my hard drive is that my CD/DVD burner isn't working right. (hardware issue, I think).
Sometimes I can burn a CD but I end up with a lot of coasters. Tried all the various burning software with little luck. No more coasters left right now ...

Think my best bet for now is to keep my nice Mint 8 Gnome install intact ... download Mint 7 XFCE Community Edition .... then install that via my hard drive if I can figure it out. In a couple of weeks I'll upgrade XFCE or better yet re-install Mint 8 XFCE CE.

I kind of like having dual or triple boots so I can experiment, explore and compare without messing up my main boot.
Got plenty of room on the HD so that's not an issue ... may as well use some of it.

Ideally, I suppose if I want a very snappy system, I would eventually install XFCE on the first partition but I'm not really sure that makes a big difference these days with faster hard drives. (Not so I've ever been able to notice anyway.)


Thanks for the great help and support, it helps and is appreciated.

Dave
breaker

Re: Install Mint XFCE from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by breaker »

As far as your original question, I posted a guide about how to boot a Live CD from a usb flash drive, but you can also point to anywhere on any hard drive. Thus, if you use the Linux Mint 7 XFCE CE edition iso, you can boot then install from your iso on the hard drive or usb stick. This is my post, but of course, change everything to Gloria XFCE Community Edition: http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=38512
timber

Re: Install Mint XFCE from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by timber »

Hi Breaker,

I think I follow for the USB boot, I'll have to study this a bit to see how to apply it to HDD boot.
Since grub2 is already installed, can I just append my existing grub.cfg with the script entry so the ISO is just one option from my existing grub boot menu?
Guess I'm reluctant to make grub2 so it just has the one option.
I realize that once the ISO boots that the new install will find my other OS's and re-install grub2 but what happens if the install doesn't go smoothly?

Perhaps if I knew the command to re-install grub2 from one of my other LiveCDs (like Helena Gnome) I'd be able to restore grub.

This looks doable, it's a little over my head though, I'd best find a way to burn a LiveCD before proceeding.
Thanks for your input here, I may yet give this a try ... after some sleep.

Dave
gn2

Re: Install Mint XFCE from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by gn2 »

timber wrote:I can't find 'Xfce4 Meta Package' in synaptic.
That's because it's called simply xfce4.

To install it, open a terminal, copy and paste

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get install xfce4
and press enter.
timber

Re: Install Mint XFCE from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by timber »

Ok, thanks Gn2 ...
That makes it easy.

Instead of trying to install Xfce as a dual boot via hard drive (rather than LiveCD), I went a different route.
Already have VirtualBox installed so I installed Xfce 7 via the option to mount an ISO in VB.
Installed and runs nicely after I also installed VirtualBox Guest Additions.
Xfce is quick ... seems very responsive even using only half my ram (1Gb of 2Gb total) for VB.
I was still able to install to separate partitions ... just access them via VB.
Makes for a nice way to test Xfce until version 8 is released.
Also can hop right in and out of either system now.
I like it.

Thanks to all for the tips!

Dave
bobcollard

Re: Install Mint XFCE from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by bobcollard »

timber wrote:Hey Bob,

More like anxiously waiting for the Xfce Linux Mint 8 release.
Actually I'm very happy with Gnome but want to try Xfce to see if it seems a little faster and more responsive on my laptop.
I'm not familiar with Xfce at all, only read about it and checked out a few screen shots.

Is it difficult to add the Xfce desktop to a fresh install and updated Mint 8 Main?
I suppose it's a matter of adding a repository (or repositories?) installing the desktop meta file then using replace --???? to change from metacity desktop.
Could you elaborate on the process (i.e. which repositories to add and what to install) so I'm ready when ver 8 comes out?
Isn't the release on the 23rd or so?

Can I make it so I choose which desktop at boot? Must be an addition to the grub file so it shows up in grub2 menu, correct?

Thanks for your response, it's appreciated!

Dave
BTW I didn't abandon you, I got bumped many times over. Don't you just love the way these guys jump in to help out? That's what makes this forum so great. I hope you have all the information you need now to make an informed decision, if not, ask.
timber

{Solved] Install Mint XFCE from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by timber »

Indeed, Bob ...
... this is a GREAT forum where people really are out to help and make the Mint experience a very pleasant one.
Thanks again to all here!

I'm new to Mint and have only been a true Linux fan for a little over a year now.
Learning on Ubuntu and migrating to Mint is a fun and extremely useful journey for me.
It's helped me keep my sanity through these rough economic times, so it means WAY more than just another OS and forum.
The depth of knowledge here is profound and makes this a very valuable resource.
I've found the Mint links that are provided on opening Firefox to be just one of the many very well thought out parts of a "most excellent" operating system.
Life is good!

Re: The info I needed for booting from HD and trying out Xfce ... yes, this thread is bookmarked and I now have Xfce installed within my Gnome system.
When Xfce 8 comes out ... I'll be installing and enjoying that experience as well.
I'll have more questions, I have no doubt, and I hope to share what I learn with others fortunate enough to find Mint and this forum.

Yes, I was very amazed, here it was 2:30-5:00am in the morning and this, world based, community was answering my questions, realtime, before I was even able to implement the solutions. 8)

Dave
breaker

Re: Install Mint XFCE from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by breaker »

Great, it sounds like you got it figured out with Virtual Box. I too am interested in Helena XFCE when it arrives. :D I'll answer your other questions below...
timber wrote:Hi Breaker,

I think I follow for the USB boot, I'll have to study this a bit to see how to apply it to HDD boot.
Since grub2 is already installed, can I just append my existing grub.cfg with the script entry so the ISO is just one option from my existing grub boot menu?
Yes, for HDD boot (also handy as an on disk rescue CD), you can add a custom menu entry to either 40_custom or just some other file name with the format XX_filename as long as you follow the format grub2 uses when running your menu entry "script". For example, I have a HDD with a couple of ntfs data partitions, and I made another fat32 partition just for isos, but it could be ext2/3/4 also. I found for the actual install from HDD iso, it is nice to have it separate so the installer doesn't ask about trying to unmount the partition you are running the iso from! This is part of my script called 32_iso:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh -e
cat << EOF
menuentry "Linux Mint 8 Live CD" {
loopback loop (hd1,4)/LinuxMint-8.iso
linux (loop)/casper/vmlinuz boot=casper iso-scan/filename=/LinuxMint-8.iso noeject noprompt --
initrd (loop)/casper/initrd.lz
}
menuentry "Linux Mint Helena 64bit" {
 loopback loop (hd1,4)/LinuxMint-8-x64.iso
 linux (loop)/casper/vmlinuz boot=casper iso-scan/filename=/LinuxMint-8-x64.iso noeject noprompt --
 initrd (loop)/casper/initrd.lz
}
menuentry "Linux Mint Gloria XFCE CE" {
 loopback loop (hd1,4)/LinuxMint-7-XFCE.iso
 linux (loop)/casper/vmlinuz boot=casper iso-scan/filename=/LinuxMint-7-XFCE.iso noeject noprompt --
 initrd (loop)/casper/initrd.gz
}
EOF
So these isos are on (hd1,4) which grub2 understands to be the second hard drive (drive numbers start with 0), 4th partition (partition numbers start with 1). The slash before the file name (of the iso) is important. For ubuntu based distros, it needs the iso-scan/filename=/LinuxMint-7-XFCE.iso in there where it is the path and filename of the iso again. Of course it has to have the curly braces around each entry, and all of the other garbage like cat <<EOF, etc etc. After that you have to make it executable and run sudo update-grub. I learned how to edit grub2 here: http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/grub-2.html

Note, the XFCE Live CD uses initrd.gz and Helena uses initrd.lz
Guess I'm reluctant to make grub2 so it just has the one option.
I realize that once the ISO boots that the new install will find my other OS's and re-install grub2 but what happens if the install doesn't go smoothly?

Perhaps if I knew the command to re-install grub2 from one of my other LiveCDs (like Helena Gnome) I'd be able to restore grub.

This looks doable, it's a little over my head though, I'd best find a way to burn a LiveCD before proceeding.
Thanks for your input here, I may yet give this a try ... after some sleep.

Dave
Yeah, that's true, if you don't have a live usb or CD that you can boot, and you need to rescue yourself, that would not be good. Yes, installs can go badly, if you have the disk space, it is safer to install to other new partitions, but as long as your iso is mounted from a different location, I think you could write over your Helena Gnome install, but yes there are risks, and yes you might want to be comfortable with grub2.

Just wanted to give you the rest of that information.

Have fun! :D
timber

Re: [SOLVED] Install Mint Xfce from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by timber »

Hi Breaker,

Thanks for the comprehensive explanation(s), with this I can get my head around the process and feel a lot more confident in going this route.
I now understand, much better,file locations and the sequence that grub2 install goes through in creating grub.cfg and ultimately the boot menu screen.
I've heard quite a few complaints about grub2 but I really think most of these beefs are actually just based on a fear of the unknown.
The http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/grub-2.html link is really great stuff ... very easy to follow step-by-step instructions.

This is just the ticket. I think Xfce 8 will be a nice addition to the growing family of Mint installs on my happy laptop.
If not included in Xfce 8 I will have to add Helena's great menu system, I've been spoiled ever since I tried it out.
Lucid and Mint 9 are right around the corner too ... very exciting time to be into Linux.

Your follow-up on this thread really helps fill in the blanks.

Mint is cool and fresh ... and the forum is a goldmine.
What's not to enjoy ... ;)
breaker

Re: [SOLVED] Install Mint Xfce from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by breaker »

Great! Thanks for the feed back! It is good to know when I have made sense to people.

I can't wait for Mint XFCE 8 either, but I also hope merlwiz79 takes his time on the details, and as always I know he will do an outstanding job. He's the maintainer of that edition by the way.

timber, I like your handle, I too used to live for a long time in the Pacific NW... different places in Oregon, actually.

c ya..
timber

Re: [SOLVED] Install Mint Xfce from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by timber »

I'm in Washington, at the crossroads of the Cascade Range and the Columbia River ... love it here in the rain forest.
Tough finding work here right now though ... soon, I hope ... I'm a CAD draftsman with no homes being built and industry downsized to the max.
Born and raised in Oregon ...
"Timber" is one of my wolf-dogs ... half Timber wolf, half Malamute ... his wife is 3/4 Arctic wolf, 1/4 Malamute ... and we kept two of the pups ... we go through lots of dog food.

merlwiz79 can have all the time he needs ... I'm anxious but love the refined polish of Mint products and willing to wait as long as it takes.

Great to meet ya!
Thanx 4 all
timber

Re: [SOLVED] Install Mint Xfce from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by timber »

Just a little follow-up here.

Currently I have two installations of Mint 8 Main.
One is using the Xfce desktop, so I can experience the differences between the default gnome desktop in Mint and the Xfce desktop.
After adding a theme or two to Xfce, I like the clean, straightforward look and feel.
I feel that Xfce would make a very pleasant work station while I think gnome suits my off time better.
With that said, I am anxious to try Xfce 8 "out of the box" or as a "stand-alone" now, rather than using just the desktop.
With the slightly lower overhead in resources use, it should play well with my use of VirtualBox which I use to run XP for my CAD software as well as my other Linux office packages.
As previously suggested, I may try some Linux based CAD programs in the future, but for now I need to stay productive in using what I know.

Is this the way most of you feel regarding using Xfce (perhaps more productive as a work environment)?
Once Mint 9 is released, I will have to reassess my situation and see what it's all about.
bobcollard

Re: [SOLVED] Install Mint Xfce from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by bobcollard »

timber wrote:Just a little follow-up here.

Currently I have two installations of Mint 8 Main.
One is using the Xfce desktop, so I can experience the differences between the default gnome desktop in Mint and the Xfce desktop.
After adding a theme or two to Xfce, I like the clean, straightforward look and feel.
I feel that Xfce would make a very pleasant work station while I think gnome suits my off time better.
With that said, I am anxious to try Xfce 8 "out of the box" or as a "stand-alone" now, rather than using just the desktop.
With the slightly lower overhead in resources use, it should play well with my use of VirtualBox which I use to run XP for my CAD software as well as my other Linux office packages.
As previously suggested, I may try some Linux based CAD programs in the future, but for now I need to stay productive in using what I know.

Is this the way most of you feel regarding using Xfce (perhaps more productive as a work environment)?
Once Mint 9 is released, I will have to reassess my situation and see what it's all about.
If you have the time and room, try downloading and installing Mint 7 Xfce You'll really see that there is a difference between the desktop and the real thing. I just did it yesterday, I'm too impatient to wait for Mint 8 and I'm not sorry. There are many surprises in store.
timber

Re: [SOLVED] Install Mint Xfce from partition ... not LiveCD ???

Post by timber »

Hi Bob,

I was just contemplating doing just that. Since my CD/DVD is "read only" right now, I will have to go the "Install from Hard Drive" route but at least I have all the information I need to do so now. Or I may try an external CD that I have in the closet to see if that will do the ISO burn.
One way or the other, I'd like to try Xfce 7 now as well.
Time to dust of the "Old burner" to see it that will do the trick.
Locked

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