I have an old PC that I want to install Puppy Linux on, but it doesn't support USB booting and can't boot directly from the hard drive either. My plan is to install Puppy Linux onto the hard drive from a different computer, but the issue is that the PC I'm working with is 32-bit, and I don't have any 32-bit machines available. Is there a way for me to install a 32-bit operating system onto a hard drive using my 64-bit computer?
2 Answers
You'll need to make sure the 32-bit OS is compatible with the 64-bit architecture. When I upgraded my system, I downloaded the ISO and burned it onto a DVD since USB isn't an option for you. If you can't use DVDs either, another workaround is to set up a virtual drive on your 64-bit PC, mount the ISO, and then install it directly from there.
Yeah, but what if you don’t have a DVD burner? That old PC can’t even handle that.
It's totally possible to run a 32-bit OS on a 64-bit CPU, but does your old computer have a DVD drive? That might be a simpler route if it does.
Unfortunately, I can't burn disks anyway.
That does sound tricky—booting from a mounted ISO would be a real feat!