FAQs

This page is outdates, please see http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/talk/node/91 for the new FAQ!
This section is a work in progress, so it will hopefully get more detailed in the near future.
Getting Started with Damnsmalllinux
Install DSL from floppy disks
Install DSL from a single floppy and the net.
How do I do a hard drive install? (answer off page)
And what about Apt-Get? (answer off page)
What are the minimum requirements for DSL?
How do I make a boot floppy?
Will DSL ever get bigger than 50M?
Can you add XYZ app?
Why the name?
What can I do to help DSL progress?
How do I get to be root from X?
How do I get the mouse scroll-wheel working?
Can I run DSL from a Zip Drive.

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What are the minimum requirements for DSL?
Read about Nick Hill and Paul Knight's adventure with DSL and a couple of 486s.

How do I make a a boot floppy?
In Linux, mount your cdrom, and do this:
dd if=boot.img of=/dev/fd0
From MS/DOS you need a utility called rawrite2.exe to make an image out of the same file.

Will DSL ever get bigger than 50M?
NO.
Honestly, that would just be silly...

Can you add XYZ app?
Maybe! If it is small, and adds value to the distribution.

Why the name?
It is just a way to emphasize the compact size of this desktop distribution.

What can I do to help DSL progress?
Feedback is always appreciated, suggestions, or you may consider buying a CD.

How do I get to be root from X?
If you want to just do a single command in root:
sudo
If you want to stay root:
sudo su

How do I get the mouse scroll-wheel working?
You can't. The Kdrive X servers in DSL do not support mouse wheel action.
(this might change in the future, Kdrive is being actively developed)
Go grab a copy of 0.4.9+