Install Linux from Windows 7 Without CD/DVD or USB Drive

linuxsystem-installationwindows

Update Sorry, Question has multiple parts see below for details:
I have been using Windows for many years and only used Linux from the command line, but want to shift after realizing Windows is sloowww.

Following http://mightydreams.blogspot.in/2007/09/i-am-describing-here-method-to-install.html and http://www.instantfundas.com/2007/08/install-any-linux-distro-directly-from.html

Is there a better set of instructions? (I do not have a USB or CD/DVD)

Have got "debian-7.0.0-amd64-DVD-1.iso" and disks 2 & 3 and renamed 1 to d1.iso. Step 2 says to copy vmlinuz and initrd.gz to the \C drive

But I found these files in 3 places (I did a 7z.exe l -path-to-iso- >files.list)

install.amd\gtk\vmlinuz
install.amd\vmlinuz (update plan on using this but stuck at grub see below)
install.amd\xen\vmlinuz

And similarly:

install.amd\initrd.gz 
install.amd\xen\initrd.gz
install.amd\gtk\initrd.gz

Which one to use?


Stuck at grub …

Made the entry using bcdedit but it says grub is not valid. downloaded grub from the sourceforge site, copied it and pointed to it

bcdedit /create /d Linux /application  OSLOADER
bcdedit /set  {c1e718e7-3d90-11e1-a4c8-b5a356ae5e29} device partition=c: 
bcdedit /set   {c1e718e7-3d90-11e1-a4c8-b5a356ae5e29}  path \grub\grub.exe

bcdedit -v

Gives me

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier              {9dea862c-5cdd-4e70-acc1-f32b344d4795}
device                  partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume2
description             Windows Boot Manager
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {7ea2e1ac-2e61-4728-aaa3-896d9d0a9f0e}
default                 {c1e718e2-3d90-11e1-a4c8-b5a356ae5e29}
resumeobject            {c1e718e1-3d90-11e1-a4c8-b5a356ae5e29}
displayorder            {c1e718e2-3d90-11e1-a4c8-b5a356ae5e29}
            {c1e718e7-3d90-11e1-a4c8-b5a356ae5e29}
toolsdisplayorder       {b2721d73-1db4-4c62-bf78-c548a880142d}
timeout                 30

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {c1e718e2-3d90-11e1-a4c8-b5a356ae5e29}
device                  partition=C:
path                    \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description             Windows 7
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {6efb52bf-1766-41db-a6b3-0ee5eff72bd7}
recoverysequence        {c1e718e3-3d90-11e1-a4c8-b5a356ae5e29}
recoveryenabled         Yes
osdevice                partition=C:
systemroot              \Windows
resumeobject            {c1e718e1-3d90-11e1-a4c8-b5a356ae5e29}
nx                      OptIn

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {c1e718e7-3d90-11e1-a4c8-b5a356ae5e29}
device                  partition=C:
path                    \grub\grub.exe
description             Linux

Best Answer

Debian is my personal favorite distribution. However, I have been using Linux for more than a decade and know my way around it. It is not the best distro to start with. Since you are new to Linux, I would recommend LinuxMint instead. It is based on Ubuntu which is based on Debian. It is easier to use without losing any of Debian's power or stability.

If you really really want to stick to a pure Debian, go for Linux Mint Debian, which is based directly on Debian, not Ubuntu and is a Debian in all ways. Everything you've read about Debian applies to LMDE as well. It just is slightly easier to install and configure, still not a beginner distro though.

Now, that said, the easiest way to install Debian from Windows is win32-loader:

== What is Win32-Loader? ==

win32-loader is a component of the Debian-Installer that runs on Windows and
has the ability to load the actual installer either from the network or from
CD-ROM media (as in the version included in the official CD images).

This executable is the standalone flavour, which downloads the Debian
Installer from official Debian mirrors.

== How does it work? ==

After the language choice, the executable prompts the user for some
options and tries to get defaults from the Windows environment. It then
downloads the Debian installer and kernel from official Debian mirrors. It
puts them in a Windows directory and safely modifies the Windows bootloader to
enable a choice between the legacy Windows installation and the Debian
installer at boot time.

On the next reboot, the user can choose to continue the installation of
Debian. The installation will be run using the defaults gathered from the
runtime analysis and user prompting.

== Installation Guide ==

As the Debian Installer is a minimal system, one might want to take a look at
the Debian Installation Guide before launching win32-loader.exe:

    http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/installmanual

You may also be interested in reading the Debian installation guide. Specifically sections 4.4. Preparing Files for Hard Disk Booting and Chapter 5. Booting the Installation System.

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