How to install new Ubuntu without a CD

[Robert Heller]

At Thu, 23 Aug 2018 08:42:11 -0700 "Ubuntu user technical support,  not for general discussions" <ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com> wrote:

> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have an old laptop that I keep running because it helps me with some
> voluteer work I do.  I want to install Ubuntu on it, but the way I'm used
> to involved burning a CD or DVD, and its media reader no longer functions.
> Is there a way to do this?  It already has a somewhat old Ubuntu partition,
> and I could use it, but the update process to make it current would be
> laborious.  I'd much rather have a fresh install.

Can this machine boot from a USB stick?

Can this machine boot from a network (PXE)?

I believe it is possible to put the Ubuntu install ISO on a USB stick.  It is 
also possible to boot and install Ubuntu from the network.  If you have a 
"server" (really any Ubuntu desktop machine or even another Ubuntu laptop) 
that you can install dhcpd and tftpd on, you can then put the Ubuntu network 
boot/install files onto it.

*Another* (seriously old-school hack) possiblity is to put the old laptop's
disk in another machine with a working optical reader [or one of the other
boot/install options] (another laptop or even a desktop) and install it that
way and then move the disk back to the old laptop. You might need to update
things that are hardware dependent (video setup, sound setup, network setup),
but the core O/S should just plain work.

> 

-- 
Robert Heller             -- 978-544-6933
Deepwoods Software        -- Custom Software Services
http://www.deepsoft.com/  -- Linux Administration Services
heller at deepsoft.com       -- Webhosting Services