How do i install a remaster sys backup of a cli only ubuntu install to a hard drive

Question

I'm currently in the process of migrating a system that runs a minimal install of ubuntu 10.04 from the system it was on to a VM. The approach i'm taking is to run remastersys to create a bootable iso, running it on VMware player and then using it to install to a virtual hard disk.

I've gotten the iso made, and it boots, but selecting the install option throws me into a command line shell gives me an error reading (gksudo:3160): Gtk-WARNING **: cannot open display - presumably cause ubiquity is a GUI application which relies on GTK, which is backed up by what the forums for the software says

How would/could i transfer the install onto a hard disk? I obviously cannot use traditional offline tools, but could i use something like partimage to image the disk?

Answer 1

partimage should work for you. You can also use the dd utility to make a copy. Another option is to use rsync, e.g., rsync -ax .

Answer 2

partimage and dd are tricky since i can't seem to work out what was the device name in question. Eventually i ended up installing the metacity window manager and xinit, starting up x, and running the ubuntu installer from there. Its not a particularly elegant solution, but it worked.