Here is how I am getting eCS on my notebook. I need:
(1) DFsee bootable CD ROM - it knows OS/2 but it does not know USB so that you cannot use it for getting data from an USB device
(2) PING (Partimage Isn't Ghost) bootable CD ROM - it's a very good ISO Linux partition archiver. It knows HPFS. What is essential, PING knows heaps of USB devices and it is able to archive on them. It even can burn CD's. Caution! It locks its bootable CD in the drive so that you cannot start PING and burn a CD in the same CD drive.
(3) a 512 MB USB flash memory.
(4) an auxiliary machine, where you can install eCS. It does not matter whether it is a diluvial relic, it matters whether it has an USB slot. Can you install? Has it USB? Okay, the machine will suffice.
(1) Install bare bones eCS (only VGA support, no ACPI, no PCMCIA, no APM, no web support, but install uniaudio) on the auxiliary machine. Install on a 2 GB HPFS partition.
(2) Reboot, switch to PING, and create a partition image on the flash memory. PING copies only used sectors and bzip's them so that the image should be about 270 MB.
(3) Start your notebook from DFSee CD and create a 2 GB partition on it.
(4) Reboot, switch to PING and copy the partition from the flash memory.
(5) Reboot, switch to DFSee and accomodate the partition on your notebook (geometry, partition table, etc.)
(6) Reboot, eCS should start!!
(7) Check the eCS, solve the rest of problems (drivers, USB setting, LVM, etc.) from the eCS.
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Reboot, switch to PING and create a partition image on your flash memory. It's your "installation CD" now. Burn the image somewhere.
(9) Reboot, finish the installation of eCS.
E-h-h, two more details:
(10) The flash memory must be FAT formatted.
(11) Do not forget to upgrade HD drivers to the last version of Daniela Engbert's HD drivers after installing on the auxiliary machine and before creating the partition image.