I was able to install WindRiver easily on the Classmate (the netbook) by using the DVD drive of another computer. This only works on Windows, though you can probably find a different iSCSI server for the operating system on your computer with a DVD drive.
The steps I used were as follows:
- Download Alcohol 52% from here and install it on the computer with the CD drive.
- Follow the directions at Alcohol's web site to set up the shared drive and install Microsoft iSCSI Initiator on the Classmate.
- Insert the first DVD into your shared drive. Autorun should start on the Classmate automatically.
- In the installer, disable everything except for WindRiver.
- Install and activate Windriver per instructions provided with the DVDs. You'll need to swap out the DVD for disk 2 when prompted.
- When you're done with the install, make sure to disable the iSCSI target so the original computer's drive behaves normally.
- Remember to install updates from http://first.wpi.edu/FRC/frcupdates.html
Alternately, you could copy the contents of the two DVDs to sufficiently large flash drives (DON'T BE TEMPTED BY THE RECOVERY FLASH DRIVE). I didn't have any laying around, so I found the iSCSI method more convenient.
P.S. I typed this post on the Classmate - the keyboard isn't as bad as it first feels, but the ' key is in a really weird place.