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Trying to install linux...help

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by fluidtech

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What a nightmare!
Can any one point em to a good (free) package and give me a pinter or two about installing. I have tried a few different ones, and the isntructions are all over the place...it's like reading the instructions for how to de-fuse a bomb, where after you call all the wires they tell you to, there is a line at the end that says, "before you cut any of the wires listed above..."
I'm new to linux but, I'm not an idiot and these ones I have tried just ain't doin it for me.
Any help would be appreciated.

28 replies

by grbeckmeyer

More details about what you HAVE tried may help, but here are a couple suggestions from somewhat of a Linux newb:
I've installed Suse and Mandrake without much trouble, though for the Suse install you should definitely have a basic understanding of networking. Also, have you tried any of the 'Live' CD's? Seems like many distros have them, in theory they shouldn't be any more difficult than burning an ISO image to a CD.

by prolifiq

From your frustration, it sounds like you got ahold of Debian, Slackware, Gentoo, or another of the less intuitive Linux distributions. For people new to Linux, I agree with GR... go with SUSE or Mandrake. GUI-based installations, automatic partitioning, easy package updating, etc.

Speaking of "packages"... I noticed you said you were looking for a good (free) Linux "package".

FYI, so the geeks won't mess with you, "package" in Linux-speak usually refers to Linux apps or drivers packaged as "RPM" (Red Hat Package Manager) or "Deb" (Debian package) files.

Different brands of Linux are referred to as "distributions" or "distros", for short. That'll keep the geeks from messing with you.

by charliespencer

What are your goals or reason for undertaking this project? I'm assuming you are doing this for the learning experience, whether personally or professionally.

Linux will run on older machines, but it will be easier to install and learn to use if you start with hardware that's less than three years old and includes only the minimal necessary hardware. You're also more likely to find drivers included with the distribution (or 'distro' for short) for components this age than if you try an antique or something on the bleeding edge.

I'm also a newbie and made the mistake of trying to install on a old Compaq server. I heard all the reports that Linux would run on almost any system, and it eventually did. But getting it to run with the out-of-date video and array controller cards and a proprietary network card was like doing my own root canal. I had a much easier installation on a four year old Compaq desktop with no network card or sound cards and video on the motherboard. Once you're comfortable, then try adding peripherals and drivers. Crawl, walk, run...

by charliespencer

Which example, the server or the desktop? Can you be more specific about made it lousy? Without more detail, it's impossible for me to know where I made a mistake. Thanks.

by jmgarvin

Fedora Core 3 is very similar to installing Windows. The only thing you have to know if that if you want to partition the drive yourself (not have it autopartition) you will need a /, a swap (250mb or so), and a /boot (100mb if you are ever planning on a multiboot) partition.

What are the problem you are having? What distro are you installing?

by _christian_

I am nearly at the same stage as you, but I started by doing some research.

You need to decide what you want your Linux PC to be, then pick a distro accordingly.

In my case I wanted it to learn Linux on it, AND to be the firewall on my home network, so I picked IPCop for the time being, which has a fairly good reputation. It comes as an ISO image to burn on a CD, then install from it.

I can give you the most interesting URLs I found during my search:
- Linux Online - Linux Courses, http://www.linux.org/lessons/
which I am currently following myself

- Linux Distributions list, http://www.linux.org/dist/index.html
coming with a filter to selection the distribution which should match your needs

- Linux Format, http://www.linuxformat.co.uk/
Many useful infos.

I will install IPCop over the week-end on a freed hard drive which I will install on my oldest PC, so I will have no Internet access until I am done or I swapped hard drive.

I will post something here to let you know how it went.

by fluidtech

I have been doing this for a friend who is not so computer savvy, because I am tired of going over all the time to devirus, teaqch about evil email, the whole Windows security issue.
Maybe this isn't a good idea? Will I end up over there more than before?
I will try some of the ideas you sent.
I tried from Fedora Core, and Ubuntu (?)...couldn't get past boot stage in either case. I think went wrong at the make CD image stage.

by apotheon

First, you should never try to introduce a rank amateur to new technology with which you are not yourself familiar. Learn it yourself, first. While I'm pretty firmly of the opinion that Linux can be the solution to many of your computing woes, you really need to find that out for yourself and come to your own conclusions about that. Don't just swallow what someone else is feeding you as gospel then go and expect it all to magically happen: that's a recipe for disappointment. Go into it with a maximum of curiosity and interest, and a minimum of expectations. I guarantee that whatever you expect, you'll find something else entirely. The fact that what you find will almost certainly be better than what you expect will be completely spoiled if you find your focus on the fact that your expectations were not met.

Second, you should really look into LUGs in your area. Linux User Group mailing lists are an incredible wealth of information. Once you get the hang of interacting with such a mailing list, you'll begin to realize that it is potentially the best source of computer support in the world. To find one near you, check out http://www.linux.org/groups and narrow it down by region.

Third, and probably most importantly, you need to learn a little something about how to ask for help if you're going to be hitting up linux users you don't know for help. The way you've "asked" for help here is a prime example of how to anger and alienate the most knowledgeable computer users in the world. I blame my greater tolerance on the fact that I don't know as much as many of the really frighteningly knowledgeable people out there, and the fact that I remember what it was like to be the new guy. Toward better question-asking skills, I recommend reading the following (by Eric Raymond, one of the foremost experts on Linux in the world):
http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
"How to Ask Questions the Smart Way"

by absolutely

Thank you for that website. My interest in computers arose by accident, and to my frustration, as science studies actually required more knowledge of the operation of the tool than I had hoped. Anyway, the site http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html is like silver lining to me. It really is not too much to ask that people at least try to solve their own problems, and consider that every "reference" on the web, bundled with their products, and anywhere else, was made by a human source who deserves appreciation for the effort.

by hal 9000

Try Lycoris Desktop LX it is very easy to install and so much like XP it isn't funny as far as looks go.

You should be able to get the ISO image almost anywhere that has any Linux Distros but unless you want to tell us what CD Recording Software you are using it will get hard to tell you how to copy the ISO file to a workable CD. Nero is a convoluted process while Easy CD Creator is an easy option as all you need do is click on the ISO image and Easy CD Creator Opens and burns a working copy of the Linux Distro. Lycoris is a "Light Weight Linux and only required 1 CD to load off but still has all the major applications included and it is very easy to use.

It is the one that I recommend to Windows Users who want to try Linux but not step too far away from what they already know or get scared off by the need to learn more stuff and forget almost all the Windows that they have learned. As a starting Distro it is easy to install and go or you can try a couple of the Live CD's that just boot off the CD and install Linux into memory so you do not even in theory need a HDD installed. With all of the ones that I have used they seem to pickup all the different hardware without a single problem and install Samba so that the computer that they are running on can communicate with any other computers on the network.

Col ]:)

by cass

First, get a knoppix cd from:
http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html
when you have burned the cd, you can run Linux
live from the cd without installing it. If it
runs fine on your friend's machine and finds all
the hardware, you know you are home free. Next,
go to linux.rpwebworks.com and in the center
column are two articles, one tells you how to
boot from that knoppix cd and one tells you how
to install a custom debian installation from the
knoppix cd. It is all very straightforward and
is the easiest way I know to try linux, evaluate
hardware for running linux, and install linux.

by oldmarine

The first Fedora cd is a boot ISO image file. You will have to tell your burning software that. It's not like burning a music cd.

by damian205

I suggest that rather than download and burn your own ISO,s that you get a ready made one from the coverdisc of a reputable Linux mag or spend just a few coppers on having one mailed to you from some one like http://www.linuxemporium.co.uk/. They are very cheap and you get to choose the distro of your choice.

by charliespencer

I think you are going to wind up holding your friend's hand quite a bit. You're probably going to save considerable time and effort if you'll install all the Windows patches, a software firewall, a good virus scanner, Firefox, AdAware or Search and Destroy, a non-MS e-mail client, and enable the autoupdate feature on all of these programs.

I don't know what your friend uses his computer for, but you're about to prevent him from installing most "mainstream" software he's going to get at Best Buy. Anybody out there know if setting up an digital camera or an IPod is going to be a pain in the fanny?

If all your friend does is e-mail and web browsing (Linux is capable of far more, but that's all you are going to be able to set up quickly with your level of experience (or mine)), and you're still going to go ahead, see LinuxQuestions.org, specifically their Newbie forum at http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=8

But first visit the link apotheon suggested with suggestions on how to ask questions. Search the site before you post; your question has probably already been asked and answered several times.

Be sure your post's title or subject gives some details on your problem (Ex: Red Hat 9 doesn't recognize Compaq sound card). Avoid vague like "Trying to install Linux...help" ;-) Many of the ubergeeks won't even look at a post with a generic topic. In the body, be specific about distribution, hardware manufacturer, model, version, and what you have already tried.

by apotheon

Exactly spot-on with that.

One of the reasons that one should not try to convince someone else to switch over to a technology with which you yourself are not familiar is that you won't know enough about it to be sure that person will be able to do what he or she wants to do with the new tech. If someone wants to go to Best Buy, as Palmetto mentioned, and buy off-the-shelf software to use on the computer, Linux is not the ideal platform. While everything that can be done with off-the-shelf software from Best Buy can be done on a Linux system, an entrenched Windows user that hasn't ever touched Linux before is unlikely to be able to easily figure out how to do so at first. Just as a long-time Linux user who has never bought proprietary, closed-source software would have difficulty with the "buy from Best Buy, install on computer using graphical wizard" methodology, so too will someone that has never really used unixy OSes with FLOSS have difficulty with the "run package list updater, download and install software" methodology.

This stuff can be learned without outside help (I've actually learned most of what I know about Linux without getting a whole lot of hand-holding, so I know it's possible), but it will be frustrating at times and someone less stubborn than me might give up and try doing things the "easy" (meaning: "familiar", not meaning: "simple and elegant") way.

by alangeek

Maybe he's thinking, "You should use this Linux thing, it's great! And if it works well for you, maybe I'll try it, too..."

by praetorpal

is pretty much a self loading, windows-like version of Debian that is not a bad intro to Linux.

by the admiral

For the most part, it goes:

1. Insert CD.
2. Boot off CD.
3. Choose Appropriate Hardware
4. Install OS
5. Swap CD when asked
6. Reboot

However, you may need one of those sneaky disks that are used to boot it up then see the CD, of course, this depends on how old the system is.

by communications9

Could you be any more specific on what you were trying to install and what were the problems?

When I first installed Linux, I believe it was Slackware, it took a "boot floppy" a "root floppy" and half a dozen diskettes to get the basic stuff on the computer. Then about another 10 to add the C compiler. Software packages were added after you got the basic system bootable.

(We didn't need no stinkin' Cd's ;-)

(Yah and we used to walk to/from school in the snow with no shoes up hill [both ways] and we liked it dammit!)

I remember a number of times having trouble getting the X Window System to work including on the old Slackware of the early 90's and later on in a few Redhat versions I used. It could be because of commodity or cheap hardware I had back then.

Recent versions of Redhat Linux: 7, 8, 9, and Fedora have been pretty nice. I've done Core 1, 2 and now 3. Everywhere I put them the graphical X Window based install seems to pop right up. If you're getting that far consider yourself lucky. But then again there is usually a text-based install method available.

It's a good idea to do this on a machine that is *NOT* your main computer for work/personal stuff, or the only computer that accesses the Internet.

You may bump into problems that you could use another computer on the Internet to do a "Google.com" search for.

I seem to remember some Disk Partitioning (disk geometry) glitch related to making a dual boot system (Windows XP and Fedora Core 2?) that caused Windows not to be able to find it's startup boot sectors. There were answers to that all over the Internet. I was able to get past that.

Fedora Core 3 is pretty much bleeding edge stuff. It went pretty smoothly on a Pentium III 400Mhz here with 128mb ram.

You might want something a little less bleeding edge. I've heard some pretty good suggestions on here.

I do know that Fedora and Redhat versions are rather easy to configure onto DSL or Cable Modem (even dial-up) Internet connections - so you'd be online pretty darned quick. You could even get on via your Linksys, Dlink, or whatever router or via another Windows machine running XP with Internet Connection Sharing. Linux can be a peer or the gateway itself.

Sharing the connection with Linux (ICS equivalent) might not be as easy as Windows. But there are help texts out there on how to do that. I myself have used the Shorewall Firewall thing to help out with that.

by roger

I use RedHat 9 for my linux. I have successfully installed it on Compaq, Gateway, and HP desktop systems. I have had problems installing Fedora Core 1 and Fedora Core 2 on some systems due to motherboard issues which are supposed to be fixed on Core 3. I haven't tried Fedora Core 3 yet so I can't comment on it. I currently have a web server running in text mode (can't get X to run correctly) and a full install on an HP laptop. There are warnings about trying to install Linux on laptops due to the limited ability you will have in swapping hardware. You can swap (or install) a graphics card in a desktop system but are restricted to the manufacturer's choice in a laptop system.

Good luck on your attempts.

by camalfa

the live cd from anny distos is a good choice to start. like mandrake move2 is base from mandrake 10.1 ( i think), if the live cd doesn't work on your computer it's because it's too old.

It is true that linux work on older system but theres a limit,i can tell it work on my computer that is 5 years old (pentium III 800Mhz)and still running on the last mandrake 10.2.

another fact mandrake is the easyest linux distros to install. just follow the question .

by charliespencer

Excuse my ignorance, but what's a "live CD"? I've got all of Jimmy Buffett's live albums on CD, but I'm pretty sure those don't fit the Linux definition of the term.

by apotheon

A LiveCD distribution is a Linux-on-CD that is used as a bootable OS drive. In other words, you ensure that your computer's CMOS settings are configured to boot from the CD if there's a bootable CD present in the drive when the system starts, you put in the LiveCD, and you turn the computer on.

What then happens is that the computer boots from an OS "installed" on the CD rather than one installed on the hard drive. The entire OS and all applications run (typically) from RAM and the CD, generally by way of the creation of a ramdisk during the boot process. This allows you to use an OS not actually installed on the computer you're using without having to change anything about the computer's setup, and when you're done you just remove the CD and everything's back the way it was.

This is useful for use of Linux as a diagnostic tool for really hosed-up systems, for carrying your favorite OS setup around with you on a CD for use at any time, and for getting a demonstration of a Linux distro's capabilities without having to commit to it right away. There are other uses as well, but those are the most common, I think.

by ozwes0071

Having installed a number of servers and Workstations on several different sites around Australia, the first question is what are you trying to achieve. EG windows to Linux, linux to linux, peer to peer, domain, etc etc.
Best Worksation install out of the box I have found is Xandros. Best system to set up for server with good stabilty and reasonably current drivers etc is Fedora 3, Don't use Redhat Enterprise or similar unless you want to spend big money, and purchase the system complete from Redhat or similar, my experience with made to order servers is if you don't have systems exaclty to there specs you are going to be in for a long haul.

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