J_Cool .. wrote:
>
> I just got Linux-Mandrake 6.0 from a friend. I've never used RedHat or
> Mandrake Linux. I've used Slackware 3.6 and 4.0. I'm not sure how to go
> about installing Mandrake 6.0. I've looked for help files but nothing
> really says anything definite. It's as though they're afraid you'll crash
> your computer and get mad at them. It's a computer...you set it back up and
> do it again. I was just wondering if somebody could help me get a
> step-by-step manual to print out. I want to install it from cd because I
> don't have room on my hd. Thanks for the help.
>
Well, 99% of the bullshit about installing Linux is because
they expect you to share your computer between Windows 95/98
and Linux on different hard drive partitions. This is what
makes it complicated...bending over for Mr. Gates.
Now, if you just want to install Linux on the computer all
to itself, then its very easy. Later on, if you change your
mind, you can put the Packard Bell Restore CD in there and
put Windows back in. :-)
For RedHat Linux and Mandrake Linux, which have bootable
CD's, just pop the CD in the drive. Assuming your computer
can boot from CD, then power up and follow the directions on
screen.
If your computer does not boot from CD, then you need to make
a boot disk if you didn't get one with your Mandrake package.
The floppy boot disk is made by putting a boot image on a
floppy. This is not a "copy" of the image, its a special
process.
If using a Linux box, you use the dd command, typically
something like dd if=imagename of=/dev/fd0 should work.
If using a Windows box, you use the "rawrite.exe" program
to do the same thing. The "images" are found on the
CD under the Mandrake/images directory, along with instruction.
Once the floppy is made, you boot from it and after that its
the same as from a bootable CD.
There are the usual nuances and gotchas in the installation,
and most of us erase and reformat a couple of times till we
have the installation tuned just right to our tastes.
Now, if you want to share your Computer between Windows and
Linux, you will have to get advice elsewhere. But I would
strongly suggest a second hard drive by itself for Linux;
it works best. In RedHat mailing list it was unearthed that
in a significant number of cases Windows 98 (but not 95) gets
annoyed sometimes at sharing the drive with Linux and
corrupts it or wipes it out. 98 never bothers a second drive.
--
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