How to Install Linux

This document has two separate purposes:

1. To help the general public to understand what the Linux install process is about.
2. To demonstrate that Linux is, in fact, not difficult to install.

Note: This document outlines a standard Linux / Windows dual boot installation. Depending on your PC's existing configuration, your installation may be somewhat more complex. However, if your installation is more complex, you can just about bet someone out there has done it exactly the same way before. Simply post your question in the forums, and chances are that you will get the answer that you desire.

This document assumes that you have downloaded .iso files and burnt your own CDs, purchased your Linux CDs, or copied your Linux CDs from existing working Linux CDs.

Boot From the First Installation CD

Place Disk 1 of the installation CD into your CD-ROM drive (or the only CD in the case of a single CD installation). Reboot your computer. The screen below will be displayed. Press Enter to continue with installation.

If your PC does not reboot into the Linux Installation Routine, one of two things has probably occurred:

1. The CD that you have written contains that flat .iso file that you downloaded. Ensure that your CDs contain the expanded iso file system (will appear as numerous files / directories, not just one single .iso file (for help on this subject, see How To Get Linux).
2. Your PC is not set to boot from the CD-ROM. You will need to restart your computer, and enter into Setup (possibly by pressing F2, or Delete, or F10 etc.) when the computer initially boots, then setting your CD-ROM to boot before the Hard Disk.

The Installation Routine

The Installation Routine will help you to perform the tasks needed to install Linux on your system. The Installation Routine will perform the System Installation tasks followed by the System Configuration tasks, with each section containing multiple subtasks:

System Installation Language License Security Partitioning Install System System Configuration Root password Add a user Install bootloader Summary Install Updates Exit install

Langauge

Simple as it sounds, choose the language that you would like to operate in. Click Next.

License

Take a quick browse through the License Agreement. If you agree, Click Agree, then Click Next.

Security

Choose the level of security that you would like for your system. If you are creating a desktop system, feel free to choose standard. If you are running a server, choose a higher security level. For most systems, you will probably want to choose Standard, then configure your security to be higher at a later time.

Partitioning

By far the most difficult part of the installation (but still not too bad). As stated earlier, we are installing Mandrake Linux in a dual boot configuration with Windows XP (on a 7 GB Hard Disk).

In the partition configuration section, you have three choices:

1. Remove Windows(TM) - Removes Windows all together. Not what we want for this installation.
2. Use the free space on the Windows partition - Actually use the existing Windows partition for our Linux installation. Best choice if you would like to avoid resizing your Windows partition.
3. Custom disk partitioning - The most difficult, but probably the best choice. This will allow you to resize your existing Windows partition, create a new Linux partition, create a Linux swap partition, and install Linux.
4. Summary

By choosing "Custom disk partitioning", we are able to achieve the most versatile and stable system for both Linux and Windows to run on.

Resize Your Windows Partition to Make Room for Linux

Note: Before you resize your current Windows partition, be sure to make a backup of your data! You may have tax documents, MP3s, digital pictures, and many other files on your PC that you would not wish to lose. The chances that you will lose these files during a Linux installation are very low, but better safe than sorry.

When you Click Next, you will be shown the existing partitions on your hard drive. To resize your current Windows partition (to make room for Linux), Click on the blue Windows partition, and Click Resize.

You will begin with a left-to-right slider. Move the slider to the left to make your Windows partition smaller. Pick a good medium size that will leave plenty of room on your existing Windows installation (at least 1 to 2 GB) while leaving enough room to install Linux with a bit of free space left over (maybe 3 to 3.5 GB). Click Next.

Create Your New Linux Partition

Now that your Windows partition is resized, you can create a partition for Linux.
Select the free space to the right of your Windows partition (the empty gray box to the right of /mnt/windows) and Click "Create".

Use the slider to choose a size that you would like for your partition to be (about 3 GB, but leave a bit of room [at least equal in MB to the amount of RAM in your system] for the Linux swap file). Leave the filesystem as "Journalised FS: ext3" unless you have a good reason to change it to "ReiserFS" or another filesystem. Leave the Mount Point as "/" (which will act as the "root" drive (much like the "C:" drive in Windows).

Create Your Linux Swap Partition

Unlike Windows, Linux needs its swap file (or "virtual memory") on a separate partition.
To create this swap partition, click on the free space (empty gray) to the right of your red Linux ("/") partition, and Click "Create".

In the now-familiar Partition Creation screen, use the slider to select the size of your swap partition. As stated above, simply make this partition at least equal (in MB) to the amount of RAM in your computer (although a bit lower or higher is not a problem). Leave the Filesystem Type as "Linux Swap" and the Mount Point as "swap".

Write The New Partition Table

Your hard drive partitions should look a bit like the graphic below, with a Windows partition, a Linux partition, and a Linux Swap partition.

Note: Before you write the partitions to your hard drive, make sure you have created a backup of your data! You may have tax documents, MP3s, digital pictures, and many other files on your PC that you would not wish to lose. The chances that you will lose these files during a Linux installation are very low, but better safe than sorry.

When you are thoroughly satisfied with your partitions, Click "Done" then Click "Ok" to write the partitions to your hard drive.

Package Group Selection and Installation

Now that you have created a place for your Linux system to live, you need to decide what you would like for you Linux system to do.

The below table shows your choices, a brief description, and a recommendation for installation.

The Graphic below shows our chosen installation options. We chose these installation options as a base for a Linux Graphical Desktop installation. Your options may vary depending on what you would like to do with your Linux PC. Click Next with you are finished making your selections.

Note: If you have tons of hard disk space to burn, and you created a large enough Linux partition in the steps above, you may wish to install all packages and really take Linux for a test drive!

Depending on your installation choices, you may be prompted whether you would like to install certain servers (such as web or print servers). If you knowingly chose to install these options, Click Next.

Install System

There is not much work to do while the system is installing. Depending on your installation choices, and the speed of your system, this phase may take 30 mins to 1 hour to complete. You will be prompted to insert successive Linux installation CDs when necessary. Your system will reboot when it is finished, and you will continue on to the System Configuration Section.

Root Password

This is the first phase of the System Configuration section of the installation.

When prompted to enter the root password, ensure that you enter a password that is hard to guess, but easy to remember. Enter it twice to confirm. Click Next.

Add a User

You will want to run your system as a normal user most of the time (for security reasons). The "root" user should only be used when you have to, for purposes of system configuration and program installation.

Type the Real name, User name, and Password for you user. You may also click on the silhouette icon to choose an alternate login graphic for your user(s).

When you are finished, Click "Accept User" then Next. You can now choose whether you would like to automatically log on a specific user. Because multiple users will use our system, we chose to uncheck the "Do you want to use this feature?" box. For ease of you for a single user, leave this box check, and leave KDE selected as the Window Manager.

Install Bootloader

This option was configured automatically during our Mandrake 10 installation. If you need to configure your bootloader, ensure that you have options to boot both your Linux and Windows systems, if you really decide you want to boot back into Windows :) .

Summary

A summary of the installation and configuration will be displayed. You may find that one or more of your components were not able to be automatically configured by your Linux installation. Click the configure button next to the item that you would like to configure to configure options for this component. Most system configurations can be performed at a later time; as such, you may or may not wish to configure options stated as "not configured" right now.

Install Updates

You now have the option to install updates to your system. Unless you have a subscription to Mandrake Linux, you will probably wish to choose "No", and install your updates from and alternate source at a later time.

Exit Install

Go ahead and finish. Congratulations! You have completed your Linux installation! You will now be able to boot between Linux and Windows as you please from the Linux Boot Menu. Choose "linux" to boot to Linux, and "windows" to use your Windows system again.