Most Windows users never install an operating system. Windows upgrades historically require hardware upgrades too, so users stay with older versions until they upgrade their hardware with a new PC rather than upgrading RAM, hard drives, even CPU, and then installing the new OS. Yet installing Linux can be almost preternaturally simple, especially when compared to wrestling with a Windows upgrade on an old system.
If you're new to Linux, any desktop-oriented commercial distributions should work, but I prefer SUSE Linux 9.1 from Novell. No matter which distribution ("distro") you choose, you'll follow roughly the same steps (see sidebar on choosing a distro) outlined here.
Step 1: Choosing a PC for Linux
Before you install Linux, you must choose a PC to install it on. Depending on your inventory of PCs and your financial situation, you've got several options:
- Buy a new PC with Linux pre-installed. Though major vendors like HP, IBM and Dell are increasingly supporting Linux, you'll have better luck working with smaller Linux-oriented online or local dealers who custom-build PCs.
- Recycle an older PC. If Windows 95 runs on it, chances are it'll run a modern, graphical Linux. SUSE 9.1 requires at 128Mb RAM/2Gb disk, SUSE 9.0 required 64Mb RAM; other distros will work with less.
- Install Linux alongside Windows to create a dual-boot system. If you've only got one PC, Linux coexists nicely with Windows as long as you've got enough space on your hard drive to create your Linux partitions. You choose Windows or Linux at boot time.
TIPS:
- Check the database at Linux Compatible for more about your PC, laptop, or peripheral.
- Many inexpensive modems and printers ("winmodems" and "winprinters") were designed to work only with Windows. LinuxPrinting.org has a database of Linux-compatible printers and articles about printing; Linmodems.org explains about using winmodems under Linux; "Winmodems are not modems" offers winmodem information and compatibility databases.
Step 2: Preparing the System
Before installing Linux, you'll want to:
- Back up your data!
- Record your network configuration information including host name, IP address, gateway router and DNS servers unless your system autoconfigures with DHCP.
- Check power, monitor, mouse, keyboard, network and printer cables.
- Find instruction manuals for your monitor, graphics card, and other hardware--if you can. These are nice to have, but not mandatory as more vendors post documentation on their websites.
- Make sure your PC can boot from a CD. You may need to enter a BIOS menu when the system powers up. Watch the screen for the key combination to enter BIOS configuration menu, and then explore the menus for the option that enables booting from your CD drive.
TIP:
- Consider installing a spare hard drive. You can use it for backup, or install Linux on it to avoid overwriting any data.
Step 3: Starting the Installation
Turn on your PC, insert the first installation CD (or DVD, if you've got a bootable DVD drive). You'll see a boot menu with options that depend on what's already installed on your system. You'll want to choose to install Linux on the system.
When the installer CD boots, act fast before the default option, usually to boot from the hard drive, is selected.
The opening installation screen allows you to choose a language for the installation, after which the installer probes your system for installed hardware and disk partitions. SUSE 9.1 displays defaults that have been calculated for your system and lets you choose to accept those defaults (click "OK") or modify those selections to customize your installation.
TIPS:
- If the PC boots from the hard drive, power down and try again; the installer default is to boot an installed OS if no menu selection is made.
- If the installer still doesn't boot, check your BIOS; older PCs can't be set to boot from CD, so you may need to use a diskette to start the installation.
Step 4: Installation Choices
SUSE installation defaults will usually work, so you could click on "Accept" to start copying software, but for best results you'll want to modify at least some of the installation options:
System:
Display system data: CPU, disks, network, video and sound cards, and other peripherals. You can view or write the data to a file.
Installation Mode:
When an OS is already installed this option lets you do a new install over an existing OS, update or repair an existing Linux installation, or boot the PC from the existing OS.
Keyboard Layout:
Use "expert settings" to fine tune your keyboard defaults: disabling the Caps Lock key, turning the Caps Lock/Num Lock keys on or off at bootup, and more.
Mouse:
Choose your mouse and test it, though the installer probably detected and configured your mouse properly.
Partitioning:
How your hard drive space is allocated and used. See Step 4a.
Software:
What software to install. See Step 4b.
Booting:
How your system boots, including options like booting to Windows or another OS.
Time zone:
Defaults to Pacific Time; everyone else change as needed.
Language:
The default is English, American.
Default runlevel:
"Runlevel" specifies how Linux runs: as a single or multi-user system, networked or not, and using a GUI windows manager or not. The default, "5", sets it to run as a networked multi-user system with graphical login.
TIPS:
- Read the User Guide provided with SUSE Linux 9.1; it explains all installation options and choices in detail.
- Don't change any options that you don't understand.
Step 4a: Partitioning
Partitioning a hard drive is like compartmenting a large drawer with dividers: instead of having one big space, you've got two or more smaller spaces.
Linux requires at least two partitions: a "swap" partition (typically double the amount of system RAM is used) for overflow from RAM, and a root partition for system files.
The SUSE installer detects available disk space and makes a "best guess" partition table, creating a swap partition and allocating any unallocated disk space into a single Linux partition. Existing partitions, such as those used for Windows, are left alone as long as there is enough for Linux.
If your entire hard drive is already already partitioned for Windows, don't worry: the installer can automatically resize existing partitions to make room for Linux.
The default partition scheme is usually just fine, but I prefer to keep my partitions between 10-20Gb, and save the rest of the hard drive for future expansion.
To modify the default partition scheme, click on the Partition link. You'll see a list of proposed partitions and you have three choices: accept the partition table as is, modify the proposed partition table, or create a custom partition tab;e from scratch. Proceed carefully, following directions listed to the left side of the partitioning window. This is where it pays to have good backup and/or a spare hard drive, since partitioning has the potential to permanently erase data from your disks.
Step 4b: Choosing Software
With hundreds of application, utility and other programs to choose from, selecting software packages becomes an important part of any Linux installation. To maximize simplicity or in cases where your hard drive space is limited, choose the default system, which includes KDE (the K Desktop Environment).
You can also select software by "group": choose "Multimedia", "GNOME" or "Office applications" and you get all packages in those categories, rather than the subset of packages installed by default.
Or, you can choose packages from the Package Groups option for a more fine-grained selection process. Click on "Productivity" and you get a list of hundreds of packages; click on "Office" to get a shorter list of office apps; click on "Spreadsheets" to get a short list of spreadsheets. You can also search for a package by name.
Your first install, you may not care about choosing packages. You won't recognize or know what most do, but eventually you will want to review the packages or search for one you've heard about. Most open source software is easy to download and install, but it's even easier to install it along with the hundreds of other programs you install with Linux.
The SUSE installer reports any conflicts between packages you've selected and any required packages that haven't been selected, and gives you a one-click solution to continue.
Step 5: Install and Configure
Once installation options are set, click "Continue" and the installer starts copying. SUSE 9.1 includes 5 CDs, though you may only use two or three, depending on what software you've chosen to install; with the DVD there's no switching at all. This step may take an hour or more as you're installing Linux plus hundreds of applications.
After the software is copied, the installer proceeds to system configuration steps, listed below:
- Root password. Enter a root password here, twice. Don't forget what it is, either. Write it down, even though that's not strictly secure, because if you forget your root password you may have to reinstall your system from scratch to make any changes to it. You can change the password later, but only if you remember it.
- Network configuration. The installer figures out what you've got, most likely. You can go in and change things, for example switch from the default of DHCP configuration (Figure 6).
- Test internet connection. Make sure you're connected and get any available patches.
- User authentication method. Relevant only if you're using network authentication for you PC on a LAN.
- Add a new local user. You've got to add at least one user, yourself. Don't log in as root--it's dangerous! Enter your name, username, a password, twice. If you're the main user, check the box to receive system mail. You can do many clever and useful things here in terms of user management, if you need to.
- Release notes. Skim the release notes if you like, but otherwise you're almost finished!
- Hardware configuration. If you like, you can modify configurations for graphics or sound cards, monitor, printer or anything else. Or, just accept the defaults, which should work fine.
- Installation complete. Go ahead, reboot, but don't forget to remove and store the last install CD.
TIP:
- After software from the first CD is copied, the system will reboot. You'll have to swap out that first CD and put in the next one, but don't worry: the system will prompt you to do the right thing.
Step 6: Enjoy Your New System!
You'll find the GUI look and feel of your new system familiar, though
you may be surprised by the number and variety of available programs.
Set aside some time to explore the Start menu items as well as to
experiment with configuring your desktop and application launch panel,
and before you know it you'll wonder how you managed with Windows!
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