|
BOOT CAMP 319 (30/03/04)
Linux – what’s it all about? Part
2
Following on from last
week’s introduction to Linux it is time to see what all the fuss is about and
install it on your existing desktop PC or better still, on a spare or redundant
PC. By the way, Linux and laptops don’t mix, leave it to the
experts…
Ideally your PC should
be a fairly recent model with at least a Pentium II processor running at 400MHz
and upwards of 192Mb of memory. You will also need your Linux installation discs
and to recap on part one, I suggest ‘personal’ versions of the Fedora Red Hat,
Mandrake or SuSe distributions. (Fedora Red Hat is the one we’ll be looking at
in detail in part 3).
You’ll recall last week
that I promised a safe installation method that won’t compromise your existing
Windows setup and the only way to do that is to install Linux on a second hard
disc drive. Loading Linux onto a separate partition on your main drive is
possible but I wouldn’t recommend it to first-timers. It is risky; Windows and
Linux may not get on with one another and there is an outside chance that one or
both operating systems could end up inoperable.
The downside of this
arrangement is that you have to use your PC’s BIOS program to switch between the
Windows and Linux drives, which involves a few extra key presses at boot up. The
alternative is a program called a ‘boot loader’, which gives you a choice of
operating systems at boot up. One should be included with your Linux
distribution (usually ‘Grub’ or ‘LiLo’); however, these can be difficult for
novices to configure but if you take to Linux and want to progress further then
make setting up the boot loader your first challenge.
A typical
desktop/workstation Linux setup requires around 2.4Gb of hard disc space (6Gb is
better), so you could use a drive from an old PC (see Tip of the Week), but new
40Gb drives only cost around £35 from online retailers like www.ebuyer.co.uk and www.aria.co.uk. If it doesn’t work out
you will still have some useful extra storage space for your Windows system.
There’s no need to go
into the nuts and bolts of fitting a second hard disc drive since this is
something we dealt with in Boot Camp 316, just follow the same procedure,
including setting the new blank drive as a ‘slave’ to your main drive.
When you are ready to
start installation unplug the PC, remove the lid and after touching the case
metalwork (to dispel any static charge) disconnect the power and data cables
from your main C: drive to ensure that Windows and your data remains safe. Also
disconnect any peripherals (printer, scanner etc.); you can set these up in
Linux later on. Refit the lid and mains lead and boot your PC into the BIOS
program (usually by pressing the ‘Del’ key, or a combination of keys immediately
after switch on but see your motherboard manual for details). Select the
Advanced Setup or Boot menu, make a note of the currently selected first boot
‘device’ (usually IDE 0, or the name/model number of your master disc drive) and
change it to CD-ROM; save the change and reboot. Load the first of your Linux
discs, the PC should now boot up from the CD-ROM drive and the installation will
begin.
The process is largely
automatic and normally takes around an hour or so with easy to follow on-screen
instructions. At various points you will be offered options for things like
partitioning, disc management and monitor resolution. Stick with the defaults
and you can’t go far wrong; you can always make changes later on. You will also
be asked to select keyboard language, specify your location and time zone enter
a user name and passwords, etc. I would skip the networking and Internet
sections; you can set them up later using Windows-like ‘Wizards’. At some point
you will be asked to remove any discs from the drives and Linux is ready to boot
from the hard disc drive for the first time; you may need to change the BIOS
first boot device selection to IDE 1 or your named slave
drive.
The final stages include
setting up hardware and installing the bundled software applications.
Eventually, after a final reboot a lot of text will whiz down the screen, you’ll
be asked for your username and password and if everything has gone according to
plan you will get your first sight of an alien, yet strangely familiar desktop.
Welcome to Linux and we’ll conclude this short series next week with a guided
tour.
If at any point during
or after the installation a problem arises there’s probably not a lot you can do
unless you are familiar with the inner-workings of Linux. My advice is to start
again, but don’t just go back to the beginning. Linux may try to recover a
failed installation and you could end up going around in circles for hours. You
should wipe the disc drive and give Linux a completely clean slate (Tip of the
Week again).
When you are satisfied
Linux is booting reliably you can go back and reconnect the power and data
cables for your main disc drive. Since it is set to ‘Master’ your PC will
automatically boot into Windows. When you want to switch to Linux reboot, enter
the BIOS program and change the first boot device to your Linux ‘slave’ drive.
Next week – Exploring Linux
JARGON FILTER
BIOS
Basic
Input Output System, a program stored in a microchip memory on the PC
motherboard that checks and configures the hardware, memory and disc drives,
before the operating system is loaded
FIRST BOOT DEVICE
The disc drive that your PC uses to load its operating
system. Normally the C: drive, but it can be changed in the BIOS program to
another hard drive or the floppy or CD-ROM drives
PARTITION
Dividing
the space in a large disc drive up into two or more ‘virtual’ drives, to
accommodate different operating systems or separate data
TIP OF THE WEEK
For the best chance of a smooth Linux installation you should
start with a clean disc drive. Previously used drives, even when partitioned and
reformatted may contain data and file structures that can interfere with the
process so before you start use a disc wipe, reset or initialising tool. These
can be downloaded from the support sections of most disc drive manufacturer’s
web sites. Alternatively try Samsung’s ‘Cleanerhdd’ utility, which seems to work
with most makes of drive and is small enough to fit onto a Windows recovery
disc. More details and a link to the 11kb download can be found at:
http://www.samsung.com/Products/
HardDiskDrive/utilities/clearhdd.htm
NEXT
|