Installing Linux

[taha116]

So i dont have any idea what linux looks like, youtubed it, and it looks fake cuz it actually looks good and i guessed linux to look sorta crapy.

What i am about to do is format my pentium 3 and install linux as its primary OS since my windows XP has been raped with viruses.

I am not sure how to pull this off? I know of the basic command that i run in dos to pull of the format but what do i do fromt there? What is the proper command that will allow me to format everything and still have whatever it takes to install linux. Any good tutorials would be helpfull.

There are also too many types for me to keep track of.. Please recommend me one that has better compatibility with windows programs and is a good one to use as a server (Not likley but i may try it out). I want the interface to be simple as well. Dont relaly know if there is a diff in the versions though. Im googling like mad you read this but expert or atleast experienced suggestions would help me out allot.

Will stay online untill i can get all the info i need, so i should post back to replies quick . I want to do it all by today and if i am not ready by tomoro for sure.


__Further questions__
How do i download and run the file i want using dos? Ive found 2 that seem awesome and simple... Mandriva and Ubuntu.
______________
Not sure if this in the right place so feel free to move it but please dont just make an annoying post saying "moved" I could use the help and not the usless post

 

[zen-r]

Wait for ichwar to come online again.

I'm sure he'll be able to help you all the way through it - he's always :drool:drooling:drool: over Linux!

 

[taha116]

lol yeah, the Penguin, how could i forget!

Well untill then do u think its possible to pull off the install by downloading and running the files using Dos? after i have re-formated my computer completely?

Woh?! zen-r i just realised its you, i was wondering why i never noticed this dude with the fox avatar if he has like 1.2k posts

 

[zen-r]

Hehe! It's only a temporary avatar for a bit of a change.

I'm afraid I can't really help you with the Linux install.

Ichwar's unlikely to post this late in the day (though you might be lucky if he comes on again in the next half hour or so).

So, you may need to wait till tomorrow for him......

.....or is there any other Linux-Lover able to offer some advice to taha116?

 

[taha116]

Im sure there are... Thanks for the bump*
I wonder if corey may happen to drop by and for somereson decide to help me out on this one... although the chances of that are like 1/100000000000.236^4.19X3.2164

Sigh.... looks like the numbers want me to wait for ichwar

 

[tawma1073]

So i dont have any idea what linux looks like, youtubed it, and it looks fake cuz it actually looks good and i guessed linux to look sorta crapy.

Linux has changed a lot in look and feel over the years.

What i am about to do is format my pentium 3 and install linux as its primary OS since my windows XP has been raped with viruses.

Bummer.

I am not sure how to pull this off? I know of the basic command that i run in dos to pull of the format but what do i do fromt there? What is the proper command that will allow me to format everything and still have whatever it takes to install linux. Any good tutorials would be helpfull.

You don't have to do anything from DOS. All Linux distrubutions have an installer that will take care of formatting and installing the OS for you. All you need to do is:

1) Download the Linux distrubtions ISO that you are interested in.

2) Burn that ISO image to a CD/DVD

3) Boot the target machine with the newly burned CD/DVD

4) Follow the instructions from the boot disk.

There are also too many types for me to keep track of.. Please recommend me one that has better compatibility with windows programs and is a good one to use as a server (Not likley but i may try it out). I want the interface to be simple as well. Dont relaly know if there is a diff in the versions though. Im googling like mad you read this but expert or atleast experienced suggestions would help me out allot.

Compatibility with Windows does/does not function at several levels. The key thing to understand is that no version of Linux runs Windows programs out of the box. So if that's critical for you, then it's not going to go well.

OTOH for virtually everything you do on your computer in Windows, there is a similar, if not duplicate, application on Linux. Firefox for web browsing, OpenOffice.org for productivity, Amarok for managing media, and the like. As long as you work to find that similar application, instead of an exact program, there's a good chance that you'll find something that's close to what you're used to using.

As for the interface, KDE has a point/click windowing interface that is similar to Windows.

Will stay online untill i can get all the info i need, so i should post back to replies quick . I want to do it all by today and if i am not ready by tomoro for sure.


__Further questions__
How do i download and run the file i want using dos? Ive found 2 that seem awesome and simple... Mandriva and Ubuntu.
______________
Not sure if this in the right place so feel free to move it but please dont just make an annoying post saying "moved" I could use the help and not the usless post

One last thing. You can run most Linux distrubtions directly from the CD/DVD without having to install it first. It's called a Live CD. Gives you a chance to get a good look/feel for a particular distribution without having to install it first. Generally you can't same anything, but several, such as Ubuntu/Kubuntu actually let you install new applications into the Live CD while it's running.

So don't feel you have to commit to the first distrubution you run across. Play with a few and find out which one feels right for you.

Good Luck.

TM

 

[zen-r]

I just logged back in especially to Rep you for that post.

It's very comprehensive. Shame taha116 finally went offline so has missed it, but I'm sure he'll appreciate it when he next logs in!

An excellent first post, tawma1073. Welcome to x10 !

 

[taha116]

Thank you sooooo much, added to rep right away!... When i format everything i will be using dos, i here there is a "S" commad you can add at the end and not sure why, something about system files should i do that when formatting?
Edit:
Ok read this:

I decided on CentOS because it has a lower memory requirement. I am a little confused about it though

http://centos.arcticnetwork.ca/5.3/isos/i386/

Im gona use the first download link wich is the 5.3 version wich i think is still a new and not completley stabled release. Any important info about this that i should know? Any warnings about this distribution?

I believe the link im using is the live Cd thingy... i know its usually for testing but i can also install off of it right?

oh! I get this when registering at their support forums (i wont install untill tomoro)

Secure Connection Failed

www.centos.org uses an invalid security certificate.

The certificate is not trusted because the issuer certificate is not trusted.

(Error code: sec_error_untrusted_issuer)


* This could be a problem with the server's configuration, or it could be someone trying to impersonate the server.

* If you have connected to this server successfully in the past, the error may be temporary, and you can try again later.
At the bottom of the message is the make an exception option... i want to know why though its doing this? I mean obviosly they should be trustworthy but still wth is up with that?


thank again for the feedback

oh and if i dont fomat my drive and try the instilation will it get rid of windows and everything on it ? (that is what i want)

 

[jensen]

If you're first time to Linux I'd recommend - Ubuntu. Which ever "flavour" of Linux you'd like to try, go for the LiveCD version first. It will be a bit slower than when actually running on your hardisk.

Why LiveCD? Then you'd find out if your PC has issues with Ubuntu Linux. If the LiveCD can run well, there's audio you can hear, there's the screen you can see, there's no problem connecting to the internet ( in short - no drivers problem) Then you can go ahead and install Ubuntu on your machine.

Running Unbuntu Linux on a Pentium 3 is not a problem but what about RAM? Do you have 512 MB RAM?

Check out ubuntu at http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

 

[med.zrouga]

Mate get ubuntu it's the best
Regards

 

[zen-r]

And if you want extra opinions from x10 members on their general preferences in choosing a Linux version - don't forget that we already have these 2 threads ;

http://forums.x10hosting.com/crossfire/98786-linux-users-unite.html

http://forums.x10hosting.com/computers-technology/99300-best-gnu-linux-distro-i-think-debian.html

Of course, in this thread taha116 is looking for advice specific to the questions in his first post.

 

[taha116]

I seen how awesome ubntu looks but my ram on the P3 is lik 300 and sumthing... So i was looking at centOS insteas... Now im asking when i put the CD in will it remove everything else anyways (Thats what i want) or will i need to format first?

 

[zen-r]

If you're using a Live CD, you don't need to format your drive yet, because nothing is installed.

If instead you're installing Linux, then I think your question was already answered ;

....
You don't have to do anything from DOS. All Linux distrubutions have an installer that will take care of formatting and installing the OS for you. All you need to do is:..... TM

 

[taha116]

oh sorry Zen i missed or forgot that part not sure wich xp

Now im having trouble with the Cd thing... It wont read it in my P3, my bro says its the burning that i didnt do properly, the speed was to high or somthing like that... Now i gota figure that out And to complicate things further all the CDs i found were 700MB and i cant burn it properly even though its only 691 MB says, not enough space.

Im gona take it there on a usb and try to run it? Will that possibly work?

How can i run it while its on my desktop and in safe mode and install it? I never used ISO buster and am confused on how to run and install it this way since i couldnt find a CD with more than 700MB of space

 

[steronius]

I have to agree that since you are new to linux, go Ubuntu... Since it's a Pentium 3, go Xubuntu. (Ubuntu with XFCE4). Go version 9.04. Google will be your best friend because you will certainly need to resolve things you never thought about and are new to.

P.s. You will not be running Windows games anymore, but i guess since it's a p3 you weren't planning to.

 

[taha116]

Yeah lol i know, But seriosly how the hell do i run the instilation from windows with ISO buster? Im completley lost
Edit:
_________________

Ok i got centos linux live cd on a cd, and it works, although its a bit slow (probably cuz its on CD and not installed) So please tell me i can install it from the same CD using live cd, i dont wana run to the store and by another one again, (went 2wice already to like 4 stores)

 

[ichwar]

Easy man! Don't use ISO buster. Once you get that straight, the rest of this process will be a piece of cake.

First of all, get some proper image burning software. :biggrin:
I'd recommend imgburn.

As long as your iso really is 691 mb, it will fit just fine on a normal unused cd.

If you're concerned about burning errors, use the burn proof option along with a nice slow speed. Once you've got a successful burn, it's time to reboot. Make sure your bios is set to check the cdrom drive for bootable media before it boots off the harddrive. Otherwise, the cd will never get booted while the harddrive is plugged in. Once it boots, you'll be set to go.

Honestly though, I'd advice you to go with Ubuntu desktop 9.04. I've seen it running just fine on really old athlons with 512mb of ram, so I don't think it will pose any trouble on your system. If you're really concerned about performance, you can try Xubuntu.
My reason for telling you to use ubuntu is that it has very good driver support for many devices that on most linux distributions you would be required to hunt down the drivers on the web manually and download and install them.
Either way you decide to go, I'm sure you'll enjoy your new installation of linux.

Let me know if you need any more help or if you're still having trouble burning a cd.

 

[taha116]

Ok well im downloading ISO for Xubuntu now, I used the live CD for CentoOS on my P3 and was satisfied with that, although it was sorta slow (Because it was off the CD right). I get like 5 options when restarting wich one installs the dam thing, i like it, its free i just dont know were the "That was easy" button is Xp. Will try xubuntu if i have to download CentOS again.

Side Questions

1. I wonder if i can run Dos games like the old old Aladin game on linux???

2. What Do the diff linux downloads all mean:

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition for Linux
(avg85flx-r287-a2632.i386.deb) 8.5.287 deb April 23, 2009 66.9 MB

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition for Linux
(avg85flx-r287-a2632.i386.rpm) 8.5.287 rpm April 23, 2009 66.9 MB

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition for Linux
(avg85flx-r287-a2632.i386.sh) 8.5.287 sh April 23, 2009 66.9 MB

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition for Linux
(avg85flx-r287-a2632.i386.tar.gz) 8.5.287 tar.gz April 23, 2009 67 MB

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition for FreeBSD
(avg85ffb-r287-a2632.i386.tar.gz) 8.5.287 tar.gz April 23, 2009 68.1 MB


Couldn't resist throwing this in:

My rating of Linux as a software
Impression of Linux so far 11/10 Yes... serisoly 11 our of 10, its already too kool for me to stand it, im gona PM ichwar every time i dont get a reply to this thread in 5 minutes, hehe

My rating of Windows as a software?
3/100 Why? Its a crapy crapy software and is completley overrated. Its just marketed better and all the nubs dont know how to get linux or wtf it is.

Why the F is linux less popular... cuz linux is a software not a marketing company like Windows. Linux is dum the sense that they dont sell in store copies for 1 dollar. If people saw that they would actually try it out. They should also have videos on their site showing of that linux actually looks good. No more then 6 months ago i would have guessed theres no desktop version and it probably looks like DOS . People dont use linux cause its not marketed properly.

 

[ichwar]

You're very right about the reason many people don't try Linux.

Anyways, let me make a guess at those five options.
Install to hard drive
Run live cd
Check cd for defects
Memtest 86+
Boot from first hard drive

was I right? At any rate usually the option at the top of the list is the one that installs Linux.

Don't hesitate to pm me if you're having trouble. Or better yet just post back here every five minutes!

 

[taha116]

Either i was being an idiot and missed the install key or it wasnt there for CentOS Cd live 5.3 (Im preaty sure its a beta)

But you definatley got them right for xubuntu and im preaty sure they were there for cent as well, probably missed em.

Now 3 questions. (I have now installed xubuntu)

How do i install flash player? (im having trouble with that)
How do i change resolutions? (working on it)
How do i add users (Working on it too)