I have made a living writing programs for Microsoft’s DOS and
WinDOS for the past 16 years. Lately there have been numerous
articles about people and their long drawn out problems with
installing Linux on their computer(s). I figure I’ve been messing
with Windows 95/98/NT for about 5 years and Linux for about 5
months. So I consider myself a Linux “newbie.”
11:39pm — Find my Mandrake 6.1 CD. Can’t find boot diskette…
Figure I’ll make my own off the CD. Drop CD in either a Windoze
machine or a Linux Box to create a new boot floppy from… I chose
a Windoze box. It didn’t want to recognize the CD ROM. Oh no. Last
time I had to completely power down and restart to get Windoze to
remember it had a CD Rom drive… After reinserting CD twice it
finally took. (Funny – when in Linux mode I don’t remember that
computer pulling that.)
11:44pm — pull up DOS prompt – Ughh!!! Horrible command line
interface… (I know there must be an easier way to pass command
line parameters to a program than leaving my cozy GUI
environment… Well, if we all beg Microsoft enough maybe they’ll
add a Right-click for “run with parameters” option… If I had the
source code… Anyway…) I run d:dosutilsrawrite Chose
imagesboot.img as image I want to create on floppy and A: as drive
to create floppy on.
11:47pm — Bad sector detected on floppy.
11:50pm — Works fine with exact same floppy. Hmmm.. I didn’t
need command line parameters after all. Oh well, sometimes the DOS
prompt is just faster when you already know exactly what you want
to do…
11:55pm — Duh. I forgot. I don’t need a boot floppy – that
machine has a BIOS that supports booting from CD. Oh well, I made
the floppy — might as well use it.
11:56pm — booted floppy, but failed loading image during
install attempt. Figure I’ll create a new boot diskette.
12:04am — Finally got Windoze box to recognize the CD.
12:05am — Boot disk created.
12:05am — Put boot disk & Mandrake 6.1 CD in computer I
plan on installing Mandrake on.
12:06am — This installation process is outlined in detail in
the Official Linux Mandrake Installation Guide available from…
blah blah blah…(read it first) Ok to continue – OK!
12:08am — Pick your language. English!
12:08am — Pick keyboard type. US!
12:08am — Media type which contains packages to install.
CDROM!
12:09am — Insert CD. OK!
12:09am — Install / Upgrade Install!
12:10am — Installation type Workstation!
12:10am — All existing partitions will be erased. OK!
12:10am — Are you sure? Yes!
12:11am — Starts creating partitions and copying files to hard
drive.
12:12am — Hmmm.. I’m thirsty this looks like a good point to
take a break. Well it is nice to be able to do an install without
having to check on the system every minute to see if it is time to
answer another question or not… I always was annoyed with those
installs that would ask a question, rattle away for a couple
minutes, ask a guestion, rattle away, etc. Or worse yet ask 30
questions and then tell you that you don’t have anough disk space
to install it. Why not tell me that FIRST?
12:24am — PS/2 mouse detected. Microsloth Intellimouse (PS/2)
Yes to emulate 3 buttons…
12:24am — Configure LAN (not dial up?) Yes. (I use anther Linux
box as gateway for my local LAN to the Internet.)
12:24am — 3COM 3c509 ($8 off Ebay)
12:24am — Autoprobe selected
12:25am — Static IP selected
12:26am — Entered IP address, gateway, netmask, domain name,
and DNS servers
12:27am — Selected Pacific Time Zone
12:28am — Yes to configure printer.
12:28am — Local
12:29am — Accept defaults for spool file
12:20am — Accept default for port (LPT1:)
12:21am — Choose HP LJ2
12:22am — OK to confirm. OK!
12:23am — Choose root password
12:24am — Create secondary account & password.
12:25am — Create boot diskette? NO!
12:27am — Choose Diamond Monster Fusion video card
12:28am — Choose CTX 1785 monitor.
12:29am — Probe video card selected
12:30am — Accepted default settings.
12:32am — Confirmed video test succeeded.
12:32am — Said NO to booting into GUI
12:33am — Reboot (only 1 reboot to install an operating system
and apps!!!)
12:35am — login
12:35am — type startx to go into GUI mode
12:35am — start Netscape to test network connection to
Internet
12:37am — configure Netscape to use caching proxy server
(SQUID)
Maybe someone will read this article and decide I MUST be a
LINUX GURU in order to get it installed on a system in less than an
hour! (So I can quit supporting the Windoze mess during my “day”
job… Of course, I did set up that Linux server at work and C++
Builder is supposed to release a Linux version next year… I can’t
wait to use the above process to “reconfigure” my work PC to be
more stable. It currently crashes at least once every day or two
and that is with me shutting it off at the end of the day when I go
home too. So much for the “unstoppable” proprietary operating
system… ) Take the letters “usable” out of “unstable” and what
are you left with?
Anyway: as a leader of a new Linux User Group (I must be
qualified – I have accomplished the unthinkable task of installing
Linux in less than 1 hour!!!), I invite all newbies wanting to
install Linux to pack up their PCs, their old hunk of junk
computers, spare parts, etc., and take them to their local Linux
User Group. (If you have hardware that is not supported by Linux
you may be able to use someone else’s left over parts /
vice-versa.) Let’s see if anyone out there can beat my
“record.”
Esko Woudenberg