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How to install Linux on PC

Linux installation process was described for Windows 98/ MS-Dos, but if you'd like to know how to install linux on Windows XP I can answer that the process is more or less the same.

Installing Linux can be one of the following ways:

• With a local CD-ROM;
• From the hard disk on which copied the distribution Linux;
• With the file server network for NFS;
• From another computer on the local network via SMB;
• From a remote computer (including Internet) protocol FTP;
• With one of the WWW-server Internet protocol HTMP.

In my opinion, the most convenient and practical option to install Linux from CD-ROM is buying a CD-ROM which is not a problem nowadays.

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Before the Linux install, collect (record on a sheet of paper) with all necessary information about the configuration of your computer. Providing your computer works under OS Windows 95/98 or Windows XP, a lot of data can be found by right-clicking the icon for My Computer (My Computer), and then selecting Properties (Properties). You can find almost all the necessary information. If something is found, will have to find other ways, to the extent that open the computer and read the inscriptions on the devices themselves.

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In order not to forget anything, I suggest you use the following list. Don't be lazy and try to write about each device as soon as more data (which only can be found), this all can be useful when installation of Linux is complete and configuring process starts. It will be much harder to look for these data later.

• BIOS:
  • manufacturer;
  • version.
• The hard disk controller: type (IDE or SCSI) and the amount of your hard drive (if you have IDE drives, you should check that your BIOS can access it online LBA):
  • hda (Master 1 controller or Primary Master);
  • hdb (Slave 1 controller or Primary Slave);
  • hdc (Master 2 controller or Secondary Master);
  • hdd (Slave 2 controller or Secondary Slave).
• Manufacturer and model number of SCSI adapter (if available).
• The amount of RAM (in kilobytes).
• CD-ROM:
  • type of interface (IDE, SCSI, or other);
  • for non-IDE, no-SCSI CD-ROM - manufacturer and model number.
• Mouse:
  • type (serial, PS / 2 or bus mouse);
  • protocol (Microsoft, Logitech, MouseMan, etc.);
  • the number of buttons;
  • mouse on a serial port and the port number to which it is connected.
• The display adapter:
  • manufacturer;
  • model number (or the chipset, which is used);
  • amount of video memory;
• Monitor:
  • manufacturer;
  • model number;
  • boundary values (min, max) the rate of vertical and horizontal scanning (these data can only be found in the documentation for the monitor, Windows will not extradite them, yet they are very important when setting up a graphical interface).
• If you want to work in the network (and UNIX in general in the first place - the network operating system), then write down the following information:
  • manufacturer and model number of your network card;
  • your IP address;
  • the network name of your computer;
  • Subnet Mask;
  • IP address of the gateway (gateway IP address);
  • IP addresses of servers (primary and backup) domain names (DNS server);
  • IP addresses of servers, WINS (Windows Internet Name Service);
  • the domain name of your organization.
• Type and manufacturer of your sound card and game controllers (if any).

LInux LOader using (LILO)

As already mentioned in the section on the choice loader, if you had installed Windows 98 with file system, FAT16, then the most logical and affordable choice is to use program, which is part of distributions of Linux, and is called LILO ( LI nux LO ader )..

Just as in the case with Windows NT, give step by step instructions on how to configure in this case the process downloads.

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1. Before taking any action on the installation of Linux manufacture boot disk Windows.

2. With the help of Partition Magic free more disk space and create a blank area of the section type ext2 (file system Linux) and swap-partition. To learn how to do this described above. If the amount of your hard drive more than 8,4 GB, especially carefully read about these limitations.

3. Perform the installation procedure Linux, following the recommendations attached to your existing distribution. Please note that if you bent upon to use the loader LILO, you will need at system installation to install LILO in the master boot record (Master Boot Record). Make during the installation boot floppy disk, in principle, not necessarily, but I highly recommend it to you do.

Note:

Loader LILO does not need to install the master boot record disk it can be located in the primary active boot Linux-partition or logical partition in extended partition. In this case, the MBR should be something that can load it For example, the standard boot MS-DOS or Windows. But the need use this option, I do not see (if you're using LILO in as the primary boot), so here it is considered not be.

4. The next step is to get LILO to load the OS of choice. LILO configured via the file / etc / lilo.conf, and commands / etc / lilo . This command sets (or resets) LILO.

Consider a small sample configuration file LILO. For example, we assume that device / dev/hda1 is the partition with DOS / Windows, and partition / Dev/hda2 contains Linux. In this case, the file / etc / lilo.conf might look something like this:

boot = / dev/hda2

compact

delay = 50

# Message = / boot / bootmesg.txt

root = current

image = / boot/vmlinuz-2.2.11-4bc

label = linux

read-only

other = / dev/hda1

table = / dev / hda

label = dos

give some explanation to this example.

string boot specifies the boot device.

string compact includes compression mode map-file containing the characteristics Boot nuclei it accelerates boot.

With a team message You can make boot issue when loading an arbitrary message.

Starting Line image , are used configuration file corresponding to different operating systems, which must be loaded on the choice user. In each section there is a string label . This line is written the name, which is introduced in response to LILO prompt or a command menu to select users to download the OS. If no name is entered after time, given a string delay (Specified in tenths of a second), will be loaded OS is selected by default. In this case, the default is to boot Linux, because the corresponding section is the first in the file. Can indicate the downloadable default system with the help of the kind default = dos (Ie, using the label of the corresponding row label ).

string table = refers to the device, which is a table partitioning. LILO does not transmit information about the partition bootable operating system if this variable is not set. (Some operating systems have other means to determine from which section they are loaded.) Do not forget that you must do command / sbin / lilo , if you changed the link to the table partitioning given by the variable table .

If you specify a string (better to say section) other = / dev/hda1 in the file / etc / lilo.conf, then the root directory of the CD / dev/hda1 (C: drive in the terminology of Microsoft) should be secondary loader. I, for example, in one of computers with multiple boot there is NT Loader (Because Windows NT was installed before Linux), and LILO successfully load Windows NT. Only need to install the file boot.ini delay time equal to zero, so as not to get their own menu Download NT Loader. However, if you want, for whatever reasons see this menu, the value of timeout in the boot.ini file must be set different from zero (specified in seconds). It may be necessary for example, to enable load Windows 98 as yet One version of the OS.

If you want to load Windows directly from LILO, then add in / etc / lilo.conf another section:

other = / boot / bootsect.dos

label = win,

bootsect.dos where the file is taken from the root directory of the disk on which stands the NT Loader.

5. Once you have corrected the file / etc / lilo.conf, be run / etc / lilo , changes to take effect. This command (which is in the manual called map-installer) installs secondary boot system, which will be activated during next boot. Before you start / etc / lilo to modify the boot procedure, follow this command with parameter -t . This will be done the entire installation procedure loader, except changes in map-file, write the modified boot sector and change table partitioning, ie made a new test option. If you add another option - v , you will get more detailed information that will make Team / etc / lilo .

When / sbin / lilo overwrites the boot sector, the old contents of the sector automatically saved to a file. By default, this file / Boot / boot.NNNN, where NNNN the number of the device, for example, 0300 - this is / dev / hda, 0800 - this is / dev / sda and etc. If the file already exists, it is not overwritten. But You can specify an alternate file to save the boot sector.

File / boot / boot.NNNN can be used restore the old boot sector content, if more simple method to restore it is unavailable. Relevant commands have the form:

[Root: ~ #] dd if = / boot/boot.0300 of = / dev / hda bs = 446 count = 1

or

[Root: ~ #] dd if = / boot/boot.0800 of = / dev / sda bs = 446 count = 1

(bs = 446 because it restores only a program loader, and not touch the table partitioning).

copy of the boot sector is better to keep diskette. If troubles occur, you will restore the old boot record MBR, the command (Assuming that the floppy is mounted in the directory / mnt):

[Root: ~ #] dd if = / mnt / MBR of = / dev / hda bs = 446 count = 1

restore the old MBR if necessary You can also team / sbin / lilo with the option - u. But we must bear in mind that this team works off correctly, provided that the directory LILO (and namely, / boot) has not changed since installation.

Standard MBR from MS-DOS can be recovered well, if we use a bootable diskette system DOS, restore the MBR team fdisk / Mbr . It only changes the program code-loader in MBR, without changing the table partitioning.

6. After reinstall the bootloader must restart your computer by testing the different boot options.

Finally, subsection we give some information about what difficulties may arise when using LILO.

When LILO is loaded, it displays the the word "LILO". In this conclusion of each letter stands completion of certain actions or the boot LILO. If Loading falls through, then the number of derived characters can be judged on the cause the problem.

• Nothing displayed - No part of LILO not was loaded. Either LILO is not installed or the partition on which it is, is not active.

• L [error code] - the primary boot loaded and started (it passes control), but he failed load the secondary loader. Two-digit error code indicates specific cause of the problem (decoding codes must be sought in technical documentation for LILO). Usually this is due to defects carrier or incorrectly defined the geometry of the disk. Unless LILO did not stop at this stage, giving an infinite sequence error codes, the problem is usually easily solvable.

• LI - the primary boot loader was able to download secondary boot loader, but was unable to run it. This may be due to a mistake in setting the geometry of the disk or to file / Boot / boot.b was moved without restarting / sbin / lilo.

• LIL - Secondary loader starts up again, but not unable to load the descriptor table from the map-file. The reason usually is the presence of defects on the disc or incorrectly specified geometry of the disk.

• LIL? - Secondary loader was loaded on wrong address. Usually caused by an error in the geometry specification disk or that the file / boot / boot.b was moved without restarting / sbin / lilo .

• LIL-- descriptors table is destroyed. Usually caused by an error in setting the geometry of the disk or to file / Boot / boot.b was moved without restarting / sbin / lilo .

• LILO - all parts of LILO successfully loaded.

Installing other operating systems after Linux

When installing MS-DOS and Windows 95/98, it standard boot, regardless of your desire written in Master Boot Record (MBR), a sign of activity in the partition table placed on the section MS-DOS (Windows 95/98). A standard loader MS-DOS and Windows 95/98 can only transfer control to the first sector of the active partition. Therefore, if you first install Linux, and then will put Windows 95/98 or MS-DOS, then Linux will cease boot. They say that Windows NT and 2000 boot from the MBR does not touch (but I have not tested this fact). Restore LILO boot You can either by restarting / sbin / lilo (If LILO is installed in the MBR), or make the active partition LILO (if it is installed on a primary partition).

with the problems encountered during the installation after Linux other OS, you can usually cope by booting in Linux using the boot floppy and correct the configuration file LILO (added a new OS) and running / sbin / lilo .

Transferring directory / boot in DOS-partition

latest versions of the Linux kernel support opportunity to place the files needed at boot time, in file system MS-DOS (or UMSDOS). Since in most cases DOS partitions are involved in those areas of the disc, where associated with the BIOS restrictions do not apply, it allows to solve many problems large disks, resulting in cases where the section set aside for Linux, can not be used to accommodate the catalog / Boot.

In order to implement such an option BitTorrent, DOS-partition is mounted as read / write, create directory (for example, / dos / linux), which moved all the files from directory / boot and kernel images Linux, the / boot directory is replaced symbolic link to the directory / dos / linux, new location directory / boot is indicated in the file / etc / lilo.conf, and, finally, runs / sbin / lilo.

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