TIPS: the best way to save a file in most browsers is to click on the link with the alternate mouse button and choose the save link option and then go with the default name for the file
I highly recommend using the directory install branched off of
the root directory like so:
c:\install for WinBlows
or /install for Linux
All the Linux commands I give are done as root user
and Linux commands are CaSe SeNsItIvE
so if you type cd /install/a1 instead of cd /install/A1
in Linux it wont work
Dos and WinBlows are the same to me so if you have WinBlows and I say something like your Dos drive just know I mean WinBlows OK
My 10 step installation instructions are on how to install the
Slackware
flavor of Linux from WinBlows(Dos) or another Linux box are:
1. Read the tips and the INSTALL.TXT file
2. Get the boot disk that you need by selecting it from THIS LOCATION or you can try my recommended boot disk that works with most all IDE hard drives and CD-ROM drives by simply clicking HERE
Save this file to the base directory c:\install for WinBlows
or /install for Linux
3. Get the root disk that you need by selecting it from THIS LOCATION or you can try my recommended root disk that works for most installations from HERE
Save this file to the base directory also
4. If you use Dos or windows get the rawrite disk making utility to make your boot disk and root disk from THE BOOT DISK LOCATION or you can get my recommend version from HERE
5. Ok it you could have saved the files anywhere on your hard drive. But my recommend place is a directory called install straight off the root directory and that is where I have placed the files. So from now on when I refer to the files above I will be in the base directory c:\install or /install on my hard drive OK...
6. Next you need to create the boot and root disks
by either using the rawrite13.exe file if you're a Dos or WinBlows
user like so:
Go to the command prompt in a real Dos mode
for WinBlows(Dos) users just restart the system into Dos mode
cd c:\install\
rawrite13.exe
Then it will say input source file name
so you input: bare.i
Then it will say input destination drive letter or some such crap
so you input: a for the floppy drive a: or b for the floppy drive b:
And then it writes the disk image to the floppy drive and says something like complete
Then repeat the process for the color.gz root disk image
Other versions of rawrite are available and they all work about
the same
BUT please make modifications to commands as needed to
make the boot and root disk
Or if you have access to a Linux you can just use a command as root like this:
dd if=bare.i of=/dev/fd0
or replace the /dev/fd0 with the name of your floppy device
7. Now all you need to do is get the basic file sets and put them on disks or your hard drive. You can get these file sets from HERE the file sets that I recommend are the (A) file series which is the basic file system and the (N) series which is the networking after you get these you can always download the rest.
When downloading to hard drive put each disk set in its own directory under the main directory like for example c:\install\A1 c:\install\A2 or /install/N1 /install/N2 and so on...
If your installing from a hard drive partition make sure to save each disk set in its own separate directory. Like: (A1) in c:\linux\A1 (N1) in c:\linux\N1 or for Linux /install/A1 and /install/A2 otherwise the install will freak out and say it cant find your files.
If your installing from floppy just put the contents of the file set on the floppy with no directories at all but make sure you use a separate floppy for each directory that you download like this in Dos or windows:
Insert a disk in a:
then type
format /s /u a:
cd c:\install\A1
copy *.* a:
then take the disk out and insert a new floppy disk
format /s /u a:
cd c:\install\A2
copy *.* a:
keep repeating the process for all of the disk sets you have.
Or like this for Linux:
first go to a Dos box and do a quick format on all of the disk
that you need to use with a good old
format /q a:
then go to the Linux box and type
mount /dev/fd0 /mnt
cd /install/A1
cp * /mnt
cd ..
cd A2
cp * /mnt
If needed replace /mnt with the place that you have your floppy device mounted
And notice in Linux to back up one directory you need a space after
the cd command before you place the ..
cd.. Wont work
BUT
cd .. Will
notice the single space after the cd command
Linux is picky
8. Now all you have to do is:
Boot up off of the boot disk that you made.
Read some garbage.
Hit enter a couple of times.
Then insert the root disk when prompted and let it load and
it will come to a screen that says. something about fdisk and
cfdisk
and login:
Login: root
after you type root the prompt should be a #
#fdisk
#setup
If your system doesn't boot please try remaking the boot and root disk poor media is a common problem for the system not to boot if there is even a single flaw in the disk Linux will find it useless
Type the word root to login in as root to and if you have your partitions set up the way you need them then go ahead and type setup and your ready to go
If not you need to type fdisk or cfdisk and install at least one swap and one native partition
I have my partitions something like so:
126mb-swap partition type 82.
Swap might have a 128mb limit per partition.
But you can have more swap partitions.
And the rest on of the hard drive on / in Linux native partition type
83.
There might be an 8-gig limit on size per partition.
But you can always split up and put the rest on /usr /home /tmp and
so on.
If you have no available space to make partitions on your hard drive you may have all of your drive ate up by another inferior operating system such as WinBlows. So you might need to either use fips the free tool for splitting partitions or partition magic to split or resize the partition scheme
If you need help with setting up partitions go back and read the INSTALL.TXT mentioned at the top of the page and see which options best fit your needs
After you type setup go to add swap and make sure you have your swap installed for Linux to use
Some systems that don't have a lot of memory will need the swap created and turned on before typing setup for information on this read the LOWMEM.TXT file
Then select the device to install Linux on and format that device to
get it ready for Linux
use the first Linux drive that has the / mount point
if /dev/hda1 is Dos
and /dev/hda2 is swap
the choose /dev/hda3
9. Now all you have left is to select the source type and the software you wish to install and the partition you want to install it to and install and configure your new Linux operating system
Select either to install from floppy or hard disk. And then install the A and the N files sets
If installing from hard drive Dos partition to Linux you will need to point to the partition name and directory the files are stored like so:
/dev/hda1
the name of my Dos partition device.
This is the device for the fist IDE drive partition on the system.
/install
this is the c:\install directory on the Dos partition.
The name of the directory that my disk sets are stored in.
(this is the place I recommended to store the disk sets)
Pick and install what you want from the disk sets that you have
you should have everything from at least the A and the N disk sets
After done installing do the go with the system configuration to tell it the kernel to use, what time zone you're in, if you're a server configure your network(if just standard dialup to an ISP skip this). Make sure you install lilo to boot both your WinBlows then your Linux partitions or your operating systems wont boot and this can be very frustrating
FOR INFORMATION ON INSTALLING LILO
please go back and read the INSTALL.TXT
file one more time for good measures...
10. Now just exit the setup program and type reboot and your ready to rock...
For any other information on the Linux operation system I recommend
going to the Linux documentation homepage at:
http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP now http://metalab.unc.edu/LDP
