[wplug] install question

Vanco, Donald VANCOD at PIOS.com
Fri Mar 28 08:45:23 EST 2003


Amy D wrote:
> Hi all,
> I hope you will tollerate another pre-beginner question without
> suffering from too much annoyance!
> My Red Hat Linux 8 unleashed came in yesterday and I'm like a little
> kid at Christmas. I'm reading the "prepare to install" chapter, and
> I've dredged up all the old boxes and manuals from the various pieces
> of hardware that make up my computer. They surround me here on the
> floor as I take notes... I bought a new hard drive (40 GB) last week
> and transfered my old system onto it. What I want to do is nuke the
> old one (13GB - now the D drive) and install Linux on that. And
> that's one thing I'm not seeing in the install chapter (where they
> discuss the graphical text  interface and the choices it presents to
> you) in the sample install (from the book's CDs) 
> - where you
> tell it which drive you want to install Linux on. I assume if this
> never comes up that it will default to my C drive and I'll lose my
> existing system. That would, of course, make the day significantly
> less like Christmas... (actually, have you met my family? no wait.
> that's another list!)
> Thanks for you time,
> Amy

	To add comment to the other fine instructions already in place - 

	The RH installer will ask you several things regarding drives.  It
will ask you about existing partitions - if it see Windows partitions it
will require that you manually select to kill them.  You will be presented
with the option to "Remove Linux Partitions"  or "Remove All Partitions" -
the choice is hopefully clear.
	It will as you if you want to auto-partition and at the same time
have a check box (that's checked by default) to review proposed
partitioning.  You are essentially dumped into the "Disk Druid" with a
"recommended default" series of partitions (i.e. /boot and / and of course
swap) that you can then alter if you so desire.
	I'd say the defaults should get you a fine system.  Regarding the
comment on the installer puking WRT auto-partitioning, it's incorrect.  This
is only an issue when there is <2GB free, and 13GB certainly exceeds that
number.

	When loading the bootloader you might get a bit perplexed - but you
do, in fact, want to write the boot loader to the "C" (Windoze) drive MBR
(Master Boot Record), and install Linux to the "D" drive!  The bootloader
installation screens will further allow you to rename the "labels" for the
operating systems, and will also allow you to select what the default "boot
to" OS is - hopefully you'll leave it set for Linux!
	Alternately, you can simply leave the "C" drive alone and boot Linux
explicitly from floppy - but I don't recommend that as floppies die.  I
have, however, posted instructions n the past for turning a boot floppy into
a boot CD, and you might consider that as an alternative if you're feeling
"extra saucy".
	GRUB is the default boot loader - it's a little more complex that
LILO - but worth the effort IMHO.  The RH docs are essential here as the
information on the system itself has a tendency to be non-user friendly.

Good luck!
Don
	



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