Best place to learn how to install Linux?

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Shootothrill

New Member
Since I need to save for windows XP im gonna install Linux since its free. Is there good site that can explain to me thouroghly how to install it on a brand new system and stuff?
 
I rather a recent "newbie" with Linux myself having dual booted Linux along with WIN 3.1/95/98/XP and currently am trying to get Zenwalk running along with a beta of Vista. Most Linux forums will see links for tutorials for the various tools and tweaks depending on the distribution. One site that covers a large range of Linux "flavors" is at http://www.linuxquestions.org

One of the older sites for tutorials is found at http://www.linux-tutorial.info/ There are several others that can be easily found with a qucik search. You will probably need to start a thread or two on one of the forums for the responses there. Hoping for a Linux section here at CF?
 
Well, are you just going to isntall linux linux or have linux and windows running on one computer?
I can walk you through it if you want.
 
Im gonna install windows later on. I know im gonna have to download something speacial on linux to play games if im correct. If you have directions that would be very helpful Motox. I wont be installing it until Friday since I would get the rest of my parts till tomarrow.
 
If you are planning to install Windows along with any Linux distro Windows has to go on first. That is due to Windows seeking the primary to create the mbr there. The first tool that is effective to have for dual OSing any version of Windows with Linux is the Gnome Partition Editor. That can create and delete any partitions for any OS. You can download that free at http://tucows.com/preview/8292

For information and tutorial on using GPart go to http://www.math.ucla.edu/computing/docindex/gpart-man-1.html
 
Since I need to save for windows XP im gonna install Linux since its free. Is there good site that can explain to me thouroghly how to install it on a brand new system and stuff?
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If you have any experience with Installing any of the windows OS's, you should be fine installing most Linux Distro's. Unbuntu, Suse, Mandriva (AKA Mandrake) are three very easy to install Linux OS's. I'm partial to Suse and Ubuntu myself.
 
Yup, Ubuntu is a breeze to install. Like Blue said if you've done a Windows basic install you should be set with the most user friendly of Linux distros. RedHat confused me, but it is not that user friendly IMHO.
 
There are a few newer distros based on Slackware that have simplified the installation process. But you still have to get familiar with Bash commands. You need to know the basics there in order to see drivers installed for hardwares, software installations, and a few other things as well.

One way to get more familiar with any of them is to try out a live for dvd/cd version where you run the "flavor of the month" without actually installing anything to a hard drive. It helps getting familiiar with the large differences between the simple point and click and using KDE or another desktop. Another main difference is the boot loader for the OS there. Lilo and Grub are the main loaders added to the installation. Neither is installed at the same time as you would see in Windows or Apple/MAC.
 
You won't find anything easier to install than Ubuntu. The latest installer is completely GUI'ised, including the partitioning.

There is no better way to get into Linux than with Ubuntu. Once you're a little more comfortable with it, you can begin moving up to "less user-friendly" distros.
 
Really, all you need to think about is which Linux distro you are going to get first. Then, you can worry about the installation. Although, most linux distro installations are similar, they are not all the same. Sure all these links and such are helpful, but you're not really going to look for the easiest one to install and go with that are you?

Also, as may of been said above.. most of these distros have their own site and host their own tutorial/guides that go over HOW to install on a partition with Windows side by side, or by themselves, or any other means you may want to achieve.
 
Some of the latest distros are the easiest ever with the enhanced GUIs to work with. I was actually surprised at Zenwalk and now Myah OS 2.2. That one is even more colorful with a cartoon scene and seemingly XP look as the welcome screen there comes up.

Fedora Core 4 was a real bllankety blank ruf distro to start with when trying to get that running. Tnen you have to get Grub in there correctly and load that distro with just the right lines of text at the grub prompt to load Core 4 up. Puppy and PCLinux along with Slackware were ones advised at times.
 
Ok so lets say I go with Ubuntu. Do I need to put it on a disc from another computer to install it on my PC? Also There is a program I can download to play PC games with Linux correct? If I want to install windows at a later time could I not just buy another harddrive and install windows on it?
 
Ok so lets say I go with Ubuntu. Do I need to put it on a disc from another computer to install it on my PC?
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I'm not really understanding this question... You can burn it to disk with whatever PC your using with any decent software (Nero as an example).

Also There is a program I can download to play PC games with Linux correct?
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You can install and run certain games (not as many as you might hope) and other Windows software. There are a few apps and "Wine" comes with most Linux distros for this purpose. You are not going to have all your windows apps and games running though.

If I want to install windows at a later time could I not just buy another harddrive and install windows on it?
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Yes you can do this. You can also as already suggest instal both Linux and windows on one big hard drive, which is actually pretty easy.

The version of Ubuntu I played with last was a "live" CD. When you put the CD in the drive and boot the PC you could play with it right away. If you liked you then could simply click an "Install" icon on the desktop to install it to the hard drive.
 
If you are planning to install Windows and Linux on the same drive Windows has to go on first. Often Lilo or Grub will be installed to the mbr unless you have a boot disk to load the distro you install afterwards. With Linux on the first partition Windows is not able to create the mbr it needs. Wine doesn't come with many of the older distros. For more information on Wine, http://www.winehq.com/ where else but Wine head quarters.

Not all live distros have the option to install directly. The live version of any distro is generally smaller then the full packages seen in the one or more installation iso images. Many distros actually lack a live for cd version.
 
WHat I mean about how Iget it on the system is. I cant go online with a PC to download the program correct? Wouldnt I have to use a computer that I can go online, download the program, and burn the program on a disc?
 
Linux distributions are generally seen in iso images that you burn to cd-rs. Depending on the distribution itself it could be a single cd or 4 to 5. When Fedora Core 4 was tried out here that saw 4 cd-rs plus a recovery disk. Zenwalk goes onto a single cd-r not cd-rw since it has to be bootable. On distros with multiple disks the #1 disk always has to be bootable in order to see the installer loaded. There are tools for editing iso images where you can also mount an image on a virtual drive. The newer distros also included partitioning tools like the Linux fdisk or cfdisk used to create the root, swap, and even extended partitions.

The installer will generally format the new partitions when you assign which one will be seen as the root for installing the boot loader onto. Here I simply added a second hard drive now used for a pair of distros along with an NTFS storage partition. You can't go over four partitions total however. The swap partition here is the common for both distros. Once you have the distro installed you then either install the boot loader included or download that separately. Lilo and Grub are the two main boot loaders with some available for multiple boots of either Linux or Windows.
 
A good number of the distros are available to order already on cd or dvd for the cost of shipping and the low cost of the disk itself. Generally you have to find out where you can order a premade disk that can sent directly to where you are located.

If you can't order a complete disk or disk set you have the option to download any version in the iso file type and burn it to disk yourself. But like any other OS or software there can be problems seen when going to install one.
(I'm already having fun between Mandriva and Zenwalk trying to get one to finish the last part of the installation with the other lacking lilo. Grub with Fedora again?)
 
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