How to install LINUX

Introduction.

Basically i will try to explain u how to install linux. Also how to install linux on a PC with already windows installed on it.

NOTE: Yes u can have linux and windows on same PC.

Procedure.

1. Prepare the Hard Disc (HD): 80MB - 2GB+ free space for installing
2. Partition: If ur HD is new/empty, the installation procedure will ask u to choose the partition and simply ignore almost everything below. Otherwise, if ex. windows are already installed, we must split the HD by creating new partition. To do this u must have Partition Magic (get it here) or Fips (get it here)
3. Create minimum 2 new partitions. 1 for system files and 1 for SWAP (max 128 MB)
4. Boot ur PC from CD-ROM (boot ur PC and press F2... in the BIOS setup set boot to CD-ROM... reboot)
5. When the linux CD will ask us to select the partition to install in to, u must know the followings:

• If u have a HD for a primary master and a CD-ROM for a secondary master, will be readed as "hda" and "hdc". Primary slave "hdb" and Secondary slave "hdd".
• When dialing with partitions, windows changes letters to units, but linux adds numbers. So if u have a HD as primary master (hda) and if u created two partitions in it, then those will be "hda1" and "hda2".

NOTE: After we sellect the partition to install to, it will ask us for "mount point" (a directory which will recognize the partition). If u created one partition, the mount point will be slash(/). If u created more partitions, then u can give a different mount point like ex. /home, /usr etc.

New Partitions with Fips.

Windows are automatically put files at the end of HD. So by creating new partitions, those files will be lost. So, if we are trying to install linux on a PC with windows installed, this may cause errors to windows and may not function properly. So, we do a Defrag (C:\ right mouse click -> properties -> tools -> defragmentation), so if are any files at the end of the HD, to place them at the beginning. The reason, except that we may cause errors to previous ex. windows already installed, is that if there are any files at the end of HD, the Fips wont let us continue to the creation of new partitions.

To avoid any crash/errors of ex. windows, we must boot our system from CD-ROM or MS-DOS (boot ur PC and press F2... in the BIOS setup set boot to MS-DOS and use Fips from a floppy disc or set boot to CD-ROM and use Fips from a CD... reboot)

When Fips starts, will scan ur system for HDs and if found more than one, will ask u which one to use. Then it will ask u the size of the partition. Then hit ENTER and Fips will modify the partition table.

NOTE: In case u restart ur PC, u will see a ne unit which u cant use and ur system will automatically ask u to format it. Doesnt matter if u format to FAT or NTFS, coz in this space we will create a File System(ext2). So, when u format in ext2, this unit will disappear from windows, coz windows cant read partition ext2.

NOTE: We can create as many partitions as we want ex. a different partition for the users.