Linux installation

2005-03-03T09:01:19Z

Chunkai:

As the method of installation of Linux varies so much from distribution to distribution, you are best advised to look at the documentation for your chosen distribution.

Some [[Live CD distributions]], such as [[Knoppix]] or [[Morphix]] allow you to test-drive before you install. They also have a very good automatic detection and configuration system and are useful diagnostic tools to help you gather info about your system before installing any chosen distro.

A majority of distributions make a good attempt at autodetecting the target system's hardware, though [[WiFi]] device auto-detection is still more or less non-existent.

A [[Source_distributions|source based distribution]] such as [[Gentoo]] encourages its users to come to grips with Linux system management by making them configure, compile and set up everything from scratch. It's really worth doing if you have the time to learn that way, and the learning method and quality of the documentation set it apart from most other distros.

==See Also==
[[Partitioning]]

==System requirements==

There are hardly default hardware requirements. It depends a lot on the used [[Distributions|distribution]] and how much you are willing to tweak it. Most Linux [[distributions]] are rather modest with their hardware requirements so running any of them on a modern computer will not pose any problems. 
 
Of course if you require to run Linux on a pre Pentium machine you might get in trouble using the latest [[Mandrake]], [[Fedora]], etc. because they may not support every processor type and require a certain amount of system memory. 
 
On the other hand using the latest technology may confront you with a lack of drivers and propper support. 
 
A happy medium is probably the best solution.

==Choosing a distribution==
===How to decide which distribution to use?===

'''Always use the same [[distribution]] as the [[guru]] next door!''' This way you have somebody around to question and ask for help.

In general if you don't need special features or have exotic hardware requirements and little or no [[Linux]] knowledge you are on the safe side using one of the major [[distributions]], i.e. [[Fedora]], [[Mandrake]], [[Suse]], [[Red_Hat]]. All them are equipped with a graphical installation, preconfigured desktop and graphical configuration tools.

If you just want to try [[Linux]] your best choice is one of the [[Live_CD_distributions | Live CD distributions]] which run from one CD and don't need to be installed at all.

Special hardware requirements and/or curiosity may lead you to other [[distributions]] like [[VectorLinux]] for sparse hardware which is based on [[Slackware]].

Probably every [[distribution]] would be worth mentioning but believe me as I said before: '''The best [[distribution]] is the one your personal [[guru]] has!'''

For more information about how to choose a distribution, see [[Choosing a Linux distribution]].

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===Distribution specific guides===
A comprehensive list of [[Distributions]].

===How to get a Distribution?===

* Buy a boxed [[Distributions|distribution]] online or in a store. This way you get user guides specific to your distribution and support from the distributor. If you buy an official copy some of the money will help maintain the distribution.
* Download the [[ISO]] files and burn your own CD set. The ISO files can be found at the main [[Distributions|distribution]] site or on countless mirrors. If the option exists, downloading from a distributed [[P2P]] network such as [[BitTorrent]] is preferable. Using p2p the download is likely to be faster, especially at busy times, and the cost to the distributor is far less than over [[ftp]].
* Download only a small installation CD or floppy image and install your system directly per [[FTP Install]] or [[HTTP Install]]. Only the selected software is downloaded which is in most cases faster than downloading the whole CD set. But not every [[Distributions|distribution]] supports this installation type.
* Sometimes magazines add partial or even complete [[distributions]], occasionally before they are made available online.

===How to solve problems with your distribution===

* Do it yourself, using [[man]] pages, local documents, the web
* Get help. See [[Linux support options]]

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===How to keep a distribution up to date===

* Use a package manager like [[apt-get]], [[Synaptic]], [[up2date]] ... to download, install, and upgrade applications, and to find applications that will meet your needs. For a cookbook on how to use Synaptic, see [[Fedora, Synaptic Package Manager, finding Repositories, listing RPMs, previously installed]].

==Configuring Linux==
* [[Networking]]
* [[Security]]
* [[Hardware]]
* [[Booting]]
* [[Finding configuration parameters]]

==What next? How to make the most of Linux.==
* List of Linux [[Applications]]
* List of Linux [[Commands]]
* [[Common Tasks]]
* [[Documentation]]
* [[Gaming]]

==Installation Guides==
(guides to install distros at linuxquestions.org)
*[[ipodlinux:documentation|ipodlinux]]
*[[installing_woody|Debian woody on a 100MHz Pentium]]

==Truble Installation Question==

Application initialization failed : no diplay name and no
$DISPLAY environment variable.

Error in startup script : invalid command name "button"
while excuting
"button .ref"
(file "scripts/kconfig.tk" line 51 )
make ***[xconfig] Error 1

==External links==
(links to guides etc.)

* [http://iso.linuxquestions.org/ LQ ISO] - Find and rate fast Linux download mirrors

LQWiki - User contributions [en]

Linux installation