Linux Mandrake Installation Instructions Available: o ENGLISH o FRENCH - doc/install/fr/README o SPANISH - doc/install/es/README o GERMAN - doc/install/de/README o ITALIAN - doc/install/it/README and many others languages; look at "doc/install/" there may be a directory for your language. If not (yet); contributors are welcome! ============================================================================ +--------------------------------------------+ | Linux-Mandrake - Installation instructions | +--------------------------------------------+ Required configuration * Pentium processor or compatible * CDROM drive * At least 32 MB RAM, 64 MB recommended * VESA 2.0 compliant graphics card Installing Linux-Mandrake is, in most cases, as simple as putting your Installation CD in your CDROM drive, and restarting your machine. Please refer to point 1. NOTE: * If you upgrade from 7.0, 7.1 or 7.2 Linux-Mandrake versions, do not forget to backup your system. * Upgrading from earlier versions (prior to 7.0) is NOT supported. In that case, you need to do a fresh installation and not an update. ============================================================================ You can also install Linux-Mandrake onto a Windows 95/98/ME system, using Linux for Windows. This does not require disk partitioning, and installs Linux in a Windows folder. It is a convenient way to discover Linux-Mandrake without modifying your Windows system. It is however significantly slower than a regular installation. Also, your Linux-Mandrake installation is lost if you re-install Windows. Please refer to point 2 to use Linux for Windows. Below are listed the different ways to install Linux-Mandrake: 1. Boot directly from CD 2. Installing onto Windows 95/98/ME 3. Launch install from MS-DOS 4. Make a boot floppy with Windows 5. Other install methods ============================================================================ 1. Boot directly from CD The Installation CDROM is bootable. In most cases, just insert the CD into the drive and reboot the machine. Follow the instructions displayed on screen: press the [Enter] key to start the installation, or press [F1] for additional help. NOTE: On some portable computers, the system may not reboot from the CD. If this is the case, you should prepare a boot floppy. See point 4 for details. ============================================================================ 2. Installing onto Windows 95/98/ME To install Linux-Mandrake within a Windows folder, avoiding any disk partitioning, you should: 1. Insert the first CD, 2. Reboot the system, 3. Press [F1] when the Linux-Mandrake screen comes up, 4. Type lnx4win at the prompt, then press [Enter] Follow the instructions shown on screen. Additional details on lnx4win can be found in the appropriate readme file. NOTE: When inserting the CDROM under Windows, a window will popup to give you access to an installation summary and to Linux-Mandrake demos and tutorial. It will also permit you to create directly the boot floppy described in point 4 . If the window does not popup, run: D:\dosutils\autorun.exe (assuming D is your CDROM's drive letter). ============================================================================ 3. Launch install from MS-DOS If you have MS-DOS installed on your computer, you can boot the installation system directly from the CD without using any diskettes. Note that this method will not work if run in a DOS window under Windows. It will not work under Windows ME either. To do this (assuming your CD is drive D:), use the following commands: C:\> D: D:\> cd \dosutils\autoboot D:\dosutils\autoboot> autoboot.bat ============================================================================ 4. Make a boot floppy with Windows If your computer cannot boot from the CDROM and previous methods do not work, you must make a boot floppy under Windows as follows: * insert the CDROM, then open the icon "My Computer", right click on the CDROM drive icon and select "Open" * go into the "dosutils" directory and double-click on the "rawwritewin" icon * insert a blank floppy in the floppy drive * select "D:\images\cdrom.img" in the "Image File" field (assuming that your CDROM drive is "D:", otherwise replace "D:" as needed) * select "A:" in the "Floppy Drive" field then click on "Write". To begin the installation: * insert the CDROM in the drive, as well as the boot floppy, then * restart the computer. ============================================================================ 5. Other installation methods If for any reason the previous methods do not fit your needs (you want to perform a network install, an install from pcmcia devices or ...), you will also need to make a boot floppy: * Under Linux (or others modern UNIX systems) type at prompt: $ dd if=xxxxx.img of=/dev/fd0 * Under Windows, follow the method described in point 4, but using xxxxx.img (see below) instead of cdrom.img. * Under DOS, assuming your CD is drive D:, type: D:\> dosutils\rawrite.exe -f images\xxxxx.img -d A Here the liste of boot images: +-----------------+-------------------------------------------+ | cdrom.img | install from CD-ROM | |-----------------+-------------------------------------------| | hd.img | install from hard-disk | |-----------------+-------------------------------------------| | hdreiser.img | install with reiserfs filesystem | |-----------------+-------------------------------------------| | network.img | install from ftp/nfs/http | |-----------------+-------------------------------------------| | other.img | install and include seldom used drivers | |-----------------+-------------------------------------------| ¦ pcmcia.img | install from pcmcia devices | +-----------------+-------------------------------------------+ blank.img is a minimal image to customize kernel installation. ============================================================================ You can also use a text mode installation if, for any reason, you have trouble with the default graphical installation. To use it, press [F1] at Linux-Mandrake welcome screen, then text at the prompt. If you need to rescue your existing Linux-Mandrake system, insert your Installation CDROM (or any relevant boot floppy), press [F1] at Linux-Mandrake welcome screen, then rescue at the prompt. See http://www.linux-mandrake.com/drakx/README for more technical information. ============================================================================ Below are the main stages of installation: 1. Insert your Installation CDROM (or Installation Floppy disk if necessary) and restart your machine. 2. Press [Enter] when the Linux-Mandrake welcome screen appears and carefully follow the instructions. 3. When the installation is complete take out the CD-ROM when ejected (and any floppy disk if present in drive); your machine will restart. If it does not, restart it manually. 4. Linux-Mandrake will start. After bootup, you can login on your machine under the user account setup during install, or as "root". Important note: The "root" account will give you unrestricted access to your Linux system. Do not use it except to configure or administer Linux. For every day use, use a normal user account which you can configure with the "userdrake" tool, or with the commands "adduser" and "passwd". Good luck with Linux-Mandrake ! ============================================================================ For installation support see the Linux-Mandrake diffusion list and FAQs at the web site: * http://www.linux-mandrake.com/