661 lines
38 KiB
Plaintext
661 lines
38 KiB
Plaintext
|
Linux Installation Strategies mini-HOWTO
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Tobby Banerjee
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
tobbyb@usa.net
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Philippe Martin - Conversion to DocBook SGML
|
|||
|
Revision History
|
|||
|
Revision 1.0.1 2001-05-02 Revised by: pm
|
|||
|
Conversion to DocBook SGML.
|
|||
|
Revision 1.0 2000-12-20 Revised by: tb
|
|||
|
Initial release.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This document discusses a few installation strategies for those who intend to
|
|||
|
dual-boot between Windows and Linux.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
Table of Contents
|
|||
|
1. License
|
|||
|
2. Mail
|
|||
|
3. The basics
|
|||
|
4. A note about hard disks and partitions
|
|||
|
5. The concepts
|
|||
|
6. Partitioning
|
|||
|
7. Installation
|
|||
|
8. The Lilo way
|
|||
|
9. The Loadlin way
|
|||
|
10. Rebooting
|
|||
|
11. Setting up Loadlin
|
|||
|
12. Removing Linux and restoring your Windows partition to its Original state
|
|||
|
13. XFree 4.01
|
|||
|
14. Tips and Suggestions
|
|||
|
15. The State of Linux ?? What to Expect
|
|||
|
15.1. The Specifics ?? Wordprocessing
|
|||
|
15.2. Multimedia
|
|||
|
15.3. Internet
|
|||
|
15.4. Games
|
|||
|
15.5. Desktop Publishing
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
1. License
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
You are free to do with this document whatever you please but reading it
|
|||
|
would be a good idea. I am naturally not responsible for any consequence or
|
|||
|
action arising out of the use of information provided in this document. I am
|
|||
|
not a very responsible person and you heed me at your own peril.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
2. Mail
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Should you find this document helpful please feel free to mail me at <
|
|||
|
tobbyb@hotmail.com>. Microsoft shares will be highly appreciated but short of
|
|||
|
that flattery will do just fine.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3. The basics
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The primary purpose of this document is to make the co-existance between
|
|||
|
Windows and Linux as simple and uncomplex as possible which means as far as
|
|||
|
Windows is concerned Linux doesn't exist. It is now possible to install Linux
|
|||
|
on a Windows partition as a disk image with what is known as the loopback
|
|||
|
filesystem ?? RedHat and Mandrake offer this ?? but it's an extremely bad
|
|||
|
idea because of the way Windows handles files. Defragmenting the system will
|
|||
|
become a nightmare and Linux itself will crawl and it will ruin both your
|
|||
|
Windows and Linux experience. The same applies to the Umsdos filesystem
|
|||
|
(though Linux won't crawl) and it's best to install Linux on a partition of
|
|||
|
its own. This document makes a few presumptions but nothing to worry about ??
|
|||
|
just a few.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>You are using Windows 9x (95,98) not Me or 2000.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>You are familiar with computers ie you know how to boot the system using
|
|||
|
the floppy or cdrom drive
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>You know your way around DOS and Windows
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>You know what a partition is and want to install Linux on a partition of
|
|||
|
its own
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>You have a large hard disk ?? upward of 8.4<EFBFBD>Gb ?? which currently holds
|
|||
|
Windows and on which you intend to install Linux (even those who with
|
|||
|
smaller disks can read on).
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
With that out of the way we can begin. The first thing to do is to make space
|
|||
|
for Linux. Like other Linux wannabes you are likely to be stuck with a huge
|
|||
|
single partition with Windows on it. This would be your C drive. In my case
|
|||
|
it was hogging 13.5<EFBFBD>gigs. You have to make a separate partition for Linux out
|
|||
|
of this space (which would then be labelled as D). You can either use Windows
|
|||
|
Fdisk which really is not a good idea as it would entail losing all your data
|
|||
|
and making new partitions from scratch, one for Windows and one for Linux, or
|
|||
|
you can take the easier and far more convenient way out and use a free and
|
|||
|
excellent non-destructive partitioning utility called Fips. What makes Fips
|
|||
|
special is its ability to create a new partition out of the free space in
|
|||
|
your C partition without any loss of data. The latest version of Fips (2.0)
|
|||
|
is available at its homepage [http://www.igd.fhg.de/~aschaefe/fips/] http://
|
|||
|
www.igd.fhg.de/~aschaefe/fips/ and most Linux distributions carry it under
|
|||
|
the /dostools or /dosutils directory in the primary cd.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
We are going to concentrate on using Fips so if you are going to use Windows
|
|||
|
Fdisk ?? which actually is totally unnecessary unless you have just bought a
|
|||
|
new system and even then it's a better idea to make a single partition with
|
|||
|
Windows Fdisk, install Windows on it and then use Fips to split it for
|
|||
|
reasons that I'm going to explain later in this document ?? or a commercial
|
|||
|
partition utility like Partition Magic you are on your own.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
4. A note about hard disks and partitions
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A hard disk can have a maximum of 4 primary partitions ?? don't ask me why, I
|
|||
|
don't know. Apart from primary partitions a hard disk can also have what is
|
|||
|
known as an extended partition which inturn can hold a number of logical
|
|||
|
partitions ?? I believe the number is close to 15. The extended partitions
|
|||
|
are not real partitions like primary or logical partitions in that they don't
|
|||
|
store data but are actually containers for logical partitions which is where
|
|||
|
data is actually stored ?? as you can see it is uneccessarily complex. Thus
|
|||
|
in Windows C is a primary partition and if you used Windows Fdisk ?? Windows
|
|||
|
Fdisk will not make more than one primary partition to partition your hard
|
|||
|
disk ?? D is usually the first logical partition of the extended partition. E
|
|||
|
would be the second logical partition and so on. In Linux things are slightly
|
|||
|
different. The first primary partition is called /dev/hda1, the second
|
|||
|
primary partition /dev/hda2 upto the fourth which is /dev/hda4. Linux refers
|
|||
|
to the an extended partition as in the case of a disk with 1 primary and one
|
|||
|
extended partition as /dev/hda1 for the primary and /dev/hda2 for the
|
|||
|
extended. The logical partitions of the extended partitions are referred to
|
|||
|
as /dev/hda5, /dev/hda6 and so on. The second hard disk would be referred to
|
|||
|
as /dev/hdb, the third /dev/hdc (usually the cdrom drive if set as secondary
|
|||
|
master) and the fourth and last hard disk as /dev/hdd (last because the
|
|||
|
motherboard has place for a maximum of 4 IDE devices) SCSI devices are
|
|||
|
referred to as /dev/sda ?? thank god for that.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
5. The concepts
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
What Fips does is make a new primary partition out of the free space in your
|
|||
|
hard disk. This is an inherently dangerous operation and it's a good idea to
|
|||
|
back up all your important data lest something go wrong. Having said that
|
|||
|
Fips has been used successfully by a large number of people in different
|
|||
|
conditions and unless there is something already wrong with your hard disk,
|
|||
|
FAT (File Allocation Table) or partition table things will work just fine.
|
|||
|
You should read the Fips documentation.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Before you set out to partition the hard disk you have to decide how you want
|
|||
|
to boot into Linux. The default and most common method is to use Lilo ?? a
|
|||
|
simple and basic bootloader program that overwrites (after saving) your hard
|
|||
|
disk's MBR (Master Boot Record) and on booting the system gives you a choice
|
|||
|
between booting either Windows or Linux. If you select Windows it boots
|
|||
|
Windows and you are met with the familiar windows screen or if you select
|
|||
|
Linux it boots Linux and if you don't make a choice in the stipulated time ??
|
|||
|
could be anything from <20>5 seconds depending on on how you set it up ?? it
|
|||
|
boots the default operating system, Windows or Linux, again depending on how
|
|||
|
you set it up. You can restore your original MBR anytime, when uninstalling
|
|||
|
Linux for instance, either by typing /sbin/lilo -u within Linux or typing
|
|||
|
fdisk /MBR in DOS (this will overwrite the MBR with the original Windows MBR)
|
|||
|
needless to say you would lose the option to boot into Linux after this and
|
|||
|
thus access to your Linux partition.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The problem with using Lilo especially for those with large disks is you
|
|||
|
would have to give up a substantial chunk of your disk space to Linux. This
|
|||
|
is not a flexible solution since while you can access your Windows partition
|
|||
|
from within Linux ?? the large MPEG files can thus be stored in Windows and
|
|||
|
accessed by both operating systems ?? the alternate is not true.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This is because of an arcane BIOS limitation that limits Lilo to the first
|
|||
|
1024 cylinders of the hard disk. Windows and Linux have no such limitations
|
|||
|
?? it has something to do with address translation and LBA which I have yet
|
|||
|
to fully understand. Suffice to know the BIOS cannot access data that is
|
|||
|
beyond this 1024 cylinder limit and since Lilo is dependent on the BIOS to
|
|||
|
boot the OS's nor can it. Thus if you want to use Lilo to boot Linux you got
|
|||
|
to make sure that the Linux partition is well below the 1024 cylinder limit.
|
|||
|
My hard disk ?? and most modern hard disks have more than 1024 cylinders ??
|
|||
|
has 1650 cylinders and using Lilo means making the Linux partition at about
|
|||
|
the 1000 or 1010 cylinder mark which translates into a whopping 5.2<EFBFBD>Gb of
|
|||
|
12.9<EFBFBD>Gb to Linux and this wasn't working for me since my Linux stuff hardly
|
|||
|
need more than 2<>Gb and my Windows data on the other hand with MP3's and MPEG
|
|||
|
movies needs a lot more than 7<>Gb.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The solution, and in Linux there are always solutions, is Loadlin, an
|
|||
|
underrated alternative to Lilo which is inexplicably not as popular or
|
|||
|
widespread, inexplicable because it's far more flexible. If you intend to use
|
|||
|
Loadlin and for those with large hard-disks it's an excellent alternative you
|
|||
|
don't have to worry about the 1024 cylinder limit. Even better you can launch
|
|||
|
Linux from your Windows desktop and modify your autoexec.bat file to give you
|
|||
|
an option to boot into either of the OS's during boot time not unlike Lilo.
|
|||
|
You are then free to size your partitions as you please. In my case a 2.2<EFBFBD>Gb
|
|||
|
extended partition with 3 logical partitions. That's right 3 partitions. It's
|
|||
|
normal to make three partitions, one for the Kernel boot files, one for the
|
|||
|
root partition and one for the swap partition but more on that later.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
If you must use Lilo but are unwilling to give up a lot of space there is a
|
|||
|
solution. Place the Linux partition in the middle of the disk. You have to
|
|||
|
split the new partition you just created using Fips into 2 (you would have to
|
|||
|
use Fips once again for this) the first partition which falls within the 1024
|
|||
|
cylinder limit can be used for Linux and the second you can use for Windows.
|
|||
|
Thus your hard disk will then have 3 partitions the first and third for
|
|||
|
Windows and the one in the middle for Linux. I don't like this arrangement
|
|||
|
but it's up to you. (At the moment we are refering to the Linux partition as
|
|||
|
one but during the installation you will split it into 3 using the Linux
|
|||
|
tools) You can also make a small 15-20<32>Mb /boot partition and place it before
|
|||
|
the 1024 cylinder mark and the rest of the installation anywhere on the hard
|
|||
|
disk but again I quite don't like this.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
6. Partitioning
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Now we are ready to actually partition the hard disk. First make a DOS boot
|
|||
|
disk (type format a: /s at the DOS prompt or in DOS). Put the following three
|
|||
|
files in the disk, fips.exe, restorrb.exe and errors.txt. Defragment your
|
|||
|
hard disk ?? this puts all the data at the beginning leaving enough space for
|
|||
|
Fips to create a new partition from. If you use Norton SpeedDisk select the
|
|||
|
unfragment free space option. Norton usually puts data at the end of the disk
|
|||
|
and this will prevent Fips from creating a new partition. Run Scandisk and
|
|||
|
reboot using the bootdisk you just created.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Type fips at the prompt and Fips will show you your partition table with a
|
|||
|
warning about partition table inconsistency. If your disk has more than 1024
|
|||
|
cylinders its usually safe to ignore this warning. Next Fips will ask you is
|
|||
|
you want to proceed ?? the program is extremely meticulous ?? answer yes
|
|||
|
obviously and when prompted to save a backup of your partition table and boot
|
|||
|
sector answer yes ?? this step is absolutely vital as it allows you to
|
|||
|
restore your hard disk to its unpartioned single partition state should
|
|||
|
anything go wrong. It also comes in handy if you want to uninstall Linux or
|
|||
|
resize your Linux partition. It doesn't matter what happens to the new
|
|||
|
partition in the meantime, if you have the back up you can restore your hard
|
|||
|
disk to its original unpartioned state. This reversible operation will work
|
|||
|
in all circumstances but one; if you format your original (Windows) partition
|
|||
|
which was split to make space for Linux in the meantime, the original FAT is
|
|||
|
overwritten with a new and smaller one and the restore operation will not
|
|||
|
work.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
After making the backup you will be presented with a screen with 3 numbers,
|
|||
|
the first represents your original partition ?? notice it is at its smallest
|
|||
|
size, Fips has allocated all free space in the hard disk to the new
|
|||
|
partition, this is the default behavior. The second column shows the cylinder
|
|||
|
info which will be the guide for those who plan to use Lilo. The third shows
|
|||
|
the size of the new partition you are going to create ?? it is at its largest
|
|||
|
size. Use the arrow keys to resize the partition, you would just have to
|
|||
|
reduce the size of the new partition since it is at its maximum to a size you
|
|||
|
want. For Lilo users the new partition has to be below the 1024 cylinder
|
|||
|
mark, 1000 is a reasonable beginning for the new partition. After you are
|
|||
|
satisfied with the size of your new partition press enter, Fips will ask you
|
|||
|
to confirm and write the new partition table.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Reboot your system. Remember to change the BIOS settings to boot from the
|
|||
|
hard disk or you will end up rebooting with the floppy. Double click My
|
|||
|
Computer and you will see the result of all the hard work, there will be a
|
|||
|
new drive labelled D alongside the original C. Don't touch D, run scandisk on
|
|||
|
your original partition (C) ?? hopefully there will be no errors ?? and at
|
|||
|
this point you are ready to install Linux.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Some of the Linux documentation mistakenly ask you to delete the newly
|
|||
|
created partition using Windows Fdisk. Do not commit that blunder because if
|
|||
|
you do the Linux partitions will show up in My Computer when you reboot after
|
|||
|
installing Linux and since Windows obviously cannot read these drives and the
|
|||
|
ext2 filesystem, using Explorer and acessing your hard disk in Windows will
|
|||
|
become a time consuming and destabilizing affair. So don't do it.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
7. Installation
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Reboot using your Linux Installation CD ?? I use Redhat 6.2 which is fairly
|
|||
|
straight forward and I will focus on it. Most Linux distributions have really
|
|||
|
worked on their installation programs and you shouldn't have a problem. Just
|
|||
|
have the details about your hardware in hand, the horizontal and vertical
|
|||
|
refresh rate of your monitor in case the installation program doesn't
|
|||
|
automatically detect it ( you will find the exact figures in the manual ),
|
|||
|
the video card, its memory type ( SDRAM or SGRAM ) and size, and your mouse
|
|||
|
type ?? PS2 or Serial. As I mentioned earlier you will have to make about 3
|
|||
|
partitions for Linux, you can make more but 3 is the recommended number.
|
|||
|
There are 3 main installation types, Workstation, Server and Custom. The
|
|||
|
Server class install erases everything in the hard disk so beware. The
|
|||
|
workstation and custom installs have sub-classes but that's for you to
|
|||
|
explore.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Loadlin users have to select custom installation and dump Lilo when given the
|
|||
|
oppurtunity because the other types of installations install Lilo by default
|
|||
|
and without asking and we dont want that do we? Lilo users have no
|
|||
|
restrictions; you can opt for whichever install type you like.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
8. The Lilo way
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Lilo fans can use Disk Druid which is RedHat's default partitioning utility
|
|||
|
?? yes we haven't finished with partitioning just yet. First delete the
|
|||
|
second partition which will show up in Disk Druid's screen as /dev/hda2. Then
|
|||
|
create a new partiton, set its mount point to /boot and size to 16<31>Mb. Create
|
|||
|
the second partition and set its mount point to /(that's called the root
|
|||
|
partition) and size to growable. This tells Disk Druid to reclaim all free
|
|||
|
space after you have finshed partititoning . Create the third partition and
|
|||
|
set its mount point to swap and size to about 127<32>Mb presuming you have 64<36>Mb
|
|||
|
RAM, those with less can make a 64<36>Mb swap partition.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
9. The Loadlin way
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Those who intend to use Loadlin however cannot use Disk Druid, they will have
|
|||
|
to use Linux Fdisk which may have an intimidating reputation but is actually
|
|||
|
pretty simple. When presented with the installation type screen select custom
|
|||
|
and with fdisk (you will find a small button with fdisk on it at the top of
|
|||
|
the screen). For some reason Disk Druid doesn't let you proceed with the
|
|||
|
installation if your /boot partition is above the 1024 cylinder limit so if
|
|||
|
you try to use it to create the partitions the install program will refuse to
|
|||
|
proceed. Fdisk is a pretty straight forward program and easy to use too.
|
|||
|
First you have to delete the partition you just created using Fips. Many
|
|||
|
people don't understand why they have to delete the partition they just
|
|||
|
created at considerable risk. This new partition is actually a FAT32 partiton
|
|||
|
which Linux cannot use and when you delete it it doesn't revert to being a
|
|||
|
part of C but is actually UNPARTITIONED FREE SPACE which you can use to
|
|||
|
create new partitions.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
You have to understand a few Fdisk operations, typing m lists all the
|
|||
|
options, typing p at the prompt shows you the current partition table, d
|
|||
|
deletes a partiton, n creates a partition, q quits without saving changes so
|
|||
|
if you make any mistakes there is nothing to worry about just type q and
|
|||
|
start all over again, w writes changes to the partition table use only after
|
|||
|
you are sure and L shows you the hex numbers for different partition types
|
|||
|
but you only need to know 2, Linux native is hex number 83 and Linux swap is
|
|||
|
hex number 82. So why do you need the Hex numbers? While Disk Druid allows
|
|||
|
you to mount a swap partition without going into the hex numbers in Fdisk the
|
|||
|
only way to make a swap partiton is to give it its correct hex number which
|
|||
|
is 82.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Let's start, in Fdisk type p at the prompt and you will see the current
|
|||
|
partition table. Type d and select the partition you want to delete which in
|
|||
|
this case would be /dev/hda2 (just type 2) type p again and you will see the
|
|||
|
change reflected in the partition table. There will now be a single FAT32
|
|||
|
partition /dev/hda1 (which is actually C). Type n to create a new partition
|
|||
|
and for type of partition the choices being primary or extended select e.
|
|||
|
There is no hard and fast rule about this for instance you could have a
|
|||
|
primary partition for /boot and an extended partition holding two logical
|
|||
|
partitions / and swap. I recommend an extended partition that holds three
|
|||
|
logical partitions. Now you have to size your extended partition properly
|
|||
|
since it's a container for the three logical partitions. From now on you just
|
|||
|
have to respond to Fdisk. It will ask you to set the size of the extended
|
|||
|
partition that you want to create. This partition will start where your
|
|||
|
Windows partition ends and ends at the end of the disk. You can either give
|
|||
|
the size in M (megabytes) in cylinder numbers or in K (kilobytes). Just
|
|||
|
accept the default for the start of the partition and select the end cylinder
|
|||
|
number for the end ?? Fdisk will give you the end cylinder number.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Repeat the operation for the three logical partitions, only this time you
|
|||
|
would have to select logical instead of extended and the appropriate sizes
|
|||
|
which are 16<31>Mb for the boot partition, 127<32>Mb for the swap partition (the
|
|||
|
size of the swap partition is variable depending on installed RAM, double
|
|||
|
your RAM is recommended) and the rest of the free space for the root ( / )
|
|||
|
partition. Find your way ?? it's simple, really! After creating the three
|
|||
|
partitions type p and you will see the partitions you just created. There
|
|||
|
will be /dev/hda2 (extended) /dev/hda5 (logical) /dev/hda6 (logical) and /dev
|
|||
|
/hda7 (logical). There is just one thing left to do, set the hex number for
|
|||
|
the swap partition. Type t and select the 127<32>Mb partition you created which
|
|||
|
would be /dev/hda6 enter 6 for the partition number and 82 for the hex number
|
|||
|
(you will be prompted) and you have just finished with partitioning. Type w
|
|||
|
after making sure and Fdisk will write the new partition table and exit. The
|
|||
|
next screen will be the Disk Druid screen our Lilo friends have already seen
|
|||
|
and you just have to mount the partitions with Disk Druid. Select /dev/hda5
|
|||
|
(the 16<31>Mb partition) and mount it as /boot. Select /dev/hda7 and mount it as
|
|||
|
/ (the root partition)
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
10. Rebooting
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The rest of the installation is straight forward and requires no hand
|
|||
|
holding. Select the packages you want, make the boot disk when given the
|
|||
|
oppurtunity to (absolutely essential especially for Loadlin users) and reboot
|
|||
|
the system. Lilo users should press dos at the Lilo prompt to boot into
|
|||
|
Windows. Like promised none of the Linux partitions will be visible to
|
|||
|
Windows and we can all rest in peace for that. Lilo users should reboot the
|
|||
|
system and boot into linux this time by typing linux at the Lilo prompt and
|
|||
|
depending on the choices you made you will either be at the console or the
|
|||
|
gnome or kde desktop. From one amateur to another it's always a good idea to
|
|||
|
log into the console first and not graphically and then starting X because if
|
|||
|
X crashes on you still have access to the system to make amends. Lilo is set
|
|||
|
to boot into Linux by default after a gap of 5 seconds, you can change the
|
|||
|
default to Windows by editing the lilo file in /etc. Look for the line that
|
|||
|
says default=linux and change it to dos. Alternative launch lilo from an
|
|||
|
xterm and change the asterisk from linux to dos (use the arrow buttons,
|
|||
|
dummy). That's set now for Lilo users.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
11. Setting up Loadlin
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Loadlin users still have a little work to do. First boot into Linux with the
|
|||
|
floppy. If you logged in graphically start a terminal emulator like xterm or
|
|||
|
some other. There are always a couple of these under the utilities menu. Type
|
|||
|
mkdir /mnt/dosc. This is the first step to make your Windows partition
|
|||
|
accessble to Linux and this is particularly important for Loadlin users as it
|
|||
|
is the easiest way to tranfer the Linux kernel to your Windows partition.
|
|||
|
Next start linuxconf from the system menu or the xterm and look for the
|
|||
|
filesystem menu. Expand accesss local drives and select add. Type /dev/hda1
|
|||
|
in the partition field, vfat in the type field and /mnt/dosc/ in the mount
|
|||
|
point field and mount the partition. Alternatively you can directly edit the
|
|||
|
fstab file in /etc in a text editor (Gedit is a good choice) and add the
|
|||
|
following line exactly as shown.
|
|||
|
/dev/hda1 /mnt/dosc vfat defaults 0 0
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This should give you access to your Windows partition, it will be in /mnt/
|
|||
|
dosc/. Copy the linux kernel to your C directory and rename it to vmlinuz.
|
|||
|
You will find it in /boot and probably called vmlinuz followed by your kernel
|
|||
|
version number in my case vmlinuz-2.2.14-5.0. Do not copy the vmlinuz with an
|
|||
|
arrow in it, its a symbolic link. Reboot into windows, get the loadlin
|
|||
|
package from the Linux cd ?? it will be in the /dostools/utils subdirectory.
|
|||
|
Unzip it and place Loadlin.exe in the C directory. Loadlin and the kernel can
|
|||
|
be anywhere on your windows partition but for the time being we will leave it
|
|||
|
in root directory of Windows. Now its up to you how you want to boot into
|
|||
|
Linux. Read the loadlin documentation for the details. The roundabout way is
|
|||
|
to restart the system in DOS mode and type:
|
|||
|
C:> loadlin vmlinuz root=/dev/hda7 ro
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This will boot you into Linux. The easier way is to make a .bat file with the
|
|||
|
same information and placing it on your desktop. Open notepad type c:\loadlin
|
|||
|
c:\vmlinuz root=/dev/hda7 ro and save the file as linux.bat, right click the
|
|||
|
file, select advanced, and check the msdos mode and warn settings. Make a
|
|||
|
shortcut to this file and put it on your desktop. The next time you want to
|
|||
|
boot into Linux just double click this file and you will be in ?? talk about
|
|||
|
convenience.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
If you want to be prompted to boot into linux before Windows boots like the
|
|||
|
Lilo guys you have to make another .bat file and call it from your
|
|||
|
autoexec.bat file. It's very simple and the details are available in the
|
|||
|
Loadlin documentation. The file looks a bit like this.
|
|||
|
@echo off
|
|||
|
cls
|
|||
|
echo.
|
|||
|
echo.
|
|||
|
echo.
|
|||
|
echo.
|
|||
|
choice /t:n,5 "Do you wish to boot Linux?"
|
|||
|
if errorlevel 2 goto End
|
|||
|
c:\loadlin c:\vmlinuz root=/dev/hda6 ro
|
|||
|
End
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
(This little script has been filched from the Loadlin documentation which you
|
|||
|
would know if you did the sensible thing and read the documentation)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Save this text as linux.bat or if there already is a linux.bat in your
|
|||
|
Windows root directory you can place it in another directory or give it
|
|||
|
another name. Add the following line to your autoexec.bat file c:\linux '(or
|
|||
|
whatever you have named the .bat file). The main thing if you are using a
|
|||
|
.bat file is to tell Loadlin where to find the kernel image file (vmlinuz).
|
|||
|
The above .bat file gives you the option to boot into Linux before Windows
|
|||
|
loads by typing y (for Linux) or n (for Windows) within five seconds at which
|
|||
|
point it boots Windows. Enjoy.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
12. Removing Linux and restoring your Windows partition to its Original state
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Depending on whether you are using Lilo or Loadlin the method differs
|
|||
|
slightly. Lilo users have to first restore their original MBR either by
|
|||
|
typing /sbin/lilo -u within Linux or typing fdisk /MBR in DOS. The next steps
|
|||
|
are common for both Loadlin and Lilo users. These are not really neccessary
|
|||
|
but just to be on the safe side I do them all the same.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Boot using the Linux installation CD and type Linux expert at the first
|
|||
|
prompt, answer whatever you wish to the next questions until you get to the
|
|||
|
install selection screen. Here select Install and With Fdisk and use Fdisk to
|
|||
|
delete all Linux partitions. Write the changes to disk and Ctrl??Alt??Delete
|
|||
|
your way out of the installation program or reset your system to reboot.
|
|||
|
Remember to change the BIOS settings to boot from the hard disk or else you
|
|||
|
will reboot from the CDROM again.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Reboot once again, this time with the fips disk that has the backup of your
|
|||
|
partition table and boot sector ?? you saved it, didn't you? ?? and type
|
|||
|
restorrb at the prompt. Answer yes to the question, the program will restore
|
|||
|
your partition table and boot sector and you can pat yourself on the back for
|
|||
|
accomplishing the impossible ?? reclaiming lost partition space! This is all
|
|||
|
the more reason for making sure that the crucial backup file (Rootboot.000)
|
|||
|
is saved in at least 5 different locations. You can never be too careful.
|
|||
|
Reboot back into Windows and run scandisk on the newly increased C drive. It
|
|||
|
will report one error in the fsinfo sector which is just a used and free
|
|||
|
space accounting error. Your Linux data is now naturally lost for ever.
|
|||
|
Hopefully this procedure won't be neccessary unless you are increasing space
|
|||
|
allocated to Linux or getting rid of Windows.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
13. XFree 4.01
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
It's a good idea to upgrade your Xserver to 4.01. At the moment only RedHat
|
|||
|
7.0 ships with this version of X but it is availabe from the X consortium's
|
|||
|
(how corny) ftp site ?? [ftp://ftp.xfree86.org/] ftp.xfree86.org/. It
|
|||
|
provides direct acceleration and increased performance for a large number of
|
|||
|
accelerated cards and those with Nvidia cards are in luck for not only does X
|
|||
|
4.01 natively provide excellent support for most of their cards but Nvidia
|
|||
|
have made available high performance OpenGL accelerated drivers ?? cheers to
|
|||
|
them. See XFree's home site ?? [http://www.xfree86.org/] http://
|
|||
|
www.xfree86.org/ ?? for more info.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
14. Tips and Suggestions
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Whatever soundcard you have Alsa drivers will deliver better performance
|
|||
|
and if like me you have the Yamaha 724 the Alsa drivers are nearly as
|
|||
|
good as those provided by Yamaha for Windows. You will of course have to
|
|||
|
compile them for your system but don't let that deter you. Its a simple
|
|||
|
matter of three commands. The alsa drivers are available at [http://
|
|||
|
www.alsa-project.org/] http://www.alsa-project.org/
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Those used to scrolling with their mouse wheel/s will not like Linux if
|
|||
|
they can't scroll. The good news is you can but it is not set up by
|
|||
|
default. Add the following line to your XF86Config file in /etc/X11/ in
|
|||
|
the mouse section "ZAxisMapping 4 5" (obviously without the quotes though
|
|||
|
in Xfree 4.01 you would have to enclose the numerical values in quotes)
|
|||
|
If this doesn't work visit the Linux scroll wheel homepage at [http://
|
|||
|
www.inria.fr/koala/colas/mouse-wheel-scroll/] http://www.inria.fr/koala/
|
|||
|
colas/mouse-wheel-scroll/ set up by a curiously named fellow called Colas
|
|||
|
Nahaboo.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>By default the hard disk is not configured to perform at its optimum and
|
|||
|
in most cases the difference can be dramatic. DMA, 32<33>bit IO and multiple
|
|||
|
sector transfers are disabled by default and you should enable them at
|
|||
|
the earliest this is of course presuming you have a relatively new hard
|
|||
|
disk that support these features. As a test you should benchmark your hdd
|
|||
|
before and after you change the settings just to see the difference
|
|||
|
tweaking can do to your system. The utility to change the settings is
|
|||
|
hdparm and you can run it from an xterm or the console but for a
|
|||
|
permanent solution append the command to your rc.d local file in /etc/
|
|||
|
rcd. Before you use hdparm read the documentation carefully. Its a
|
|||
|
powerful utility and misusing it can trash your disk. First run hdparm
|
|||
|
with the -i option to get the info on your hdd, then benchmark it without
|
|||
|
the changes by running hdparm -Tt /dev/hda. Then run hdparm -c 1 -d 1
|
|||
|
-m16 -k 1 /dev/hda
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
hdparm -d 1 (sets dma to on) -mx(this sets multiple transfers where x
|
|||
|
represents the maximum (in my case 16) that your hdd allows ?? running
|
|||
|
hdparm with the -i option gives you the maximum that your hdd allows ) -c
|
|||
|
1 (sets 32<33>bit io) and -k 1 keeps the setting. In my case the data
|
|||
|
transfer shotup from a mere 3.16 to 16.8<EFBFBD>Mb/sec!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>A file system driver for the ext2 filesystem for Windows, ext2fs is
|
|||
|
available from its homepage [http://uranus.it.swin.edu.au/~jn/linux/]
|
|||
|
http://uranus.it.swin.edu.au/~jn/linux/ giving you the added convienience
|
|||
|
of reading your Linux partitions from within Windows.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
15. The State of Linux ?? What to Expect
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Programmers and Enthusiasts ?? For programmers Linux is already a near
|
|||
|
perfect solution. No other system gives so offers you a wider array of tools
|
|||
|
and platforms for development. The flexibility is simply amazing and it
|
|||
|
doesn't carry a price tag. An added benefit is the sense of community and
|
|||
|
that's priceless.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Enthusiasts never had it so good. There is aways something new to discover
|
|||
|
and since the system is totally transparent your chances of understanding
|
|||
|
computing and programming in general ?? you will be interested if you aren't
|
|||
|
already ?? are infinitely higher than in Windows. Tinkering will never be the
|
|||
|
same again.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
For the home user ?? There are 5 separate areas here, the internet, gaming,
|
|||
|
basic word processing, administration and multimedia. We aren't going to talk
|
|||
|
about ease of use here because the days of an ugly and unwieldy interface are
|
|||
|
long gone, at the moment as far as usability and sheer visual pizazz is
|
|||
|
concerned Gnome has taken the pants off Windows so there is nothing to worry
|
|||
|
about there. File management, installing and uninstalling software and basic
|
|||
|
administration are more streamlined and centralized and as you use Linux more
|
|||
|
you probably will get over any prejudice toward the command line which is
|
|||
|
nothing like the impotent DOS prompt. This is an outrageously powerful shell
|
|||
|
that will accomplish anything you can think off faster than it takes you to
|
|||
|
select a button. You might be intimidated at first but its the heart of Linux
|
|||
|
the control centre, the headquarters, your direct line to the kernel.
|
|||
|
Hardware configuration is not as simple as in Windows mostly because plug and
|
|||
|
play has complicated things not eased them but it's not difficult either, the
|
|||
|
best thing to do is set your BIOS to non pnp so that it can configure things
|
|||
|
especially the sound card, but read read read. There is a lot of
|
|||
|
documentation on your system and with that behind you everything becomes
|
|||
|
simple. There is no excuse for ignorance.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
15.1. The Specifics ?? Wordprocessing
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Corel WordPerfect is good but for the simplest solution try Abiword ?? [http:
|
|||
|
//www.abisource.com/] http://www.abisource.com/. It's good and bears an
|
|||
|
uncanny resemblance to MSWord ?? now now. Both are free and widely available
|
|||
|
?? I don't know about Wordperfect 9 , 8 is free, good and available. Other
|
|||
|
options are Applixware and Star Office. I haven't used Applix but Star Office
|
|||
|
is really ugly and slow and just the sort of software that could put you off
|
|||
|
Linux and its just as bad in Windows. Version 5.1 was tolerable but after Sun
|
|||
|
took it over its deteriorated and version 5.2 is the pits. Plain text and
|
|||
|
html editors are sprouting by the day. Most distribution carry a lot of
|
|||
|
software so look. I'm not much of a spreadsheet person but there is GNUmeric
|
|||
|
which is not unlike Excel and a glaring inadequacy in printing is now
|
|||
|
rectified. It looks good. Corel have ported nearly all their apps and they
|
|||
|
are not as expensive as their Windows counterparts and with the same
|
|||
|
functionality.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
15.2. Multimedia
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This is one area where Linux will not be found wanting. There are as many if
|
|||
|
not more mp3 players than Windows. The most common is XMMS, is somewhat like
|
|||
|
Winamp and just as good ?? has some great visualization plugins. Other mp3
|
|||
|
players are Gqmpeg, Freeamp, Alsaplayer. That's enough for me. Mpeg1 vcd
|
|||
|
players are a bit scarce, MTV is good and available ?? [hteztp://
|
|||
|
www.mtvplayer.com/] hteztp://www.mtvplayer.com/ free for personal use ?? a
|
|||
|
totally free solution is available from lokigames ?? [http://
|
|||
|
www.lokigames.com/] http://www.lokigames.com/ There are more. There are a few
|
|||
|
mp2 players movie is good. I' don't have a dvd player so I don't know but
|
|||
|
Xmovie should tackle mpeg2 streams. Most of my mpeg1 players are GL
|
|||
|
accelerated and perhaps my vcd playsback as well as Windows Media Player.
|
|||
|
Ripping is a reality with a lot of options <20> no more ASPI headaches ?? most
|
|||
|
of the Linux apps read digital data directly from the discs and all the
|
|||
|
popular codecs are available; Xing, Fraunhofer but I use Blade and Lame ??
|
|||
|
two excellent freeware encoders avalible for all platforms. There are also a
|
|||
|
couple of tools for cdwriting. Check some of the Linux archives.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
15.3. Internet
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Again things are really happening here though one wishes there were a few
|
|||
|
more browsers other than Netscape but then Netcape is adequate. There are all
|
|||
|
the other stuff you will find for Windows, chat utils, instant messaging,
|
|||
|
ftp, downLoaders etc.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
15.4. Games
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The problem area is games, there is a project on to port popular games to
|
|||
|
Linux by Lokigames and they have a number of titles ready ?? [http://
|
|||
|
www.lokigames.com/] http://www.lokigames.com/ ?? Quake 2&3 are out, System
|
|||
|
Shock, Heavygear etc. The thing here is to make sure you have at least Xfree
|
|||
|
4.01 and support for your video card.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
15.5. Desktop Publishing
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
That leaves us with DTP and this is one area where Linux could pound Windows
|
|||
|
but the thrust has been missing. Linux could really be optimized for DTP.
|
|||
|
Ghostscript - a PostScript RIP ?? already offers a professional (if you know
|
|||
|
how) solution for printing and your printer is probably supported. If you
|
|||
|
already have a postscript printer there is no problem to start with. For
|
|||
|
image editing there is Gimp. It is nearly as good as Photoshop ?? and that's
|
|||
|
some compliment ?? but for lack of CMYK and colour management support ruling
|
|||
|
it out of serious print work but it can be a good semi-professional solution
|
|||
|
and for web work perfect and it's fun to use. Gimp also has a couple of good
|
|||
|
drivers for Epson printers. Ghostscript has a problem with bitmaps ?? not all
|
|||
|
bitmaps but photographs, you could eventually get some good output but it
|
|||
|
will take some amount of tweaking. As far as text and vector graphics is
|
|||
|
concerned it's good enough to replace my Epson driver in Windows (it has a
|
|||
|
Windows version) GhostScript is available at its homepage [http://
|
|||
|
www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/] http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Word processing is already covered. The problem areas are vector editing and
|
|||
|
page layout. Framemaker for Linux is a solution and CorelDraw is available
|
|||
|
but they are both commercial offerings. There are vector editors but all are
|
|||
|
at a nascent stage. Sketch, Killustrator and Impress are coming along but far
|
|||
|
away from professional solutions like Draw and Adobe Illustrator. For page
|
|||
|
layout there is Tex but those used to Pagemaker, Quark or InDesign are not
|
|||
|
going to be amused, its tough to learn and difficult to control and there are
|
|||
|
way too many issues with things like fonts and its not wysiwyg ?? we can't
|
|||
|
live without that.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
On a last note at the moment the only difference in productivity for me is in
|
|||
|
vector graphics, page layout and games. They are perhaps a year away at which
|
|||
|
point Linux would have over taken Windows ?? at least as far as I'm concerned
|
|||
|
?? and I would have little reason to dual boot but I think having Windows is
|
|||
|
in a odd way comforting as is having Linux, perhaps I will always use them
|
|||
|
both.
|