MandrakeLinux
Installation Instructions - MandrakeLinux 8.1
Available (but may be outdated):
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!
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| MandrakeLinux - Installation instructions |
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Required configuration
* Pentium processor or compatible
* CDROM drive
* At least 32 MB RAM, 64 MB recommended
Installing MandrakeLinux 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, 7.2 or 8.0 MandrakeLinux 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.
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You can also install MandrakeLinux 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
MandrakeLinux without modifying your Windows system. It is however
significantly slower than a regular installation. Also, your
MandrakeLinux 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 MandrakeLinux:
1. Boot directly from CD
2. Installing onto Windows 95/98/ME
3. Make a boot floppy with Windows
4. Other install methods
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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 3
for details.
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2. Installing onto Windows 95/98/ME
To install MandrakeLinux within a Windows folder, avoiding any disk
partitioning, you should:
1. Insert the first CD,
2. Reboot the system,
3. Press [F1] when the MandrakeLinux 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 MandrakeLinux demos and
tutorial. It will also permit you to create directly the boot floppy
described in point 3.
If the window does not popup, run:
D:\dosutils\autorun.exe
(assuming D is your CDROM's drive letter).
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3. 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.
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4. 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 need to make a boot floppy:
* Under Linux (or other modern UNIX systems) type at prompt:
$ dd if=xxxxx.img of=/dev/fd0
* Under Windows, follow the method described in point 3, 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
where "xxxxx.img" is one of the available boot images:
+-----------------+--------------------------------------------+
| cdrom.img | install from CD-ROM |
|-----------------+--------------------------------------------|
| hd.img | install from hard-disk |
|-----------------+--------------------------------------------|
| network.img | install from ftp/nfs/http |
|-----------------+--------------------------------------------|
| usbnet.img | id, but using USB network adapter |
|-----------------+--------------------------------------------|
| other.img | install using seldom used hardware drivers |
|-----------------+--------------------------------------------|
| pcmcia.img | install from pcmcia devices |
|-----------------+--------------------------------------------|
| blank.img | install using your own Linux kernel |
+-----------------+--------------------------------------------+
blank.img is a minimal image to customize kernel installation.
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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 MandrakeLinux welcome screen, then type "text" at the prompt.
If you need to rescue your existing MandrakeLinux system, insert your
Installation CDROM (or any relevant boot floppy), press [F1] at
MandrakeLinux welcome screen, then rescue at the prompt.
See http://www.linux-mandrake.com/drakx/README for more technical
information.
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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 MandrakeLinux 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. MandrakeLinux 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 MandrakeLinux !
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For installation support see the MandrakeLinux diffusion list and
FAQs at the web site:
* http://www.linux-mandrake.com/