[TriLUG] Installing Linux

john mitchell john280z at earthlink.net
Sat Aug 6 14:56:39 EDT 2005


Douglass Davis wrote:

> I am running an Intrex Pentium 4 1.8 GHz w/ 512M of RAM.  My 
> motherboard is a 845G by MSI.
>  
> I have Red Hat 7.3 installed on a partition at home.  I have had it 
> installed for a while.  I had many problems with using it, including 
> Gnome crashing for no reason.  So I stopped using it after a while.  
> But, now I would like to just either upgrade that partition to a newer 
> version, or just erase everything and start over.
>  
> I just tried to install Suse 9.3 at home and got the message "An error 
> occurred during the installation."  Nothing specific as far as what 
> error it was.  I verified the installation CD and it was fine. So, no 
> luck with Suse.
>  
> My question is, what do you think is my best option in terms of 
> erasing the partition and installing a new version of Red Hat, or 
> upgrading to a new version?  What version should I use?  Also, I am 
> looking for something free.
>  
> I know a little about Linux, but I am not an expert.  By the way, I 
> will be teaching a Linux class at a local college in the Fall, so any 
> help any one could give would be good. :)
>  

   No matter which Distro you choose, I would erase and start over.  
Trying to get an upgrade version running on an already flaky system is 
not how you want to spend your time.

   I would suggest trying three or four of the "Live CD" Distros that 
are out there first. These CDs boot from the CD drive and then run from 
your Ram and do not touch your Hard Drive. When you power Off, it's 
gone! One reason to try these first is you can see if that Distro has a 
problem with your hardware before you do an actual install. Note that 
there is a speed penalty with the Live CDs that will not be there on an 
actual hard disk install.

   Not in any order:
Knoppix has a Live CD that you can then install from.
Ubuntu has a separate Live CD.
DSL Linux is a very small (50 Meg) Live CD, I like it because it loads 
very quickly and will run from less ram than the others..

I fell the list will respond with many more Distros if you ask.   ;-)

   I think one other advantage of Live CDs from a teaching standpoint is 
that the students utilizing them would not have to go through the actual 
install process (with its many hardware problems, including accidentally 
wiping the hard drive) to run commands and view Linux systems.

   If you can attend a Trilug meeting, I would be glad to burn some of 
these Distros for you and bring them.

john mitchell



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