1st time

[dwfan]

i have a p2 233, 4 gig hd, 192 megs of ram, and 2 months running it with 2000. where should i start with linux. and don't say with my computer.

[dwfan]

please help

[xyle_one]

you need some space to install on. Do you want a "dual-boot" with linux and windows, or do you want to get rid of windows completely? 4 gigs will not suffice for both. at least, i do not think they will.

[Pantso]

The specs look ok for a Linux installation. Your 4 GBs harddrive however is a bit small, especially if you're planning to dual boot. If not, then install Linux with KDE or GNOME along with a lightweight window manager, like Xfce, Enlightenment etc.

Oh, I almost forgot. What about your graphics card/chipset?

[dwfan]

video card is a stealth 64 and i plan on using a 220 meg harddrive to down load and then wiping the 4 gig totaly clean and start off fresh from there. is there helping me?

[dwfan]

oh, and i have a internal v.92 PCI/Data/Fax/Speakerphone Modem

[Doctor V]

I always suggest Mandrake to beginners.  Mandrake is a newbie distro, but its not as sickly dumbed down or windows wanabe as distros like Xandros or Lindows.  Suse is not up to date anymore.  Red Hat is also good for beginners, but I think Mandrake is a bit easier to get used to, and runs just as well.  Go ahead and Choose A Mirror and download all the ISO files.  Then burn them to CDs.  You have a CD burner right, there should be a special option for burning ISOs with your CD burning software.  Then pop in the first CD and follow the instructions.  Welcome to the Linux world.

[xyle_one]

quote:Originally posted by Doctor V:
I always suggest Mandrake to beginners.  Mandrake is a newbie distro, but its not as sickly dumbed down or windows wanabe as distros like Xandros or Lindows.  Suse is not up to date anymore.  Red Hat is also good for beginners, but I think Mandrake is a bit easier to get used to, and runs just as well.  Go ahead and Choose A Mirror and download all the ISO files.  Then burn them to CDs.  You have a CD burner right, there should be a special option for burning ISOs with your CD burning software.  Then pop in the first CD and follow the instructions.  Welcome to the Linux world.

Good choice on mandrake. I have mandrake 9.1 installed right now, and so far, it is my number 1 choice. I haven't played with Red Hat 9 yet, so that could all change.

[dwfan]

just got to work today and friend gave me box set of SuSe 8.0. going to install tonite. wish me luck.

[preacher]

quote:Originally posted by Doctor V:
I always suggest Mandrake to beginners.  Mandrake is a newbie distro, but its not as sickly dumbed down or windows wanabe as distros like Xandros or Lindows.  Suse is not up to date anymore.  Red Hat is also good for beginners, but I think Mandrake is a bit easier to get used to, and runs just as well.  Go ahead and Choose A Mirror and download all the ISO files.  Then burn them to CDs.  You have a CD burner right, there should be a special option for burning ISOs with your CD burning software.  Then pop in the first CD and follow the instructions.  Welcome to the Linux world.

I dont just reccommend Mandrake to beginners. I suggest it to experienced users too. It has all the functionality and power that any other distro has, not to mention it has some very cool and easy to use utilities that make things in linux so much easier than with Slackware.

[Pantso]

quote:Originally posted by dwfan:
just got to work today and friend gave me box set of SuSe 8.0. going to install tonite. wish me luck.

Good luck then. I hope it all goes well. BTW, I'd also suggest Mandrake 9.1 if something doesn't go well with SuSE 8.0 (knock on wood).
 

[HibbeeBoy]

quote:Originally posted by dwfan:
just got to work today and friend gave me box set of SuSe 8.0. going to install tonite. wish me luck.

Luck has got nothing to do with it. You need luck when dealing with that lottery called Window$.

I installed SuSe 8.0 as a dual boot on my home PC and my works PC flawlessly ! Couple of wee problems on my home PC regarding hardware support for modem and sound card but the works PC took SuSe like a kid taking candy. All hardware reporting for duty.

Microsoft, getitrightupye !

[dwfan]

changed bios to start w/ cdrom. started to boot from cdrom. got menu and choose installation. next menu was language. selected english(us). at this time i noticed my mouse was not working. used tab to continue though. program loaded a bunch of stuff and decompressed. scanned my computer and did not see my mouse or my modem. loaded first cd and asked for second cd. load all of second cd and went trough a list of routines it was preforming and then asked for login. i logged in and then told me to have a good time. nnever asked anything about the third cd. that's how it went for me 5 times last night. any clues. thanks in advance.

[baggab]

So, where are you at with your SuSe 8.0 install.  Sounded like you were stuck in a loop of incomplete installations--5th iteration.

I know what its like--to be in the tech wilderness.  Some hardware just doesn't seem to work.  I found Mandrake to be the most forgiving to the beginner.

But I don't have Mandrake!!!  I have SuSe.

--Understood--

I would pull all PCI / ISA cards except the video.

I have a Diamond Stealth 4MB working under RH 6.1 and tested under RH 8.0.  This card should work for you, but trust nothing, suspect everything.

I had this kind of failed install before and it can be VERY frustrating.  I concluded that the problem was video resolution (although the resolution test seemed ok.)

I also had problems with choosing 2D/3D video hardware acceleration settings at install.

If you've reinstalled 5 times did you keep a written technical note on settings that you chose.    Once you get passed the 2nd reinstall its time to experiment with settings. Try not to change to many on each install.

About the mouse--for me its a must have item--did you say if it was a PS2 type?

Late night sessions with Linux (or any OS) can be mind numbing.  I hope this was helpful.

[ChakanTGM]

Hey, don't diss Slackware!

Yeah, I guess Slackware is a little on the deep end.  My first distro was Mandrake 6.5. I use Slackware now, and I've never been happier. Slackware is stable, secure, and can teach you a lot about Linux once you fuck the system up a few times.