Text 3491, 128 rader
Skriven 2005-04-09 08:21:46 av Mike '/m' (1:379/45)
   Kommentar till text 3488 av Gary Britt (1:379/45)
Ärende: Re: Tribulations Of Installing Linux or Johnny O is right.
==================================================================
From: Mike '/m' <mike@barkto.com>

I really fail to understand why everyone here seems to have so much trouble
installing Linux.  I have installed various versions of Mandrake Linus, SuSE
Linux, Red Hat Linux on three different desktops and two different notebooks. I
have also installed FreeBSD and OpenBSDs on most of the same hardware.

The installs have been smooth and progressed much, much more quickly than the
install of Windows 2000 on the same hardware.


 /m



On Sat, 9 Apr 2005 01:16:38 -0400, "Gary Britt" <zotu@nospamforme.com> wrote:

>OK, Spent several hours off and on trying to get MandrakeLinux 10.1 to
install.  After trying just about every possible video choice finally got the
install to complete and tell me congratulations I had successfully installed
Mandrake Linux.  Gave off a deep sigh of relief with the thought FINALLY!!
Rebooted with excitement awaiting my first try of Linux.  Machine goes into the
same constant reboot cycle I got when I didn't get the install successful
message.  Took the 3 MandrakeLinux install disks and threw them away.  Thought,
well at least they came in this nifty DVD Type Case that holds 3 CD's one on
top of the other in safety.  This turned out to be both the best and only good
thing about MandrakeLinux.
>
>I sure hope nobody here owns any stock in the company that puts out this
Mandrake crap, because that's exactly what it is.  Someday I will give Novell
Suse Linux Desktop or Lindows a try on this same machine.
>
>Gary  (at least os/2 would install with this kind of effort, not Linux or
MandrakeLinux)
>  "Gary Britt" <zotu@nospamforme.com> wrote in message
news:4256cd14@w3.nls.net...
>  About 6 months ago I bought a magazine that came with Mandrake Linux 10.1.
I did so to install linux just for the hell of it on an old laptop (2 gig HD,
Pentium 200 MMX, NeoMagic 2mb Video, capable of 800x600 on LCD and 1024x768 on
external monitor.)
>
>  I know windows and dos and PC Hardware, but I know nothing about Linux.
Unlike when I first began installing windows or before that OS/2, I made no
effort to study anything about how linux works and how to install it.  So I
approaced the install as a normal uninformed computer user.
>
>  Plunked in the CD, but it either didn't want to install under windows or I
didn't give it enough time.  Decided to just boot the CD and let it install,
but this laptop won't boot any CD, even though it is supposed to have that
capability.  A problem for me but not Linux's fault.  Made up a dos floppy with
cdrom drivers and tried to get linux to install, but when this didn't work
realized that Linux needs its own boot floppy to install this way.  Directions
in a text file for creating this floppy were VERY incomplete.  If I wasn't
familiar with dos commands I would have never figured out how to create the
needed linux boot floppy.  The text file said use this command and gives and
example of the command, but the example omits the needed full paths to the util
file in question and the image file it takes as a command line option, and
these two files are NOT in the same directory.  So if you type in the command
as shown in the text file it fails every time because it can't find the
>needed image file that is in and entirely different branch of the directory
tree.
>
>  Then in using the command to create the floppy you have to choose one of
five file names to fill in one spot of the command.  The descriptions of the
choices are so poorly written that you are unable to determine for sure which
one is the real choice you are looking for.  After a couple of wrong guesses
about which image file to use, I finally lucked into the right one.
>
>  Finally, reboot with floppy and CD in place and installation begins.
Graphics screen in high resolution comes up and I get to the first install
screen.  Select language.  The screen is not clear as to what to do next.
Select other items, hit advanced or hit next.  Hitting next causes the install
to immediately fail and the machine to reboot, so I think maybe I should have
done something before hitting next.  Couple more tries with similar failures
and I finally notice an error message going by the screen so fast you barely
have time to read it, that hints that maybe the problem is video related. Boot
again and select advanced options for install, look at my choices that are
video related.  Now the install has no problem displaying graphics to the point
of that first screen.  It just can't figure out how to do it after that first
screen.  Seems odd, but I play along.  Select lowres graphics install option
and reboot.  Get to same graphics screen, now in low res, and same error,
>crash-reboot..  Ok try a different option, reboot, graphics screen, hit next,
same error crash-reboot.  OK try text mode install.  Finally, something works
and I get passed the first screen in text mode.  Next come a series of screens
to choose various setup options, sadly some of these screens are so poorly
written and documented that they are impossible to decipher as to what to pick.
Like a screen with at least 50 files or programs or options, not sure which :-(
,  that is nothing more than a list of unintelligible names that look like a
series of random letters thrown together with absolutely no meaning in the
name, no description of what the thing is, does, or when it should or should
not be selected.  With such complete lack of info, unable to decided to select
anything on the list or not, so I just hit next and keep going.  Install
continues for about 1 hour more now.  Finally, install completes and I start
getting some screens for configuration of various items, like root
>name, server name, security level choices, etc. etc., absolutely NO
explanation is given for any of these items.  Nothing NADA.  You have no clue
as to whether you should fill something in or leave it blank.  You are given no
clue as to what the ramifications are if do or don't fill in something or not
(like root password or user password, etc etc).  Finally, I get to a screen
that shows a summary of what has been configured.  I note the video has not
been configured.  While given absolutely no clue by the install routine that
anything that wasn't configured could be a problem or not, I decide that the
video not being configured could be a problem.  So I select the video and hit a
button to try and configure it.  The install immediately gives me a screen that
correctly identifies the video card as a NeoMagic 128XD but it asks me to
choose which resolution and color depth.  I remember I used to run it at
1024x768 so I select that option (unfortunately I forgot that the internal LCD
>will only run at 800x600).  Computer proceeds to lock-up, install is trashed
and I need to start over.
>
>  Bottom line.  In some respects the install routines of Linux are not as good
as say OS/2 around 1993.   In other ways, it is as good as OS/2 1993.  The
almost complete lack of onscreen documentation and help files that can be
pulled up for each of the install screens, etc. is a HUGE drawback to the
quality of the install.  When the install crashes, it never tells you why.  If
you don't catch something as a log entry goes flashing by at the bottom of the
screen by accident, you have no clue what the problem is with the install.
>
>  A real newbie would have never gotten past the create boot floppy part to
even begin the install with help from someone else.
>
>  I am going to try the install again over the weekend, but I sure hope linux
runs a hell of a lot better than the install routine.
>
>  Gary

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