Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Re: Installing RedHat 6.0

Author:Eric Kidd
Posted:5/10/1999; 9:16:29 AM
Topic:Installing RedHat 6.0
Msg #:5930 (In response to 5928)
Prev/Next:5929 / 5931

I may opt for buying a new machine with Linux pre-installed.

If you don't mind the expense, VA Research sells the best servers. They'll deliver a preconfigured, working machine with excellent support and top-notch components.

I have an old machine, a 200Mhz Dell that currently is running NT Workstation. I plan to wipe the disk and turn it into a Linux-only machine.

Wiping the disk should make your life really, really easy. It means you don't have to deal with partitioning or multi-boot configurations. Still, you may want to write down the hardware specs from the Control Panel before removing Windows.

If you're reasonably lucky, RedHat will install without any hassles. If you're unlucky, you'll discover that your Dell box has a horrible ISA video card, and XFree86 can't detect it automatically.

Linux actually supports more hardware than Windows NT (although Microsoft is catching up), but it doesn't always support the same hardware as NT. Also, Linux can only probe for newer hardware; old ISA boards and such must often be configured by hand.

Don't worry about partitioning, package choice or any of that stuff. Once the RedHat installer makes friends with your hardware, it can handle the rest of the process correctly. Just choose the "Server" option. Boom.

If you encounter problems, I recommend finding a local Linux guru or talking to the good folks at SVLUG and Linux Care.

Cheers, Eric

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