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6.Click Next. The initial disk partitioning screen appears. The options you see heredepend on what the partitioning program (DrakX) finds on your harddrive(s), so you may see something different than what I m seeing. 7.Select the partitioning option you want to use. Do notselect Use Existing Partitions if this option is even available unless you went ahead and set up the machine s partitions ahead oftime. Typically, you want one of the other options. If you re giving overan entire hard drive to Linux, then select Erase Entire Disk. If your Linuxinstall has to share a drive with another operating system (or you knowyou want to set up your partitions a certain way) then select CustomDisk Partitioning or select Use Free Space if you have free space avail- able. Other options may also appear, depending on what s currently onyour system. For example, you may see Erase Entire Disk, which lets youwipe your Windows installation. If you choose Erase Entire Disk, acceptthe default partitioning and skip to Step 10.8.Click Next. The Partitioning screen appears. You can choose existing partitions by clicking the partitions in the graphical listing. Each has a suggestedmount point (see Chapter 3 for more on mount points) already attached. You can delete or resize a particular partition by clicking the appropri- ate button below the partition graphics. If you already have a bunch offree, unallocated space, you can click the Auto Allocate button to haveMandrake suggest a set of new partitions for you. To create a new one, click the empty space and then click Create. You can see an examplelayout in Figure 4-5.9.After you re finished laying out your partitions, click Done. As the warning that appears says, the changes are made to your harddrive when you click Done. After the formatting is complete, the installerscans through its list of software. Then, the installation media dialog boxappears. 10.Only three CD ISOs are available for download, so if you downloadedthose three, unselect CDs 4 and 5 in the list and then click OK. If youdo have a CD 4 and 5, just click OK. The Package Group Selection screen appears (see Figure 4-6). 11.Choose the groups of packages that you want to install. For a desktop, you might include each of the items in the Workstationsection, plus both KDE and GNOME in the Graphical environments if youhave the room. These items give you lots of software to play with. 74Part I:Getting Your Feet Wet

3.If you want to use a language other than American English as yourdefault language, select the appropriate language in the list and thenclick Next. The License screen appears. Read the license, select Accept, and thenclick Next. The Security screen appears. 4.Leave your security level at Standard, unless you want to experimentwith High. Going higher than High may make using the computer such a pain to useas a client that you ll be tempted to shut off security completely, whichdefeats the purpose! Still, some people like to play with the really para- noid level. It s up to you. I assume that you stayed with Standard. 5.If you want to have a particular nonroot user on the system (or e-mailaddress) receive all security-related notifications (recommended), enter the login account you ll be creating for that user or the e-mailaddress to use in the Security Administrator text box; if not, skip toStep 6. Remember, anything that reduces how much you have to log in as root isgood, as long as it doesn t also reduce your security. I tend to choose ane-mail address for this text box. Figure 4-4: The Man- drake 10.1LanguageSelectiondialog box. 73Chapter 4: Installing Other Linux Distributions08_

2.Click the Download link. You are taken to the Mandrakelinux Downloads page. In this page, you reasked whether you want to sign up for its users club (which, for a mini- mal monthly fee, gives you access to all kinds of extras and early down- loads), or whether you already are a member or are thinking of becomingone. If you become a serious Mandrake fan, then joining the club is defi- nitely something you ll want to consider! 3.If you re not quite ready to join the club, click the Now button next to I m Already A Member Of The Club Or Plan On Registering Soon, Please Send Me To The Download Page. Otherwise, go ahead and register for the club and then return to Step 1. This action brings you to the main download page. 4.Click the Mandrakelinux 10.1 Official ISOs/i586 link. This action jumps down to the Mandrakelinux 10.1 Official ISO ImagesFor I586 And Higher section of the Downloads page. 5.Look through the list of countries and click the download locationthat s physically closest to you. 6.Download the three Mandrakelinux10.1-Official-Download files. Each of these files is a full CD-ROM s worth of material,so if you re usingdial-up or have bandwidth limits, you may find it easier to purchase theCDs from Mandrake or a third-party, such from www.cheapbytes.com. Ifyou do download them yourself, see Chapter 2 for advice on properlyburning Linux ISO files onto CD-ROMs. In Chapter 2, I mention that Mandrake can resize your existing Windows par- titions, so you don t need to do this task ahead of time. Installing MandrakeAfter you ve burned or purchased Mandrake on CD-ROMs or a DVD, install itas follows: 1.Place CD 1 or the DVD into your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive andreboot the computer. If the computer ignores your CD-ROM and tries to boot normally, seeChapter 2 on how to make the necessary changes to your BIOS. The ini- tial installer screen appears. 2.Either press F1 to see more options (typically, if you know you need touse a special option) or press Enter to start the installation. I assume that you press Enter. Lots of text scrolls by. The screenchanges to a black-and-blue motif, with blue dialogs appearing as vari- ous devices are detected, and then finally you reach the Language selec- tion dialog box, shown in Figure 4-4.72Part I:Getting Your Feet Wet

About the various Linspire versionsThe folks at Linspire are pretty creative about putting together packagingoptions. In the section Living Large with Linspire, earlier in this chapter, Iaddress the various ways you can purchase this distribution. In this section, I look at the various ways Linspire is packaged for boxed sets and downloads. I m not going to go into all the add-ons. (If I did that for every distribution, this book would end up an encyclopedia!) Instead, I look at the main versionsavailable at the time of this writing: Linspire 4.5:The main Linspire product. This version has lots of soft- ware included, as well as the Click And Run Warehouse (see Chapter 12) and support. An ISO for this version is included in the distrosfolder ofthis book s DVD-ROM, though you do need to buy Click And Run Ware- house access and support separately in the included version. Linspire 4.5 Laptop Edition:Includes extra support for hardware that stypically in laptop settings. Linspire 4.5 Developers Edition:Includes more than 100 software devel- opment tools and utilities. Linspire 4.5 Desktop Enterprise Assessment Kit:A one-stop shop thatcan help you evaluate whether your company is ready to move to Linuxon the desktop. Linspire Live!:A bootable CD-ROM that you can put in your hard drive, reboot your machine, and immediately have access to a Linspire desk- top without having to install anything. Maxin Out the Fun with MandrakeMandrake (www.mandrake-linux.com) has a huge, enthusiastic fan base. This distribution, designed in 1998 with the goal of creating an easy and intu- itive installation for everyone, specializes in ease of use for both server andhome/office installations. To accomplish this objective, the creators ofMandrake focused on the goal of making an easy transition from yourMicrosoft Windows or Mac skills to Linux. In this section, I focus on Mandrake Version 10.1. The ISO files required toinstall this distribution are included within the distrosfolder on the DVD- ROM that come with this book, so you just need to burn them onto CD-ROMsto get started. You can also download this distribution for free (from www.mandrake-linux.com) if you can t use the DVD-ROM, or you can purchase aboxed set with manuals and more from the Mandrake online store (www.mandrakesoft.com). To download Mandrake: 1.Point your Web browser to www.mandrake-linux.com. 71Chapter 4: Installing Other Linux Distributions08_

10.When the installation finishes, click OK. The machine brings you to a screen that lets you remove the CD-ROMfrom the drive. 11.When prompted, remove the CD from the drive and then press a keyto reboot the machine; to boot it, select Linspire from the options andpress Enter (or just let it do so on its own). Recognizing some special Linspire featuresOne of the most talked about special features of Linspire is its CNR (Click and Run) Warehouse. This online store allows you to surf through more thana thousand software programs and purchase, download, and install themwith just a few clicks. Even better, if you subscribe to the CNR service youget a free one-year membership when you purchase Linspire a lot of theitems in the Warehouse are free. (You don t need to keep your CNR member- ship up to date to keep using the software you downloaded; after you ve gotit, it s yours.) I cover how to add software using this service in Chapter 11. Another cool aspect of some versions of Linspire is the audio/visual tutorials. After your installation is complete, the tutorials immediately launch to startwalking you through how to use the system. You can stop them and comeback to them at any time. Figure 4-3: The LinspireComputerName AndPassworddialog box. 70Part I:Getting Your Feet Wet

6.From the list, select the hard drive (if you want to install onto anentire drive) or partition (if you want to install in a particular emptiedpartition) you want to install Linspire onto and then click Next. The Computer Name And Password dialog box appears, as shown inFigure 4-3.7.Type the name you want this computer to have into the ComputerName text box. For example, maybe you want to name your computer Fred. 8.Type your administrative password into both of the Password textboxes and then press Enter. The Setup Confirmation dialog box appears. 9.Read the values specified in the dialog box and then click Finish whenyou re ready to start the install. Yes, that s it! Your install now begins. You may be asked to verify thatyou want to take over a hard drive or partition; if so, double-check theinformation it shows you and answer appropriately. Figure 4-2: The LinspireAdvancedInstalldialog box. 69Chapter 4: Installing Other Linux Distributions08_

3.At the initial screen, click Install and press Enter. Linspire starts doing all the standard pre-installation tasks, such as scan- ning your computer s hardware and starting the installer. After a bit, theprogress bar begins to fill. After it s done, your screen turns black. (Don t panic! It s supposed to!) You eventually reach the Install Methoddialog box, shown in Figure 4-1.4.If you re installing Linspire on a computer by itself or letting it have an entire hard drive, select Take Over An Entire Hard Disk. Otherwise, if Linspire has to share a hard drive with another operating system, select Advanced Install. Because the second option is more complex, I cover that one. If youchoose the first option, the next step asks you which hard drive youwant Linspire to use. Use the order that Windows sees them in, so thefirst drive is C:, the second is D:, and so on. If you have to, you can lookin the BIOS at the sizes and other information to try to tell which is first, second, or third. You need existing free space before proceeding; otherwise, the installerwon t let you get to the partition selection screen. See Chapter 2 for howto free up space. 5.Once you ve made your selection, click Next to proceed. The Advanced Install dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 4-2. Figure 4-1: The LinspireInstallMethoddialog box. 68Part I:Getting Your Feet Wet

I describe in the About the various Linspire versions and Recognizingsome special Linspire features sections. Linspire is designed for ease ofinstallation and ease of adding new software and contains many tutorials tohelp people get used to the system. Yet, Linspire isn t designed in particularfor the aspiring Linux geek. Linspire is built as a friendlier version of the more advanced, but popular, Debian (www.debian.org) distribution. If you re curious, you re in luck an ISO file to create your own CD-ROM ofthe full version of Linspire is included on the DVD-ROM that came with thisbook! (It s in the DVD-ROM s distrosfolder.) In Chapter 12, you can sign upfor your free trial of the Click And Run Warehouse for getting and installingsoftware so that you can decide for yourself whether it s worth paying formembership after that. If you decide to purchase Linspire, you have a number of options: Purchase it online and download it immediately from the Linspire Website. Purchase it online and have a physical box shipped. Purchase a boxed set in a store (www.linspire.com/lindows_feature_ reseller.php). Purchase a computer with Linspire pre-installed (www.linspire.com/ lindows_feature_preinstall.php). Linspire offers a nice FAQ on burning the CD at http://info.linspire.com/ installhelp/. The info is helpful whether you re burning it from the DVD- ROM that came with this book, or one you acquired from Linspire directly. Installing LinspireLinspire is primarily a commercial distribution, and you have access to thisthrough the ISO image included on the DVD-ROM that came with this book. Icover this full Linspire 4.5 release. Differences between this and other ver- sions are addressed in the About the various Linspire versions section. To install Linspire 4.5: 1.Place the CD into your CD-ROM drive. 2.Boot the machine. If the machine ignores your CD-ROM and tries to boot normally, seeChapter 2 on how to make the necessary changes to your BIOS. 67Chapter 4: Installing Other Linux Distributions08_

Kickstarting Linux with KnoppixIn Chapter 2, I explain that Knoppix is included on the DVD-ROM that camewith this book. You can boot with the book s DVD-ROM and just press Enterfrom its main menu to boot into Knoppix Linux, skipping any need to installanything onto your computer. If you re concerned about messing up some- thing on your computer with an installation, give Knoppix a try. If the DVD-ROM included with this book doesn t work, see Appendix B. If youdon t have a DVD-ROM drive, you can download the CD-ROM ISO image toburn onto your own CD by going to www.knoppix.net/get.php. Living Large with LinspireLinspire (www.linspire.com) formerly known as Lindows is especiallydesigned for people coming over from the Windows world to Linux. Thiscommercial distribution offers additional subscription services available that66Part I:Getting Your Feet Wet Burning your ISOsIf you end up needing to use the ISO files on theDVD-ROM or that you download in order tocreate distribution CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs, Ihave some handy tips that can make this processeasier for you. First, you need CD burning soft- ware, such as the popular Nero program (www. nero.com/en). Once you have a CD burningtool, look at the file size of the ISO you need toburn. While most ISOs can be burned onto astandard 650MB/74 minute CD-R or CD-RW, some are large enough that you need to pur- chase 700MB/80 minute ones instead. Knoppix isone that needs the larger CD-Rs. Another isMandrake. When possible, use CD-RWs, because they rerewriteable and you re able to download andburn other distributions or newer versions ontothem later. CD-RWs are just a great way to avoidhaving to throw out a lot of CDs to go to the land- fills. However, your burner has to actually sup- port rewriteable functions. Look on its front tosee whether it says CD-R (it can t rewrite), or CD- RW (it can rewrite). As you prepare to burn your CD or DVD, makesure that your software understands that youwant to burn an ISO (often the word to look foris image) and not just a file. If you burn your CDor DVD, put it into the drive, open it up, and thensee only one file, you have burned it incorrectly. An ISO should be unpacked onto the CD or DVDas a bunch of files and directories. Finally, it s a good idea to burn these types of CDsand DVDs at a speed of four or less. You reduceyour chance of introducing errors this way.

Chapter 4Installing Other LinuxDistributionsIn This Chapter Loving Linspire Demystifying Mandrake Getting to know SuSE Xapping your brain with Xandros Discovering even more Linux! If you read any of the chapters in the book, you understand that Linux is more than just some newfangled computer program. Linux is a fullyequipped workshop of software tools and building materials that you can useto construct any of a wide spectrum of computing solutions. Developing thekiller Linux distribution has been the Holy Grail of the Linux community. Thisultimate Linux distribution would provide all the support and capability thatthe preschooler, the rocket scientist, the housewife, and the crotchety oldcomputer science professor would need to harness the power available withLinux. However, it s just about impossible to make something that makes absolutelyeveryone happy. In this chapter, I survey four more of the most popular andeasiest-to-install distributions. Some of these distributions are commercialproducts, so my hope is that if you re considering getting one of those, thischapter helps you decide which one of these (if not Fedora) meets your needs. I don t cover every aspect of the commercial items, such as how much supportyou get. For more information, see the appropriate Web sites. Occasionally in this chapter, I mention burning an ISO image onto a CD-ROMor DVD-ROM. When this subject comes up, refer to the sidebar Burning YourISOs for tips. When I refer to ISO images included on this book s DVD-ROM, you find these images in the DVD-ROM s distrosfolder.