^{sup text}I have run Linux before but somebody else installed it how to i use the file i downloaded from this site to install it ? Do i have to somehow extract the file or what ?

First, before installing any flavor of Linux, you need to decide what you are looking to do with Linux. Just to try it out, specific tasks that you want to do...

Then determine what distro (flavor) of Linux will meet those needs.

Thirdly, does your hardware support the version you would like to install. A Laptop, desktop...Posting some information about the system that you are using would help.

Finally, I do not recommend installing Linux to a production system. What I mean is, if this is the first time that you attempt this, do not do it on a system that you expect to use day to day. If something goes wrong, and you have Windows on the system, then you run the risk of trashing the system, or making windows unbootable. I am not trying to scare you, just give you some tips.

I would enlist the help of someome who knows how to do this to guide you through the process. They can also share their opinions about is what you are doing is really what you want or expect.

A google search is gret to get facts and see what the process is all about. For example;



http://www.linuxvoodoo.com/resources/howtos/HOWTO/Installation-HOWTO/

Give is a little background on what you expect to do. There are a lot of great people on this forum that can help.

Mandrake generally comes with 3 "iso" files that you download, that contain the install software and applications. You will need access to a cdrw burner to extract the file(s) to cd media. Make sure you downloaded the right one for your system. For example, is your system an "IBM" compatibls system, a MAC...?

What exact name is the iso file that you downloaded?

There are also several cd based versions of Linux that will run off a cdrom drive and give you a good idea of how the newer Linux versions run, without installing Linux on your hard drive. Then you can make a choice.

Let us know what you think.

And by the way, welcome!

Thanks for your reply the first file I have downloaded was saved as "7adbc8544314c6b120d952eac5206733" and that was from the first link on the downloads page, do i have to download the other 2 ?

My machine is a Intel P4 3.0Ghz
SATA 3.5 120G HDD
ATI RADEON SAPHIRE 256MB AGP
and got 512MB DDR 400 RAM

And i will be installing it on a seperate HDD a seagate 10G

Thanks

Kevjo_uk

I´ll tell you right off the bat, based on your system, Mandrake 9.2 will give you problems. Mandrake 10 has issues with sata drives, so I assume 9.2 will also. I will defer to someone who has installed a version of Linux on sata to make a suggestion.

The issue is how Mandrake recognizes sata drives vs. ide drives. There is another post about this issue.

http://www.linuxcompatible.org/thread27247-1.html

The file that you downloaded is not a Mandrake iso file. The file name should have looked like Mandrake91-cd1-inst.i586.iso, where cd1 is the first install cd and so on. there are 3 iso´s to download. They then need to be burned to cd´s using Nero or any cd burning package that supports the ¨burn image¨ function, not just burning the file itself to the cd media.

The other issue is the ATI video card. Many flavors of Linux have difficulty with these cards.

Let see if someone else has a suggestion for your hardware.

Also, are you using Netscape to try the downloads? If so, you need to hold down the shift key, then click on the iso file to download the file correctly.

???
Hello, Danleff
What's with holding down shift to download with Netscape ?
I downloaded 14 distros with Netscape. I just click on the
file, select "Save file to disk" then burn it.
I've been using Netscape since 4.7 and use 7.1 now.
I don't remember ever holding the shift key. The only problem I
had was my first linux burn. (48x, way to fast. didn't come out
good at all.)
.
kevjo_uk, Make sure you burn your ISO's at a low speed, no faster than
8x, I find 4x is best. Any faster can result in errors that will
make your disks useless.

Originally posted by Mel:

"??? kevjo_uk, Make sure you burn your ISO's at a low speed, no faster than
8x, I find 4x is best. Any faster can result in errors that will
make your disks useless."

Hi Mel,

Haven't seen you in a while.

I agree that you should back off on the speed, but, I usualy run my 42X at 32X and it works fine. I never get coasters. The limiting factor seems to be CDs that aren't rated for the speed, especially if you're buying them bulk. Also, if it's going to be an overburn, make sure you're using good media rated 700MB minimum.

Hey, are you still running Mepis? You should try the new 2004.05. I've been running the beta3 for the last week. 2.6.4 Kernel, the latest KDE, iceWM, and Gnome running without any major problems.

Originally posted by Mel:

"??? kevjo_uk, Make sure you burn your ISO's at a low speed, no faster than
8x, I find 4x is best. Any faster can result in errors that will
make your disks useless."

Hi Mel,

Haven't seen you in a while.

I agree that you should back off on the speed, but, I usualy run my 42X at 32X and it works fine. I never get coasters. The limiting factor seems to be CDs that aren't rated for the speed, especially if you're buying them bulk. Also, if it's going to be an overburn, make sure you're using good media rated 700MB minimum.

Hey, are you still running Mepis? You should try the new 2004.05. I've been running the beta3 for the last week. 2.6.4 Kernel, the latest KDE, iceWM, and Gnome running without any major problems.

Hi,Jim4f
I've been checking the site when I get a chance but not posting
because most recent posts have referred to hardware I'm not
very familiar with.I don't want to reply with what works for me
then have some noobe discouraged because it doesn't work with
his/her hardware.I've also noticed that a lot of first time posters seem to have the ridiculous idea that there is such a thing as a "stupid" question.I know the people on this site don't think that way but a first timer may not.Also ,going to change my byline to reflect this.
.
I also believe those young people coming to this site are a great part of our country's future.For that reason I believe leaving the advice to those of you who really know what you are doing is, in a way, contributing to our country's future.
.
I love Mepis but have been using MDK 10 because it works so well with my HP all-in-ones.Going to DL and try the new Mepis you mentioned.If it works with the HPs,I'll be using it quite often.