Text 3468, 154 rader
Skriven 2005-04-08 15:21:04 av Gary Britt (1:379/45)
Kommentar till text 3465 av Robert Comer (1:379/45)
Ärende: Re: Tribulations Of Installing Linux or Johnny O is right.
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From: "Gary Britt" <zotu@nospamforme.com>
I hope you are right about the graphical install. I can only judge by the
first graphics screen which offered no more help or explanation than the text
install. Its odd that it can display the graphics screen for the first screen
but can't figure out how to do it after that.
Mandrake is what I've got so its what I'm going with. The 3 CD set came as
part of a $10 Linux User magazine I bought. If after finally getting linux
installed, I like it enough to play with, I may then be willing to go to the
trouble of finding a different install package to try.
Thanks,
Gary
"Robert Comer" <bobcomer_removeme@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:4256d514@w3.nls.net...
> Not to defend the Mandrake install, but the graphical install has *much*
> more information of the type you are looking for.
>
> It's really too bad the laptop couldn't use the graphical install.
>
> You might want to try some of the other distributions if you're game -- I
> gave up Mandrake pretty much myself. (I only have Mandrake 9 on my
laptop,
> otherwise I've been playing with SUSE/Novell on one PC.)
>
> - Bob Comer
>
>
> "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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