Hello. I was wondering if anyone knew a good website on how to install Debian Linux? I've been wanting to install Linux and it is confusing. I first downloaded a ISO file and it was 583 megs and I bured it onto a CD-R, did tried loading it and it didn't work. ANy suggestions on how to install linux would be great too.

Thanks in advance

Hi anastacio !

you should cheak out the Linuxiso.org web site you will get most of the distos there.

Dont forget to burn the disto as an ISO image. You will find all the revalant info on this forum just use the search.

Good luck
Moby

As said by moby you must burn the image as an iso to get it to boot. I came across this excellent install article today in my travels. Read the Readme on the iso image as well before starting. Make sure you have all the details of your hardware before you start.

I installed debian without a problem. The trick was to use my knoppix cd. I could first see how knoppix would run and after I decided I liked what I saw I ran the knoppix installer. The only thing you need to have a limited knowledge of is partitions.

THose are pretty good sites, but what I need is to know exactly what to burn on to a cd-rw. It's not really clear to me as to what I need to download and burn.

Thanks

I assume you are using M$ based writing apps and I don't think they can produce an iso image on r-w media. Use ordinary media. If you are using a nero type app then open new select iso image option which should bring up a dialog box select open use the dropdown to select the iso type and select the image and carry on with the burn.

You will need to find out if your burning software can burn a ISO image .

when you download the image it is a image of the distro it is not a selection of files
that can be burned .

when you get for instance Knoppix the name of the image is something like
Knoppix 3.4.....iso . if your burning software lets you burn the iso image and you have
selected the correct option this will be automatically found as it is (probably) the only
ISO image you have on your hd .
try all advanced options,

if you still have no luck have a look here for a good burning
software . i know that pinnacle instant cd/dvd works and as above nero also works.

Moby

If you have a highspeed internet connection then you only need to get the first cd for install.

Goto:
http://www.debian.org/distrib/cd

There are two options for getting the CDs. I use jigdo, which is a download program. http://www.debian.org/CD/jigdo-cd/ explains about jigdo and how to get the CDs.

Get jigdo and run it. You'll see a screen like this:


To resume a half-finished download, enter name of .jigdo file.
To start a new download, enter URL of .jigdo file.
You can also enter several URLs/filenames, separated with spaces,
or enumerate in {}, e.g. `http://server/cd-{1_NONUS,2,3}.jigdo'
jigdo:


At the prompt put in a URL for the .jigdo file that points to the CD image you want.
I recommend http://cdimage.debian.org/pub/cdimag...e-i386-1.jigdo That is the 1st CD to sarge, the current Debian testing distro. There will be another couple prompts in jigdo, you can just hit enter for them and then it will get to work. Once jigdo is done you will have a CD ISO image that you can burn to install Debian.

This 1st CD is all you need to get Debian installed with a basic install. Debian will be up and running and then from there it will download any new programs you want to download. During the install it will let you choose software you want to install, once you choose what you want, tell it to install, it will download just what it needs, install it and you will then have that extra software. For beginners I recommend tasksel for installing your packages since it will automate a lot for you and make it very easy.

Here is a good HowTo you should read also. The Very Verbose Debian Install Walkthrough. They recommend not using tasksel, this is because the author likes a "clean" install, but for a new user I recommend using it, it will make the install much much easier and getting the software you want much less of a hassle if you do. Then you'll have time later to learn how to do that without tasksel once you have the system up and running. http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=2016