Alright, I just bought Mandriva 2005 Limited Edition PPC for my 600MHz 256Mb iMac. What I'm wondering is, what do I need to do before I start installation? Are there any things I need to do in advance? How long will installation last? My computer is currently running MAC OSX, which I won't really need to keep on my computer after I install Mandriva on it. I want to start installation as soon as I get my CDs without having to get on-line and find out what to do. Thanks and any help will be much appreciated.

If you wanted to keep mac os, you'd need to backup and partition - because most likely you'd destroy your data with fdisk of cfdisk. But since you can wipe the machine, get the distro, load it in, follow the steps and welcome Tux into your heart. (then loose your mind over problems that crop up~ I'm jk, enjoy it)

I have installed Mandrake, but never on a PPC. Mandrake has a good partitioner. It will even resize NTFS partitions non-destructively, but I couldn't tell you about whether this is possible on a Mac. The amount of time the the installation will take depends on how much you install on the system. There will be several GB of programs you could install if you wanted to.

Firstly you will select your language. Then configure your mouse. Then comes the partitioning phase. You could simply select to use the entire drive and let the system decide how the drive should be partitioned. Next you select the Software groups that you want to install. Such as whether you want KDE or GNOME, whether you want to install servers like MySQL or Apache.

After the software finishes installing, you will be asked to enter information such as the 'root' password, the users and their passwords. Also the hostname of the computer, and other networking decisions such as using DHCP or a static setup. Lastly, is the boot loader setup, however this part is probably a bit different then on a X86 based machine. If given the option to create a boot floppy, just skip it because the kernel won't fit.

After that you reboot, and enjoy.

After logging in, you might want to create a rescue cd. su to root and try the command:
mkrescue --iso

Again, without PPC experience I can't guarantee that this command is available.

Oh yes, lastly, have fun!

So how can I clear out my hard drive before installation?

Strange question. I'm presuming that you're meaning that you're gonna dump the Mac OSX ???

Normally with mandrake (on a PC that is), it opens with "install press enter, for more options hit F1". You can literally follow the prompts, BUT when it gets to the partitioning bit, it will ask if you want to use entire disk, existing partitions, etc etc I think I'm correct in saying that it depends on how many options you get, as to how your HDD is set up. There is usually an option to "use entire hard disk".

Personally, experience has taught me that i like to have 4 partitions. /boot, /swap, /root and /home. Mandrake is capable of doing that all for you, though you might want to have a look at the "expert/advanced" mode.

At the end of the day, if you are going to use the whole hard drive, just except all the defaults, let the partitioning facility use the whole hard drive, and just carry on excepting the defaults. The bootloader should be on the first part of the drive.

If you have access to software that will make some space on your hard drive, then it's just as simple to let the partitioner "use empty space", still except defaults and then let the bootloader install to the first part of hard drive and bingo you have a dual boot facility.

Which ever way, as long as you have the install discs, if you screw things up, you can just re-install until you "get the hang" of how you want things.

The main reason for having a seperate /home partition is because anything that I do in respect of customisation, mail, personal data, etc etc, is usually stored in the /home, if it's a seperate partition, then if you have to re-install, you just tell it to re-install to the /root partition, and provided you install all the same packages, you won't loose any of those customisations, mail stuff or personal data.

regards

John

p.s. and no I've never installed a PPC version either, but I did put 2005 LE on my hard drive last night!

The distro includes a partitioning program - you should be fine. -Bill

For someone just starting out with Linux, I would recommend going with the default partitioning scheme and don't concern yourself with having seperate partitions for /home and such as you would not have enough experience to determine the correct sizes for these and it really isn't needed anyway.

The installer will guide you through everything. Just put in the CD, boot up and follow the prompts.

If you really are just starting out then I would caution against wiping your current OS until you are comfortable with
running linux, there is a learning curve and it can be steep. I keep a separate /home partition of 650 megs so that I can
always back it up to cd, then I can re-install to my hearts content, good way to learn. Mandrake's an easy install for
newbs.

As you already have Mac installed, then unless you want to try a repartition (which I wouldn't) , then I recommend you just go for a complete fresh install of Mandriva and dump OSX.

This is what I did in your situation just a few months ago ...

1. Insert disc 1 and press C as you reboot..
2. When you get to the option, choose to reformat the whole hard-drive and let Mandriva set you up.
3. The install will only take 30 mins.
4. Try it out. Test all your basic functionality that you need for 30 mins.
5. If you have problems ... post back your problems and ask if they are quick fixes? For a newbie, some problems are easily fixed in 5 mins, others may take weeks.
6. If Mandriva does not work, buy or download a copy of SuSE or Ubuntu and try a quick install.
7. I am confident that the above process will set you up very easily in an effective linux distribution.
8. If you do have a unique bit of hardware, and if the answers are not looking easy, then reinstall Mandriva, but make allowance to install a dual-boot wit OSX. There are plenty of google answers on this process.