What files
 

I have decided from the advice on the boards to go with either slackware or Mandrake. When i went to download files i found that i have no idea what files to download. I know that i need the .iso file but have no idea what the other files are for such as the .md5 file.

Here are the links to the sites(sorry i cant put them in "img" brackets because i apparently dont have enough posts)

Mandrake:(mandrake 10.0?)
http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/...rake-iso/i586/

Slackware:
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackwar...kware-9.1-iso/

thanks for the help

ps any comments on my selection of distrobution is greatly appreciated.

the md5sum files are used to check the authenticity of the download, a very useful tool. take a look at

http://www.linuxiso.org/

the site really simplifies the files that you'll need.
good luck.

What you need is the ISO files. Then burn them with Nero or something in Windows. The MD5 files are good to have to verify the downloads. After downloading compare the MD5 sums of the ISOs with what it says in the MD5 files. If they're the same then nothing is corrupted. Not sure how to get the MD5 sum in Windows, but I'm sure there's a way.
As for your choice of distro, you've either decided to learn Linux (Slack) or get a gentle introduction to Linux (Mandrake). Both are fine pieces of software. I would say go with Slack; it never hurts to do lots of reading, and really getting to know Linux can be fun. :)

Mandrake, if this is your first "go" at linux.

Here's the link to their download page.

If possible, you want to get the i586 iso's of all 3 cd's (well, at least disc's 1 and 2) - it's a big download . 650 megs approx, for each disc.

the md5sum file had the md5sum numbers/letters for each disc, download and print it.

Then once you've downloaded the iso's (personally, I'd put em on your desktop), also get md5summer which is a checking facility for testing the integrity of your downloads of linux stuff under windows.

install the md5summer. Then use it to make/generate sum's from the iso files you downloaded. then when it's done it's thing, you should have md5sum's to check against the ones you downloaded/printed earlier.

If they match, then burn the iso's to disc and you've got yourself a set of mandrake 9.2 install disc's

Hope that's clear enough.

regards

John

i have to agree w/bigjohn on this one. mandrake is very user friendly. although you will be forced to learn more to get slack configured the way you want it. it can be a real putoff for a newb, whereas a user friendly distro like mandrake will allow you to get up and running w/out alot of trouble, which can make that all important first experience ejoyable. once you start using linux and get more interested, then give slack a try if your still interested. me i like them both for different reasons. you'll form your own opinions once you've made a go of it.
good luck.

man i go away to dinner an i already have reply's- this is what i love about message boards

you guys rock

yeah this is the best linux forum u will find
i am addicted to it :)

im getting pretty addicted too

So then it doesnt matter if i have disc 3 or not? -- what is it?

http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm

this is a great iso recorder simple to use runs in windows, i use it on my wifes comp since she has the CD burner anyhow :-P

The 3rd mandrake cd iso is a few packages that they couldn't get on disc's 1 and 2, plus all the source code. (last time I looked it came in slightly less than disc's 1 and 2, which are about the 650meg.s mark, and 3 was about 400 meg's).

But yes, I usually get all three, and tell the installer that I've got all three (it ask's when it's doing it's thing).

As a final suggestion, current mandrake is version 9.2, whereas version 10 is now at the RC1 stage, so it might be better to wait.

So, in the mean time, download knoppix, burn that to disc. It's a "live CD" that runs from the disc, and won't install anything to your harddrive unless you tell it to. It's compressed, but opens out/runs nearly 1.7 gig's of software.

A good one to play with (or show your mates, you just take the disc with you). If it see's all your hardware OK, you can even install it to the hard drive, which gives you a nice easy way to get a debian based system (no mean feat, if you've ever - like me - tried to install "proper" debian), working, configured/up and running. It's got open office, for admin tasks, some games/amusements/entertainments etc, plus pretty much everything else you might want.

If you check out the knoppix, don't forget to select en or us (cant remember which it offers), because if you got the default you're screwed, unless you're a native german speaker (if you got the en flagged download, it should be in english).

That then takes the discision away. and you get to play with a linux distro, while waiting for mandrake to release version 10 final (with it's 2.6 kernel, kde 3.2, etc etc).

regards

John