Newbie needs help!
 

:newbie: I "tried" to install Slackware 9 and made a mess...I have 2 partitions on my HD Hda1 for Windows and Hda2 for Linux and Hda3 for my swap drive. ( I have NO idea what a swap drive is..hehe...) When I installed Slackware today it "seemed" that I was doing it right! I wanted to boot of the HD cuz I dont want to use a floppy. When everything was done I restarted and got 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 filling half of the screen...CRAP!...I said to myself! I hope I didnt screw up Windows XP. ( I just installed the 40MB of updates on a 56k last night! ) Now to let everyone know I am 15 but I LOVE computers and I am an expert in Windows especially with repairs I can fix just bout any computer! But recently I REALLY want to get into linux and I hear that Slackware 9 is the best out there. I want to let everyone know that I have used Knoppix and I have installed it on my HD and it is still on my HD right now. I have used the Konsole and all that good stuff I have not remembered all the commands : ( there is just SOOO many I think I need to buy a GOOD linux book. :study: Now I need to install Slackware and the web site didn't help at all! Now I don't compeatly understand what they are all saying! I don't speak very good Linux :) So how do I install slackware over Knoppix. Do I just deleate the Knoppix partition with cfdisk? To install slackware I really need a easy to understand step-by-step guide. If I can get that I WILL post it everywhere for newbs! I know there is ALOT of people out there who are having the same problem as me! So I beg someone to help me out and give me this guide and just not refer my to the slackware website or someother fourm that has nothing to do with what I am saying. I am not stupid! But please someone help me out I would Really apprecaite it ALOT! :) Thanks for the help! ( whoever replies! )

If you've got Knoppix, boot into it and post the output of 'fdisk -l' - I didn't quite follow your partition arrangement. As far as the basic question, you should be able to use the Knoppix partitions without any trouble. I wouldn't even bother fdisking them. If your partition arrangement is good, just skip the fdisk part of the Slack install and, in the next step, tell Slack to use what you've got. You'll make an fs and format them later in the install. But make sure you're using the right kernel for your system. If you've got standard stuff 'bare.i' should do.

And explain what you did with LILO - install to the MBR of the master drive or what?

For books, many people recommend "Running Linux, 4th Ed." and I can't say they're wrong, though I've only got the 2nd. And the Rute guide, either online or in book form.

Oh, and a swap partition is just a place for the system to store stuff if you run out of, or low on, RAM. Windows uses swap files for similar purposes but swap files can be a mess.

My partiton table kinda looks like this
HDA1 Boot Primary NFTS ( Windows XP ) 14.?? G
HDA2 Boot Linux Primary ( Knoppix at the time ) 4.?? G
HDA3 Linux Swap 800MB
I have NO idea what I did with LILO! :confused:
You seem to know alot about Slackware...could you like post a step-by-step guide on Installing Slackware?....That would be REaLLY handy! :)
I have a Slackware 9 Cd that my friends dad gave me. He downloaded it from the net
What Kernel I am using... :confused: I have no idea... :(
but like i said... :D that step-by-step guide would be SUPER handy...wink wink... ^_^

I'm also having a hard time installing slackware 9.0, and it's annoying because I'd successfully installed mandrake and decided to switch over. As far as I could tell, the only target slack setup wanted indentified was the / directory...does this mean I can't specify a separate partition for /home and /usr?

I would really appreciate a step-by-step guide too, if anyone can post one.

thanks,

chris

I know almost nothing about Slackware - I just know less about everything else. :)

Hm. If you've got one downloaded from the net, you may have an issue with the CD. Before you get rid of Knoppix, you might want to try checking the md5sums. Part of a script I stole from somewhere and modified goes like this:

cat /dev/sr0 | md5sum > test.md5

-- edit - The rest of what I was saying there made no sense. Sorry. Go to a Slack mirror, get the md5sum from the site and compare *that* to what's on your CD. And your drive will probably /dev/hdc instead of /sr0.

Or you can just skip it and hope the disk is right. *g*

Then, just stick in the disk. My memory is terrible so I'm kind of vague on what I did. I'm sure someone else could help you better with details, but bear with my vagueness. Assuming it boots okay, you'll get an info screen and then get dumped into the fdisk/cfdisk portion of the install. I can't remember if you can skip that directly or have to pretend you've done it and then get back to the TUI menu. Although, looking at that, you might want to repartition anyway. You probably don't need as much as 800 MB swap - though it won't hurt anything - and you may want a separate root partition and home filesystem (among others) because it makes reinstalling (if need be) easier. fdisk is really not too bad. Just do 'fdisk', then hit 'n' and then change the values to what you want. Just make sure you don't mess with the Windows part of the drive. Keep doing that (along with frequent - I think it's 'p' commands - to print what you've got and make sure it all looks good) until you've got what you want. Then I think it's 'w' and 'q' to write the table and quit. Do 'm' to check this, though. It'll print out a menu of what the actual options are.

Anyway - you've defined your partitions, so you go back to the menu. From there, it's a really easy process. Basically step through the menu. Say 'I want this small partition to be /root and this large one to be /home and this tiny one to be swap'. *g* [-- mcd - there's is a stage for that - somewhere you should be able to define all the partition elements and filesystem mount points. If not, you could edit /etc/fstab after the install.] Then - somewhere in here, you'll be asked how you want to boot. Say you want LILO in the MBR. It should say something about a Windows and Slack partition that it will boot. Then, for a first install, I'd recommend taking the software installation option that's described as basically 'full and fast'. A bunch of package info will fly through the screen as it's being installed. Then, when that's done, you should reboot and be good to go. Along the way, there are some questions about your time zone and so on but nothing too demanding.

I don't really know what to say. Ideally, it should be pretty straightforward and should work. You just need to know about the Linux drive terminology and what partitions it needs, where to put LILO and how you want to boot, and what software you want. If you still have problems, it's probably because you have strange hardware requirements. Best thing there is to read the file on the disk called - I think 'BOOTDISKS.txt' or something like. It'll tell you what about 60 different kernel images are for and tell you how to make a special floppy to start the install process and to install the kernel from, I believe. That should get you around some problems. But hopefully everythig will go well with the default.

-- After about 5 edits I've decided I suck at explaining things. :rolleyes:

That helps alot now i gotta try it all out and try to install it now. Can I install Slackware and not have a boot disk can I just have it boot fromt the HD? Thats what I have Knoppix doing!

By ANY chance is there a step by step guide out there I know that red hat offers a guide with pictures! Pictures! That was really nice!...is there a guide like that for Slackware???....

Can you tell me how you installed Slackware?...well hows the newbe way to do it. :)

About making that partitions for root, usr?????? I was lost!...confused! I could use that a bit clearer....

Thanks for all the help so far!

:D

I don't know of an illustrated install manual. I thought the Slack book at the site was pretty cool. What I'm doing now is fake installing on a computer I'm completely not ready to install on, to refresh my memory. What I did was bought a second hard drive, installed it, stuck in the Slack disk, and came up to a boot prompt where I could pass special options. I just hit enter. Then came the point where I could log in as root, so I did. That got me to the cfdisk/fdisk stage, so I picked fdisk because I like it better and think it does a better job. To make the partition thing simple, I just created a swap partition equal to my 512 MB RAM. I created a root fs of something like 4 gigs. It's 3/4 full now so that seemed okay. And the rest I gave to /home. /home is the directory where you'll keep your personal files and personal setting and whatnot. If you want to reinstall without reinstalling *everything* you can put in a fresh system by reinstalling to the / (root) partition and leave your /home alone.

So, if you want to repartition, choose cfdisk or fdisk at this point. If not you can directly type 'setup' and skip the partitioning step. That'll give you the TUI menu. That's as far as I am with my fake installation. :) I'll play around some more and maybe post some more. *g*

-- Oh, I don't know about installing from the hard drive. I thought you had a bootable CD? You don't need floppies if the CD boots successfully, no.

--- yet another edit - I screwed up when I said I made it equal to my RAM - it's actually a lot less. Forgot I'd made it so small. Both swaps combined are about equal to my RAM. :)

Okay - Slack doesn't seem happy that I have no partitions defined. No kidding. *g*

Anyway - the TUI comes up and you can read the help. If you need a special keyboard setting, choose KEYMAP. If not, you can add swap. I'm not sure but I think Slack uses this during the install process so its good to do that first. Then you pick your TARGET - which is where you tell it which partitions to use how (I think that's your spot, mcd). Then SOURCE, which would be the CD-ROM. Then SELECT which is where, as I say, you'll have several options including 'newbie' but don't pick that unless you want to spend a *long* time at this because I understand it's slow. Just go for full and you'll be sure to have all the apps you want or all the libs you need to compile some if you need more. Then do INSTALL and go wander off for awhile. Then I think CONFIGURE let's you tweak some stuff if need be. Then EXIT and reboot. And happy Slacking. :)

Sucess
 

SUCESS :D I installed Slackware! And I got it all workin!!! YAY!!! the only bad thing...when LILO starts and has that red menu I HAVE to have the Slackware 9 CD In or ELSE it beeps at me forever is there a way for me to make it not boot with the cd...that kinda sucks...I seem to like it better then Knoppix! It is not really hard to install! It was moderatly easy! Now...i cant figure out how to install RPMS! AHHH I can never get this right! Every RPM i have EVER downloaded I have never gotten to install right something ALWAYS goes wrong...U know how to install RPMS? I need a step-by-step thingy for this...

RPM's.... :jawa: I hate them...or i just dont understand them :confused: Well every rpm i have tried to install has gone wrong...it never works! I WANT to install WineX so i can play windows games...but I get an error in the console...( once i got a package unpacked ) i type make && install or something like that then get an error...how do i install rpms easy? I really need to figure this one out to...

I believe rpms don't actually work in Slack (but someone please correct me if I'm wrong). Just get the regular *.tar or *.gz file, tar -xf that, and follow the install instructions in the README files that come with each program.

:)

-zsejk

Slack comes withan RPM unpackenger...so i think it supports RPMS...how do you install anything! I am sooo used to windows...hehe....

Oh. Somehow I missed this.

Yeah, if you download an rpm and do 'rpm2tgz' you'll get a *.tgz package that may work with 'installpkg'. Or you can install a native Slack package. Or you can compile from source.

I've never had my box beep at me at the LILO menu for not having a CD in. Maybe it's an issue with your box? Maybe you need to change the boot order in the BIOS back to floppy-HD-CD? Or it's possible LILO didn't go right again. When you got to the - I can't remember and can't get there on that box - but the SOURCE or TARGET or CONFIGURE elements of the install and it asked you what kernel image you wanted to use and where you wanted to install LILO did you say 'the one I booted with' and 'the MBR'?

I didnt do MBR i did the first one...the one at the top...The kernal image...I did the default one...the one thats aready highlighted... the something .i of sometin like that
I dunno why Lilo is beepin at me...I dont have an boot order...I never have...strange...

I think with Slack and Windows on two partitions (one on each), you're best off with the MBR (even though it says it's unsafe). To change this setting run "liloconfig" at the prompt (as root), choose "expert mode" and go through all the steps from top to bottom: add a Linux partition, add a Windows (DOS) partition, install LILO into the MBR (it's the third option I believe)... et voila. You should be all set to go without CD and without beeping.

:)

As per the rmp's.... instead of getting the .rpm files, get the .tar files or .gz files and do tar -xf on 'm. They'll unpack, including a nice little README file. Read that file, find out how to install.

;)

-zsejk

I'm currently running slack and windows on my laptop and I installed lilo to my MBR because it was the easiest way of making it work ;). Now everything boots and I'm happy with my setup. I just need to get my friggin wireless card working in slack ;(

I have not install Lilo on MBR...hehe I always chose the first one...hehe...Well I will give that a shot and see what happens! :) Tgz's suck...i hate them 2...hehe...so do rpms...they all do...except zip files...I screwed my computer 3 times today mesiin with Slack now its all fixed...and Knoppix is installed! AHHH... :study: I better figuere this out! How do I run my windows programs on slack? I know what wine is...how do i use it...how does winex work for games and how do i install it?:confused: