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Installing the Software - In Theory
From my experience with OS/2 and Unix in the late 80s, I
knew that installing a second operating system is tricky. The
computer's hard disk needs to be partitioned (sort of like adding
a dividing wall to a room); partitioning erases all data
from the drive. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to
this. I decide to wait a day to think about which computer to
install Linux.
Wednesday 6 January
I finally receive an email reply from corel@techwave.com:
"We are not currently showing a charge against your credit
card for an order placed today nor can we find any order information."
They seem disinterested in the bug I found on their Web site that
prevented the order from going through.
I spend the morning reading the Corel Linux User Guide. I spend the most time reading and re-reading pages 22-28, which describe the four installation options:
After spending all morning mulling over the options, I decide option 4 is for me. Trouble is, the other three options warn of full and complete data loss; option 4 fails to make it clear that it involves no data loss. Option 4 is the best if you just want to experiment with Linux.
The manual fails to make clear what I later found out: option 4 installs Linux in a subdirectory called \CDL. Among other files, the directory contains a pair of IMG files (root and swap), which I assume simulate a drive partition for Linux. To start Linux, you first start Windows; exit to DOS; then start a batch file that launches Linux. To remove Linux, you simply erase the \CDL directory.
Based on my experiences, these are the steps I took to install Corel Linux using option #4:
Step 1. Confirm that my computer meets the hardware requirements. These include:
Check for hardware compatibility: Corel has a 55-page list of compatible hardware products at http://linux.corel.com/products/linux_os/hardware.htm . While Corel Linux works with most common hardware out there, it does not boot with some important drives, such as PC Card drives, parallel-port CD-ROM drives, and ultra DMA 66 hard drives (the UDMA 66 can be used as a non-booting drive with Linux).
Step 2. Decide if Linux will replace Windows or co-exist with Windows. Back up all data on the hard drive.
Step 3. Use ScanDisk to remove any errors from the hard drive.
Step 4. Use Disk Defragmenter to defrag the hard drive. For a multi-GB hard drive, this can take several hours.
Step 5. Reboot the computer, pressing DEL to access the BIOS setup:
Step 6. Insert the Linux CD-ROM, and reboot the computer. The Corel Linux installation takes over. Choose the type of installation (as per Step 2), and select the hard drive for booting Linux.
That's how installation would work in a perfect world. In part III, I describe how the installation went for me. For example, I found the progress meter unreliable. If it appears that installation has stalled, it hasn't: somewhere between 10% and 50%, nothing may appear to happen for as long as a half-hour. But eventually, installation is completed.
For a review of installing the beta version of Corel Linux, see http://www.lwn.net/1999/features/CorelLinux/
Next week, Part III: Installing the Software, True Stories