Please be patient.

I have created an ext2 file system and swap space on my second HD.

The debian installation manual is damn confusing : it keeps referring to
/etc type directories and I havent installed anything yet.

Does anyone have a simple step by step instruction set to installing this?

The manual really seems to skip over the installation of the boot
program where the OS is selected : I'm really lost whether I should be
using the windows boot loader, LILO or GRUB or whatever. At the moment
my sytem just boots directly into windows.

I have downloaded two archives which mimic the Debean DVDs : but they
are not ISO images. I have no idea what I should do with them : do I
just copy them to a DVD? What file system? Must they be "bootable"?

I need hand holding : I'm completely confused - and to be honest, very
shocked at just how complicated the installation appears to be having
been convinced recently that Linux flavors have addressed all the
geekiness required to install & work with that it boasted some years ago.


Even partition magic which I have used (wizard) to create my new primary
partition for Debean has neglected to create a new partition for the
Debean boot files : I'm so lost at the moment that I could sob. Do I
even need a new primary on my first HD?

If anyone is willing to help, I'd be super grateful.

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

Walter Mitty wrote:
>
> Please be patient.
>
> I have created an ext2 file system and swap space on my second HD.
>
> The debian installation manual is damn confusing : it keeps referring to
> /etc type directories and I havent installed anything yet.
>
> Does anyone have a simple step by step instruction set to installing this?
>
> The manual really seems to skip over the installation of the boot
> program where the OS is selected : I'm really lost whether I should be
> using the windows boot loader, LILO or GRUB or whatever. At the moment
> my sytem just boots directly into windows.
>
> I have downloaded two archives which mimic the Debean DVDs : but they
> are not ISO images. I have no idea what I should do with them : do I
> just copy them to a DVD? What file system? Must they be "bootable"?
>
> I need hand holding : I'm completely confused - and to be honest, very
> shocked at just how complicated the installation appears to be having
> been convinced recently that Linux flavors have addressed all the
> geekiness required to install & work with that it boasted some years ago.
>
>
> Even partition magic which I have used (wizard) to create my new primary
> partition for Debean has neglected to create a new partition for the
> Debean boot files : I'm so lost at the moment that I could sob. Do I
> even need a new primary on my first HD?
>
> If anyone is willing to help, I'd be super grateful.
>
>


One problem just solved : bloody windows hiding the file types of what I
downloaded. WinRAR picked up the ISO extensions so I didnt realise the
files were image files files!!!! Doh!!!.

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

On Sun, 20 Nov 2005 02:59:02 +0100, Walter Mitty wrote:

> Walter Mitty wrote: 
>
>
> One problem just solved : bloody windows hiding the file types of what I
> downloaded. WinRAR picked up the ISO extensions so I didnt realise the
> files were image files files!!!! Doh!!!.

That should help a lot. I recently did a Debian install from DVD, and it
went quite well. Still, Debian has a reputation for being difficult to
install. You might want to install Ubuntu or from the Knoppix live CD/DVD
- these are both Debian derivatives.

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

ray wrote:
> On Sun, 20 Nov 2005 02:59:02 +0100, Walter Mitty wrote:
>
> 
>
>
> That should help a lot. I recently did a Debian install from DVD, and it
> went quite well. Still, Debian has a reputation for being difficult to
> install. You might want to install Ubuntu or from the Knoppix live CD/DVD
> - these are both Debian derivatives.

I moved to Ubuntu : much easier. Thanks.

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]