1. System requirements 2. Downloading 2.1 Download ISO and MD5 2.2 Integrity check in Windows 2.3 Integrity check in Linux 2.4 Burn the ISO 3. Harddisk Preparation 3.1 Partition Layout 3.2 Tools for Windows/DOS 3.3 Tools for Linux 3.4 Included Partitioning Program 4. Installation 4.1 Changing the boot order 4.2 Other Install Method ? 4.3 Start the Installation 5. Using the system for the first time 5.1 Login 5.2 Multiple Console 5.3 Starting GUI 5.4 Administration 5.5 Reboot and Shutdown 6. Troubleshooting 7. Credits
This intends to be a comprehensive guide to downloading and installing Vector Linux, the (best) lightweight Linux distro.
Vector Linux BASE requires around:
If you haven't already done so, download the ISO image file (vl-version.iso) and the corresponding md5 checksum file (vl-version.iso.md5). You should check the image file before burning it to a CD, to make sure it has not been corrupted during downloading. For that, you need to do an "md5sum check", that means comparing the "fingerprint" of your image file (.iso) against the fingerprint stored in the checksum file (.md5). Some web browsers (Internet Explorer, for instance) have a tendency to rename that .md5 file as .htm or .txt. You can just rename it back to .md5.
It is always a good practice to do an md5sum check before you burn a CD image file, so you know if the file was downloaded properly or got corrupted. If you have a slow computer, the md5sum checking may take a long time for a large file such as the VL .iso image. However, it is worth compare to the risk of loosing more valuable times and the CD-ROM.
Download and unzip the GUI tool md5summer (http://www.md5summer.org/). Make sure you are using version 1.2.0.5 or above. The first time you run it, it asks permission to associate the extension .md5 with itself. If you agree, you just need to double-click on a .md5 file to check the integrity of the original file (as long as they are both in the same folder). Otherwise, you have to manually browse to the .md5 file within the md5summer interface, then click on the “Verify sums” button and select the .md5 file. If you get an OK for the VL .iso image file, you can proceed to burn it as a cdrom image.
There is another tool you could use (this one is command line driven):
C:\> cd D:/the_iso_diretory
D:\> md5sum -c the_file.iso.md5If the image is allright, you should get a "file is OK" message.
The md5sum program is normally included in Linux distros, so you probably don't need to download or install it.
$ cd D:/the_iso_diretory
$ md5sum -c md5sum-vl4.0.md5If the image is allright, you should get a "file is OK" message.
By the way, if you have been running a Linux box, use K3B or xcdroast to burn the ISO.
If you already have Windows installed, the drive C: is /dev/hda1. Then Windows usually use /dev/hda2 as the extended partition. So drive D:, E: and so on will be /dev/hda5, dev/hda6 respectivelly.
Vector Linux can be installed on a primary partition as well as on a logical partition. If you use this computer solely for Linux, the recomended partitions are:
You have to set your computer to boot from CD-ROM. To do this, when your computer starts up, go to the BIOS options setup screen. On most BIOSes, press the [Del] key. However, some systems use one of the F# keys. The others use a combination of keystrokes. You should see which key during POST (ie shortly after turning on your machine), otherwise, check the manual for your hardware.
There should be an option for boot order (general options are C drive, A drive, CD, etc). Choose which should boot first, save out of the screens and restart the computer. Just remember to change your settings back to booting from the hard drive when you're done installing VL.
Do you mean your computer does not have a CD-ROM drive ? Sorry mate, other option is not available. Really sorry. Maybe you can borrow a CD-ROM from other computer.
Insert your CD into the CD-ROM drive. If you have multiple CD drives (CD writers also count), the VL installation CD must be located in the first one. Boot the computer, the follow the instructions on the screen. Couldn't be easier!
For everyday use, login as an ordinary user that you have created during installation. Of course you can also login as root. The system is yours. However, you must be carefull when using the root, since:
Linux has 6 console so you can login as several users. Just press Ctrl-Alt-F1 until Ctrl-Alt-F6 to switch the console.
What the hell, where is the GUI ?
Many new users (that migrate from Windows or more fancy distro)
often struct by the text mode appereance of Vector Linux.
Calm down ... just call
$ startxand you should get the GUI.
If your X-Window has run properly, you can set it to be launched automaticall when the system boots. Try to call
$ vbootsetSelect run level 4 or 5 as your default run level.
$ vasm
Error type 1:
Installation gives you a message saying that it can't find the Vector bz2 kernel and / or saying that /dev/xxxx is not a valid block device.
This error usually appears when you have more than one optical drive (CD/CD-RW/DVD) and you are trying to install Vector from the second unit. Move the installation CD to the first drive.
Error type 2:
Installation halts or does not start properly after a seemingly correct installation or you get messages about CRC errors during install
That kind of issue often suggests file corruption during download or a faulty burning process.
The first thing to do, if you haven't already done so, is to check the .iso file for corruption; please refer to section 3 of this manual. If the .iso file passed the mdsum integrity check, then you could try burning the file at a slower speed or use a different brand of media.
Remember: burn the .iso as a cd image, not as a conventional file!
Error type 3:
You get one of these two messages:
Kernel Panic: Aiee, killing interrupt handler! In interrupt handler - not syncing.
or
Error! There was a problem! Code: 39 36 75 03 5b 5e c3 5b 89 f0 31 c9 ba 03 00 00 00 5e e9 cb Installation not complete Please press enter to activate this console
Those errors are usually related to old hardware, and It could mean that you need to pass some commands to the boot process.
Some commands you could try are:
These commands disable power management, Notebooks often require them:
Error type 4:
Your SCSI hard drive is not available to install VL on it or The required driver for you SCSI card is not being loaded, and therefore your disks are not seen by the install routine. You should choose the SCSI enabled kernel.
Error type 5:
Installing from CD-ROM fails with this error: "mount: /dev/scd7 is not a valid block device"
Your CD-ROM or CD-RW requires scsi emulation. When the installation greets you with the first prompt (where it says "boot:" at the bottom left) you should type: "ide hdx=ide-scsi", (where x is your cd-rom unit). If that doesn't work restart and try "scsi hdx=ide-scsi".