How do I install an OS on a Harddrive that doesn't have an OS?

[Guest_imported]

A friend of mine gave me a Hard Drive. He was running Windows 95 on it. Before he gave it to me, had ran "FDISK", deleted the primary partition, and created a new one. I have a copy of Red Hat LINUX that I would like to install on the Hard Drive. However, whenever I boot up the computer, all I get is a message that says "NO OPERATING SYSTEM FOUND." Well duh!!! My question is, how do install the LINUX OS from my D:\ drive, if my computer has no operating system to interpert commands?

 

[basweek]

Does your motherboard allow you to boot from CD-ROM? Is the Linux CD bootable? If so, set it up in the bios and give it a whirl. If not, read the Linux book and see if you can do it from a Windows start-up disk (so you will have a CD-ROM driver loaded).

 

[Mudassar]

Red Hat Linux will install from a Windows Start-up Disk. Get it from somebody. Just to let you know, Linux is very advanced and installing it is no easy task. Even using it can be a headache if you’re a beginner in computers

Unlike windows, where you just pop the CD in, Answer a few questions and you’re off!,, Linux will require some time and it is highly recommended that you read the manual which is provided in the CD somewhere. OR you can go you the Linux web site.

IF you don't know much about computers and you really don't want to waste allot of time, I'd recommend you use Windows.

Good Luck!

PS
I have a lot of experience with computers and it took me about 5 hours to install Suse Linux. I had a lot of problems with it even after installing so I removed it. However I think Red Hat Linux is easier and less painful to install and to use then Suse.
-----------------
MK

Everybody should use AntiVirus! Are you protected now?

 

[teknoguy]

I agree with Mudassar. Linux can be a pain in the arse. Linux needs to be installed on a linux partition plus you need to make a linux swap partition during the preinstall of the OS. if you are willing to spend alot of time and don't mind running into problems then do it. I think the lastest version of linux is much easier to install but it's still a pain. unfortunatly we really don't have a selection of OS's to choose from.

 

[CitrixEngineer]

Boot the PC from a boot floppy, such as those at

http://www.bootdisk.com,

run fdisk and delete everything.

Create 2 partitions on the disk (if it's 4Gb or bigger), and make them both active.

Reboot (from the floppy, if your BIOS has no CD-ROM boot support), and install Red Hat. It's the easiest Linux distro after Caldera. I like Caldera, because it gives you a game of Pac-man to play while you're installing.

Both distros took me about 2 hours to install, with no special tweaking or re-configuration.

Personally I think Linux is a good operating system in the process of becoming a great operating system.

The point and click interface of KDE is no harder to use than Windows, but there is less software support (at the moment), in terms of games and hoobyist stuff.

If you don't like KDE, there are many other Window Managers and desktop environments to choose from - all far more customisable than Windows (although all this flexibility does mean that you need to know what you're doing!)

In terms of serious business applications, however, Linux is far richer than Windows or any other flavour of UNIX. You can run any utility, such as sendmail, samba or apache that will run on any other *NIX, and more are being developed all the time.

So there's a lot more to learn. You have to spend time and effort building the system the way you want it.

Or maybe you'd prefer the easy life and have your system the way Bill Gates wants it... ;-)

 

[SteveFoster]

The easiest way to install linux is as has been mentioned - booting from the cd. You can create the partitions during the boot process. This is a lot easier with the more recent distributions such as mandrake. The other way is to create linux boot floppies. The instructions on how to do this should be on the cd or maybe in any documentation you got with it. Someone said you can install linux using a windows boot floppy. If this possible which I'm certain it isn't -could someone explain how?
Yes linux is more difficult than windows but why should this stop someone from having a go. One reason a lot of people (myself included) do like to muck around with it is because of precisely that - you can muck around with it - in a way that you can't with windows. Anyway, he's installing on to a blank disk (no windows installation to possibly mess up) so he's got nothing to lose by having a go. Personnally I use (as well as windows) mandrake linux which comes with koffice (word processor, spreadsheet etc) and is looking pretty good and getting better all the time.

Steve.

 

[CitrixEngineer]

It's really easy to install Linux from a "Windows" floppy.

(Really, it's a DOS floppy - shhh...;-))

Just boot up (making sure you've got CD-ROM support), go to the DOSUTILS directory on your Linux distro CD and use the autoboot command to start the installation.

 

[SteveFoster]

I stand corrected. No need for the sarcasm.
However this won't work if someone gives him a win95 boot disk with no cd support. In this case he would have to partition, format and sys the hard drive then install the cd drivers. Having done this he won't need the floppy anyway.

Steve.

 

[teknoguy]

It all boils down to Linux being a pain in the arse. for beginners anyway.

 

[SteveFoster]

Yes, but everyones a beginner at some point. No ones born knowing it are they? With all due respect, following your line of reasoning then no one would ever try anything new that was difficult. Are you also saying that windows is easy. To you and me (not beginners) yes it is, but there are a heck of a lot of people who use windows and don't find it at all easy. I deal with 1300 users every day and know this is the case. I know linux can be a pain (not just for beginners either) but I still say this is no reason to discourage people from having a go.

Steve.

 

[CitrixEngineer]

Believe it or not, there really are people who think that a Windows boot floppy is just that, that there is such a thing as Windows 97, that computers have minds of their own, and that Linux is for geeks.

What I am saying (in a round about way) is that it can be difficult to gauge the level of people you're providing support for sometimes.

But you work in support - you know this ;-)

No offence intended

 

[teknoguy]

no worries

here's my thoughts. in general

put 10 computer idiots in a room and tell them all to install windows me on a pc.(with instructions)

put another 10 computer idiots in a room and tell them to install linux. (with instructions)

i think the linux people better bring there sleeping bags.