Installing Vector Linux 5.8 Final Edition page

Vector Linux 5.8 Final Edition
Welcome to the Vector Linux page. There are many different 'flavors' of Linux available today. Ubuntu is popular, Mint Linux is highly recommended, and chances are you never heard of Vector Linux before.
I consider VL 5.8 my first Linux distro, even though I had tried DSL Linux on a pentium computer just for fun before VL.
Don't know if I need to justify my choice, but I like Vector Linux (VL for short) because you can download them for free or you can pay for them. Most important, the newest versions still fit onto a blank CDR. And after my first install, I knew it was the right choice for me. The VL homepage is at www.vectorlinux.com.
So, basically you need to find your Linux,download the .iso CD image file, burn it to a blank disk. Some distros you can buy in a store, just like Windows.
This version is a few years old,and you can download their latest VL (6.0) from the website above. I set the computer to boot from CD-ROM just to make it easy. You can alternately install Linux after you have installed Windows, if you want to dual boot.

Here are screenshots of installing Vector Linux 5.8 -

After a short 'boot-up' process,this is the Welcome screen. Press F1 and then select a 'kernel' (hard drive) to install VL.

We are using our Baby AT Celeron 466 for this demonstration. 'Hit enter'. By default, the US keyboard map is selected.

Hopefully you can press the 'enter' key and it will go onto the 'test' box,then if it works press enter key again.

Next, press the down arrow key and press enter to 'Start' the install.

The computer looks for and finds the media (CD) disk. I skip the readme files,and skip the resize.
If you have Windows installed, and you used a single partition, then you would use the 'Resize' option to reclaim some space.
A partition is when you divide your hard disk into two or more separate areas. Like two rooms in a house,separated by a wall.

Use the down arrow to highlight FDISK and press the enter key. "Start with zero" will erase the partitions on your hard drive.
That means, all your files, any windows installs will all be over-written. Be careful.
If you install VL under Windows, and you have extra space, down arrow to 'NO' and use that to install VL on the unused partition.

Choose your partition, in this case it's a 6GB hard disk wiped clean. You can accept the device properties if they look 'wrong'.
At right is the cfdisk utility screen. You use your arrow keys to navigate to (highlight) 'NEW' to make a new partition.Press the enter key.

You want to create a 'primary' partition to install VL onto.So press the enter key. A logical is a data drive,not suitable for an operating system.

We are using the 'full size' for our demonstration,but you can make it any size you want. At right, press enter key to make the partition bootable (or active).

Next, you use the arrow keys to navigate down to 'WRITE' , to write the information into the boot sector of the hard disk drive.

Then use the arrow keys to navigate down to the 'QUIT' and press the enter key. the computer reboots, and it will read the 'master boot record' from the hard disk, to recognize your partition(s). After that, it is ready to write files to the disk.

After the reboot, you will boot to the CD again, and see the Vector Linux and the Penguin in the first picture.Press F1 to begin.
You can skip the keymap if you use a US keyboard, and use the arrow keys to navigate down to 'INSTALL' . Press enter.

You can check the files, but I know mine are okay from using this CD before. You can also skip past the 'SWAP' if you don't want to mess with the swapfile settings. ideally you would have a swap partition, but it is not necessary.
Arrow down to the 'ROOT' and press the enter key..

Select the partition you just made a few minutes ago to install VL there. at right is a picture of the file system type selection.
I have always used reiserfs as it is reliable. Windows uses FAT or NTFS file systems.

Back at the main menu, arrow down to highlight 'MOUNT' and press enter. Linux mounts partitions on boot-up, which is a simple way of saying that it makes those areas readable to itself. At right is the 'BULK' screen, where you choose which files and programs you want installed.

If you do not want all the optional stuff, highlight and press enter to see what you can live without.
When you are done selecting the software to install, you will get to this screen, press the enter key to install.

Now the partition is formatted (made ready for files), and the installation begins. If it is a large partition, it may take a few minutes to format.
Then the installation begins, with many of the developers names scrolling across the top of the screen.

so far, we have spent about 12 minutes getting ready for the install. It will take about 10 minutes for the files to be written to your computer. Your screen might go 'black' , just press the spacebar key to bring it out of 'standby' .

Still going through the different packages of this install.

Still going...almost done.

Alas, the install is complete. Now your computer reboots, without the VL/Penguin screen. But leave the CD in, we are not done yet.

Now we are going to spend a few minutes setting up your hardware to work in VL 5.8 .

LILO will tell your computer to boot VL when you turn it on. Or if you have Windows and Linux installed, it will give you the option of which operating system you want to start. Just use the arrow keys to highlight 'Win' or 'Linux' when you get there.
Press the enter key to install to the MBR (master boot record).
Later,if you want to, you can mount your Windows partitions in Linux. Windows cannot see Linux partitions,so it's a 'one way' street.

Just press the enter key unless you know what you are doing here. Let LILO write its files...

Success! It wasn't that hard. Next we set the clock.

If your BIOS has the correct time and date, just press the enter key.

That's MY mouse, and I do not have a modem installed. So far so good.

ALSA searches for your soundcard...but it doesn't find my Soundblaster Vibra 16 ISA card.

Everything is going to be okay.. it's just a demonstration..

Okay we found my soundcard. How nice that they call it a soundblaster 16, and not a Vibra 16..

The soundcard configuration is complete. Now we are going to (automatically) setup the video card..

The setup program will highlight what it thinks is best, yet you can change the color depth or resolution if you want to..
But IF you mess it up, you will have to boot into Linux in a command prompt to fix the GUI (graphical user interface).

Yes, keep the keyboard as US and OK the setup has completed.

The X is next to the GUI desktop mode, which is what you want, unless you're some geeky nerd who likes command prompts...
The ISA is selected by default, and so is the Linux sound system. This is only a demo, so I'll leave the others blank.
You can also makes changes later after you boot into VL.

Next we create a password for your 'Root' user (administrator).

It is best to add another user, and avoid using the Root all the time.Make another admin account, and at least 1 user.
You can also add new users later, and customize the look and feel of VL just like in Windows..

You will have to 'logon' each time VL starts...it does not just boot up like a guest user.

Whatever number it assigns you is fine, and then you set access controls for the floppy, CD-ROM,DVD, Windows partition, etc.

The user can change their password after they have logged on. Keep it simple for now..

You confirm the password, and then we are done adding new users..

VL has been configured and installed. Now we will reboot the computer..

Going..going..gone.

After you log on, each user can change the appearnce of the logon screen. And 2 minutes of wait is too long.

This is my favorite part; instead of looking at a splash screen and a progress meter, we get to see exactly what the computer is doing..

You will only see these screens the first time you boot up VL..

Then it's back to watching the computer start up processes and hardware..a moment of sheer terror right before the login screen appears..

Apparently VL attempted to make my resolution larger than what my monitor is capable of displaying..but at least I can see a picture..

I right clicked on the desktop like a 'typical' Windows user. But 'Display Properties' is located under the V start menu, in System Controls.

Lucky for me I know what settings my monitor will accept, like 1024x768 at 75MHz refresh rate..

Success.!. And here is a view of all the 'start' menu items. This is a full install.

This is what the 'shutdown' menu looks like, and at right it shows the system shutting down processes.
And that is all................................
This is Vector Linux 5.8 Final Edition, but there are other versions that you can download. Such as SOHO which includes Open Office software, or there are also Boot CDs for running VL without installing files to a hard drive.
I don't think you can download 5.8 any more, but 6.0 is the latest. I actually used 5.8 for almost 2 years, despite the fact that they had created a 5.9 . Last time I checked , they were up to VL version 6.0 . . .
And I upgraded my system to the VL KDE this year, it has a nice 'retro' look and feel about it.

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