Installation Hints and Tips

Although I have been using Windows reasonably proficiently for many years, I am very new to Linux. Having recently been through the SuSE installation process, here is a very basic list of things (in no particular order) that I wish I'd known before I started out. This article assumes that you have managed to download the installation CD or DVD ISOs, or you've got them from somewhere else.

Remember that although Linux is free, there's no such thing as a free lunch. It will almost certainly take time to get things up and running to your satisfaction. So, if you're in a rush, wait until you're not.
If you are installing SuSE for the first time onto a PC with Windows in order to dual boot (i.e. be able to run both OSs on the same machine), make sure you have defragmented your hard drive before you start the installation. This should minimise any errors in the partitioning process.
Back up all irreplacable data! You really don't want to lose those tax forms, or photos of little Johnnie's first birthday :-)
Your life will be considerably easier if you have broadband access to the internet, for at least two reasons:
- Although everything you need will be on the installation disc(s), but updates are continually becoming available through the various online repositories: having ready access to them will help you get your initial system as good as it can be from the off.
- The second reason is that something might go wrong, and there are a huge number of people and sites that offer help with pretty well any aspect of using Linux.
Make a note of all the relevant details of your internet access method. If you use a DSL modem/router via a wired network card, most likely everything will work perfectly for you straight off. If you are on a LAN, you may go out through a proxy, in which case you'll need its name or IP address.
If you rely on a wireless router for your internet access, make sure your wireless network card is supported and that you have any drivers you need before you start (particularly if you are installing SuSE 10.1). If your card is Atheros-based, then a visit to the madwifi site [1] is an absolute must. Their Newbie guide is a model of clarity. Also, make sure you have noted down somewhere the wireless basics, such as your router's default IP address, the admin username and password, the SSID, and the encryption type and keys you are using.
When you are partitioning the drive for your first install, try to remember to set up a separate partition for your /home directories [where all your user(s) files are stored]. If you do this, if you ever have to do a completely fresh installation, or want to try a different flavour of Linux, then your user files will remain untouched. I've also read (though haven't done it myself) that it's a good idea to do the same for the /opt directories, where optional software is installed.
Expect to spend some time getting things how you like them, installing missing stuff, learning how things work. Although it sounds obvious, a lot of people seem to expect everything to work immediately in the way they have been used to. I found if I treated system configuration and problem solving much as I approach, say, a game of Myst, the whole process becomes much less fraught, and even enjoyable.
Make the most of this initial phase of discovery; you only lose your Linux virginity once, so savour the experience :-)

Chickenhead 16:20, 31 July 2006 (UTC)