filesystems (implemented in the installer), but it’s also one of the best Fedora releases yet!

We, here at Softpedia Labs, always recommend having an empty hard drive for a Linux installation (that means no other operating system on it, no Windows) and you must have a minimum of 10 GB free space for the Fedora installation. Great, now let’s begin.

For this installation, we used the Install DVD, because it contains all the software you’ll ever need. However, the DVD edition has about 3 GB in size and, if you don’t have the necessary bandwidth to download it, then we strongly recommend you get one of the KDE or the GNOME Live CD editions. Burn it on a blank disc with your favorite CD/DVD burning application, then insert the disc in the optical drive of the computer on which you want to install Fedora and boot from it. You’ll be presented with a very nice Fedora artwork GRUB splash and some options. At this stage, we simply suggest you press Enter, and wait for the system to load…

Select the ‘Skip’ option when you’re asked if you want to check the media before installation and press the Enter key on your keyboard…

Anaconda (the Fedora installer) will load and you’ll see the welcome screen. Click ‘Next’…

Choose your language…

Choose your keyboard layout…

A warning message about the hard drive partitions may appear. If so, click the ‘Yes’ button…

It’s time to setup your network. If you have a DHCP network (dynamic IP address) you can click Next right now, but if you have a static IP address (ask your provider if you’re not sure) click the ‘Edit’ button and follow the instructions below.

- If you have an IPv4 address, make sure it’s enabled. If you have an IPv6 address, make sure it’s enabled too (if you don’t have an IPv6 address, uncheck the ‘Enable IPv6 support’ option).
- Check the “Manual configuration” option and enter your IP address and the Netmask (ask your provider if you don’t know them). Do the same for the IPv6 address (if you have one).
- Click OK once you’ve finished.
- Select the ‘manually’ option.
- Optional, you can setup the system’s hostname (e.g. john.fedora.linux).
- Enter your Gateway and Primary/Secondary DNS servers (ask your provider if you don’t know them).

When you’re done with the network configuration, click ‘Next’ and you will be asked to select your location (country/city)…

Once you’ve selected your timezone, click next and you must enter the root (System Administrator) password. The longer, the better (WRITE IT SOMEWHERE OR MEMORIZE IT)…

Here comes the partitioning part! If you have an empty hard drive, all you have to do is click ‘Next’ (make sure the “Remove all partitions on selected drives and create default layout” option is selected). If you don’t have an empty hard drive and you still want to install Fedora 9 on your machine, then make sure you select the “Use free space on the selected drives and create default layout” option (10 GB minimum of free space is required). Click ‘Next’…

Encryption is supported in this release and you can enable it with a single mouse click, by checking the “Encrypt system” option!

Click the ‘Write changes to disk’ button when asked…

The hard drive will be formatted and the partitions will be created…

Now you can select the desired packages (or not)…

Hit the ‘Next’ button and everything will be done automatically from now on, just sit back and watch how the partitions are formatted and the software packages are copied to your hard drive, or you can read the latest news while enjoying a cup of coffee. The installation process will take about 8-10 minutes (depending on your computer specs and the selected packages).

When the installation is over, you will get a “Congratulations, the installation is complete” screen. Click the ‘Reboot’ button and your computer will automatically restart…

Remove the DVD from your optical drive and your brand new Fedora 9 Linux operating system will start for the first time…

If you’ve chosen to encrypt your filesystem, then you’ll be prompted for the passphrase…

The system will boot…

And, before you reach the Fedora desktop, you must do a one-time general system configuration. That’s it! Now log in to your new Linux operating system and enjoy the ultimate, spectacular, breathtaking Fedora 9 Linux distribution!

1. Introduction

1.1. Background

1.1.1. About Fedora

1.1.2. Getting Additional Help

1.2. About This Document

1.2.1. Goals

1.2.2. Audience

1.3. Feedback

2. Quick Start for Experts

2.1. Overview

2.2. Download Files

2.3. Prepare for Installation

2.4. Install Fedora

2.5. Perform Post-installation Steps

3. New Users

3.1. How Do I Download Installation Files?

3.1.1. From a Mirror

3.1.2. From BitTorrent

3.2. Which Architecture Is My Computer?

3.3. Which Files Do I Download?

3.4. How Do I Make Fedora Media?

3.4.1. Making CD or DVD Discs

3.4.2. Making USB Media

3.5. What If I Cannot Download Fedora?

3.6. How Do I Start the Installation Program?

4. Beginning the Installation

4.1. The Boot Menu

4.2. Installing from a Different Source

4.3. Verifying Media

4.3.1. Verifying the Live CD

4.3.2. Verifying the DVD

4.4. Booting from the Network using PXE

4.5. Graphical and Text Interfaces

5. Identifying Your Locale

5.1. Language Selection

5.2. Keyboard Configuration

6. Installation Methods

6.1. Alternative Installation Methods

6.2. Installation from a Hard Drive

6.3. Installation TCP/IP Configuration

6.4. NFS Installation Setup

6.5. Web and FTP Installation Setup

7. Welcome Dialog

7.1. Initializing the Hard Disk

7.2. RAID or Other Nonstandard Configurations

8. Upgrading an Existing System

8.1. Upgrade Examine

8.2. Upgrading Using the Installer

8.3. Upgrading Boot Loader Configuration

9. Network Configuration

9.1. Network Devices

9.1.1. Configuring IPv4 and IPv6 Support

9.1.2. Configuring IPv4

9.1.3. Configuring IPv6

9.2. Hostname

9.3. Miscellaneous Settings

10. Time Zone Selection

10.1. Selecting a Time Zone

10.2. Universal Co-ordinated Time (UTC)

11. Set the Root Password

12. Disk Partitioning

12.1. RAID and Other Disk Devices

12.1.1. Hardware RAID

12.1.2. Software RAID

12.1.3. FireWire and USB Disks

12.2. General Information on Partitions

12.2.1. Partition Types

12.2.2. Minimum Partition Sizes

12.3. Understanding LVM

12.4. Understanding Encryption

12.5. Advice on Partitions

12.6. General Disk Setup

12.7. Disk Druid

12.8. Making Disk Changes

13. Boot Loader

13.1. Keeping Your Existing Boot Loader Settings

13.2. Booting Additional Operating Systems

13.3. Setting a Boot Loader Password

13.3.1. Forgotten GRUB Passwords

13.4. Advanced Boot Loader Options

14. Software Selection

14.1. Installing from Additional Repositories

14.2. Customizing the Software Selection

14.2.1. Changing Your Mind

14.2.2. Additional Language Support

14.2.3. Core Network Services

15. Installing Packages

16. First Boot

16.1. License Agreement

16.2. Date and Time

16.3. System User

16.4. Hardware Profile

17. Your Next Steps

17.1. Updating Your System

17.2. Finishing an Upgrade

17.3. Subscribing to Fedora Announcements and News

17.4. Finding Documentation and Support

17.5. Joining the Fedora Community

A. Boot Options

A.1. Configuring the Installation System at the Boot Menu

A.1.1. Specifying the Language

A.1.2. Configuring the Interface

A.1.3. Specifying the Installation Method

A.1.4. Manually Configuring the Network Settings

A.2. Enabling Remote Access to the Installation System

A.2.1. Enabling Remote Access with VNC

A.2.2. Connecting the Installation System to a VNC Listener

A.2.3. Enabling Remote Access with Telnet

A.3. Logging to a Remote System During the Installation

A.3.1. Configuring a Log Server

A.4. Automating the Installation with Kickstart

A.5. Enhancing Hardware Support

A.5.1. Adding Hardware Support with Driver Disks

A.5.2. Overriding Automatic Hardware Detection

A.6. Using the Maintenance Boot Modes

A.6.1. Loading the Memory (RAM) Testing Mode

A.6.2. Booting Your Computer with the Rescue Mode

B. Installing Without Media

B.1. Retrieving Boot Files

B.2. Editing the GRUB Configuration

B.3. Booting to Installation

C. Setting Up an Installation Server

C.1. Setting Up cobbler

C.2. Setting Up the Distribution

C.3. Mirroring a Network Location

C.4. Importing the Distribution

D. Other Technical Documentation

Index

Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) is an important, free update for the Windows XP operating system. SP2 includes all security and critical updates that were previously released and provides better protection against viruses, worms, and other unwanted software. It includes an improved built-in firewall, Windows Firewall, which is turned on by default, and a wizard that makes setting up wireless networks a lot easier. For more information about the service pack, see Barb Bowman’s column, Introduction to Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Prepare to Install SP2

Most people install SP2 without a hitch. But some people encounter issues. Here are some steps you can take to prepare for and prevent some of the issues that people have reported.

Before you install SP2, make sure your computer is completely free of viruses, worms, and spyware. The best place to start is the Microsoft Protect Your PC Web site. And for even more on spyware, see the excellent Expert Zone column from Jerry Honeycutt.

Failure to clean up spyware and adware on your computer before installing SP2 can cause issues and in some cases make your computer difficult to restart. You may not even know that spyware or adware programs are installed on your system. And some spyware or adware programs may not cause serious issues with SP2, but it’s a good idea to run spyware and adware removal programs before installing SP2.

As another precaution, before you install SP2, you need to disable antivirus software you’re using and close any open programs. This is always a good idea before installing new software, but it’s especially important when you’re installing a service pack. And for SP2, it’s important that you disable any antivirus software especially. Some antivirus software can interfere with the SP2 installation. To disable the software, follow instructions from the antivirus software provider that you use. Check the software provider’s Web site for exact steps.

Make a Backup

It’s always a good idea to make a backup of your data, but many people never do. When you’re preparing for the SP2 update, it’s a good time to back up your data. At least back up your important personal files. Anything that you would not be able to easily replace, whether it’s your doctoral thesis or pictures of your dog as a puppy—if it matters to you, make sure you have a backup of it just in case.

Review System Requirements for SP2

To find detailed information about your system, click Start, click Run, and type: msinfo32 . The first system requirement for SP2 is that you already have a version of Windows XP installed. Then you also need the following:

Service Pack 2 applies to all 32-bit editions of Windows XP, including Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional Edition, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, and Windows XP Media Center Edition. It does not apply to the 64-bit Edition of Windows XP. The same media or update location is used to update all supported editions of Windows XP.

How to Install SP2

There are four basic methods of installation:

Which method you use will depend on your specific requirements and situation. I’ll show some specific screen shots for the Windows Update version, but the actual installation steps will be essentially the same for all of them—first obtain the update, then run the Welcome to Windows Service Pack 2 Setup Wizard, and finally restart your computer for the installation to finish.

How to Use Automatic Updates

The simplest and best way to install Windows XP SP2 is to use Automatic Updates. By turning on Automatic Updates, your computer will automatically download just the necessary parts of SP2 to update your particular computer. And it will do the download in a way that doesn’t interfere with your regular day-to-day computing.

To turn on Automatic Updates:

1.	Navigate to the Protect Your PC Web site.
2.	Click Let us do it for you.
3.	Click Start Here.
4.	If you’re prompted with a security bulletin, as shown in Figure 1, make sure it is signed by Microsoft, and then click OK. Then in the future, always read the security warnings that pop up when you’re running Windows. Make sure that what you’re being warned about is something you actually expected and that it’s from someone you trust. It’s easy to get careless about clicking open dialog boxes, but if you do, you’re setting yourself up for a worm, virus, or spyware.
5.	Finally, click Turn on Automatic Updates. Figure 1

That’s it. The rest will be handled automatically using the new and improved Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS). After an update is downloaded to your computer, the installation starts automatically at the time you’ve specified or you’ll see a message like the one in Figure 2.

Figure 2

If you get this message, just click it and follow the prompts to install the updates. After SP2 is installed, you’ll see the message box shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3

How to Use Windows Update

Note: Now you can access the same updates and downloads available from Windows Update, plus updates for Office and other Microsoft applications, at Microsoft Update.

If you’re more eager to get SP2 and want to control exactly when it gets downloaded to your computer, you can go directly to the Windows Update site and install SP2. However, you should probably not choose this option if you have a dial-up connection or a slow connection to the Internet, since the download is quite large and you won’t get the advantages of BITS.

To install using Windows Update, you need to first download and install the new version of the Windows Update software.

1.	Click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Windows Update.
2.	Read and then click Install or Yes if you get a security warning message if it is from Microsoft Windows Publisher.
3.	Install the updated Windows Update software. After the new Windows Update software is installed, return to the Windows Update site and you’ll see the new Windows Update page, as shown in Figure 4. Figure 4
4.	Click Express Install, and if you’ve already downloaded all the prerequisite software for SP2, you’ll have a single choice, as shown in Figure 5. Figure 5
5.	Click Install and then accept the End User License Agreement (EULA). When the download is complete, you’ll be prompted to start the installation of SP2 by the Windows XP Service Pack 2 Setup Wizard, shown in Figure 6. Figure 6
6.	Click Next, and when the installation completes, you’ll be prompted to restart your computer.

Don’t delay the restart: you’ve made substantial changes to your system and it’s best to restart and let those changes take effect.

How to Use the Network Install Version

The Network Install version of SP2 is intended primarily for system administrators and others who need to update multiple computers. However, if you have several computers and want to do only a single (but larger) download for all of them, you should use the Network Install version. You can download this version of SP2 from here. Once you’ve downloaded it, copy the file WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.exe (name will vary depending on language) to your local hard drive and run the installation by double-clicking the file. It’s generally a bad idea to try to run the file directly off a network share, since interruption in the installation could cause issues with your system.

The Network Install version of SP2 is appropriate if you have multiple computers, or you are building or rebuilding a computer. However, the licensing agreement specifically prohibits you from copying this to a CD and distributing it to your friends. You can burn it to CD, but only for your own use.

How to Use the CD Installation

For many people, the official Windows XP Service Pack 2 CD from Microsoft will be the best way to install SP2. You can order this CD from Microsoft and then use it to upgrade all your computers, as well as give it to your friends and neighbors to update theirs. This is the only version that you can share with your friends and neighbors, by the way.

You’ll definitely want to choose the CD installation option if you have to build or rebuild a computer, since it allows you to secure your computer before you connect it to the Internet, definitely a good idea.

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Sandeep M

Slipstreaming is usually done on network shares on corporate systems. But with the advent of CD burners, it does actually make some sense for the home user or small business user to do the same.

Microsoft added the ability to Slipstream a Service Pack to Windows 2000 and Windows XP. It not only has the advantage that when you (re)install your OS, you don’t have to apply the Service Pack later, also if you update any Windows component later, you’ll be sure that you get the correct installation files if Windows needs any.

Looking for a way to Slipstream Windows XP Service Pack 3 instead?

Slipstream Windows XP Service Pack 2

Download the (full) “Network Install” of the Service Pack (English version [266 MB]), and save it to a directory (folder) on your hard drive (in my case D:\XP-SP2). Other languages can be downloaded from the Microsoft Download Web site.

Note: do not use spaces in the folder name!

Next copy your Windows XP CD to your hard drive. Just create a folder (I used \XP-CD), and copy all the contents of your Windows XP CD in that folder.

Next, open a Command Prompt (Start > Run > cmd), and go to the folder where you downloaded SP2 (cd \foldername). Type the command: servicepack filename /integrate:drive/path. In my example the command is WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU /integrate:D:\XP-CD.

If you get the error:

This is caused by the fact that your Windows XP CD contains updates that will be automatically installed when you run setup. This type of CD’s will usually be from larger OEM suppliers (like Dell, HP, or others).

You cannot use this type of CD to create a slipstreamed SP2 install.

First, the files will be extracted, and next they will be integrated in your Windows XP files:

When ready, you should get a confirmation. Windows XP Service Pack 2 has now been Slipstreamed into your original Windows XP files.

Creating a Bootable CD

For this part I used IsoBuster and Nero Burning ROM 7*.

*)You can of course use your own favorite CD-burning program.

After you install IsoBuster, you can choose to use only the product’s free functionality for what we want to do, IsoBuster will look like the image below (you need to have your original Windows XP CD in the CD-ROM drive).

Start to extract the boot loader from the original Windows XP CD. Using IsoBuster, select the “folder” Bootable CD, and right-click Microsoft Corporation.img. From the menu choose Extract Microsoft Corporation.img, and extract it to the folder on your hard drive where you have your Windows XP files (D:\XP-CD in my case).

Next, start Nero Burning ROM, and choose CD-ROM (Boot) in the New Compilation window. On the Boot tab, select Image file under Source of boot image data, and browse to the location of the Microsoft Corporation.img file. Also enable Expert Settings, choosing No Emulation, and changing the Number of loaded sectors to 4 (otherwise it won’t boot!)

The ISO tab should be configured correctly as shown below:

If you have an older version of Nero you won’t have the option Do Not Add “;1″ ISO file version extention under Relax ISO Restrictions. You won’t be able to boot your new CD, so update Nero!

You can configure the Label tab to your liking, I would however recommend that you keep the Volume Label the same as on your original Windows XP CD. Here are some (English) Labels:

• Windows XP Professional: WXPCCP_EN
• Windows XP Home: WXHCCP_EN
• Windows XP Professional OEM: WXPOEM_EN
• Windows XP Home OEM: WXHOEM_EN

Next press New, and from the File Browser window, select the files and folders from your slipstreamed location (in my case D:\XP-CD). Now drag & drop the selected files in the ISO1 window.

Next, burn your new CD.

You now have a Bootable, Slipstreamed Windows XP Service Pack 2 CD!

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Sandeep M

The following tutorial will teach you how to install the DVD edition of the Fedora 10 operating system on your PC. Why the DVD edition? Because we believe it offers most of the applications you’ll need. For those of you that don’t have a fast Internet connection, we recommend using one of the Live GNOME or KDE4 editions. However, this guide will make things very simple for you, but if you get stuck somewhere in the middle of the installation and you need help, do not hesitate to use our commenting system at the end of the article.

What do I need to get started?

· You will need the Fedora 10 DVD image that corresponds to your hardware architecture (i386 or amd64), and which can be downloaded from here. When the download is over, burn the ISO image with your favorite CD/DVD burning application (Brasero on Linux or Nero, CDBurnerXP, Roxio on Windows) on a blank DVD at 4x speed.
· We, here at the Softpedia Labs, always recommend having an empty hard drive for a Linux installation (that means no other operating system on it, no Windows), and you must have a minimum of 10 GB free space for the Fedora installation.

Great, now let’s begin. Insert or leave the DVD in your CD/DVD-ROM device, and reboot the computer in order to boot from the DVD. Hit the F8 or F12 key (depending on your BIOS) to select the CD/DVD-ROM as the boot device.

You’ll be presented with a very nice Fedora artwork GRUB splash and some options…

At this stage, we simply suggest you press Enter, and wait for the system to load…

Select the “Skip” option when you’re asked if you want to check the media before installation, and press “Enter”…

Anaconda (the Fedora installer) will load and you’ll see the welcome screen. Click “Next”…

Choose your language…

Choose your keyboard layout…

Type a name for the computer. It can be anything you want…

Select your location (country/city)…

Enter the root (System Administrator) password. The longer, the better (WRITE IT SOMEWHERE)…

Here comes the partitioning part! If you have an empty hard drive, all you have to do is click “Next,” but make sure the “Remove all partitions on selected drives and create default layout” option is selected. If you don’t have an empty hard drive and you still want to install Fedora 10 on your machine, then make sure you select the “Use free space on the selected drives and create default layout” option (10 GB minimum of free space is required). Click “Next”…

We also recommend to select the “Encrypt system” option. Enter a password (the longer, the better) for the encrypted partition…

Click the “Write changes to disk” button when asked…

The hard drive will be formatted and the partitions will be created…

Now, you can select the desired packages…

Hit the “Next” button and everything will be done automatically from now on, just sit back and watch how the packages are copied to your hard drive, or you can read the latest news while enjoying a cup of coffee. The installation process will take about 8-10 minutes (depending on your computer specs and the selected packages).

When the installation is over, you will get a “Congratulations, the installation is complete” screen. Click the “Reboot” button and your computer will automatically restart…

Remove the DVD from your optical drive. Your brand new Fedora 10 operating system will boot for the first time…

If you’ve chosen to encrypt your partition, then you’ll be prompted for the passphrase…

The system will continue to boot and in a few seconds you will see the First Boot Configuration Wizard. Click “Forward” on the Welcome screen…

Click “Forward” on the License screen…

Create a regular user for the system…

Set the date and time…

Send your hardware profile to the Fedora Project (optional)…

Click “Finish” and you will see the login screen. Enter the password for the regular user you’ve just created…

That’s it! Enjoy the ultimate and breathtaking Fedora 10 Linux distribution!

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Sandeep M