If Your Computer Already Has An Operating System ...

If the computer you want to install Red Hat Linux on is currently running Windows (or some other operating system), you have an important decision to make. Your choices are:

• Do you want to install Red Hat Linux but feel timid about disk partitioning? You can install Red Hat Linux on your system without creating any Linux partitions by performing a partitionless installation. The installation program can install Red Hat Linux on an existing, formatted Windows partition and you'll only need to create a boot disk during the installation to access Red Hat Linux on your system.

  This method is perfect for those who do not want to install Red Hat Linux as the primary OS or as a dual-boot OS on your system. It is a great way of trying out Red Hat Linux without creating Linux partitions on your system.

  If this is your preferred choice, refer to Official Red Hat Linux Installation Guide, Appendix B. Installing Without Partitioning, for those instructions.

• Do you want to install Red Hat Linux and have the option of booting either Red Hat Linux or your other operating system? Performing a workstation- or custom-class installation will allow Red Hat Linux to install on your system without affecting the other operating system. A workstation-class installation will do this by default. In a custom-class installation, you must install LILO (the LInux LOader) on the MBR (Master Boot Record) -- unless Windows NT is your other OS or if you are already using another boot loader on your system. The Official Red Hat Linux Installation Guide has instructions on installing and configuring LILO. After the installation, whenever you start the computer, you will indicate whether you want to start Red Hat Linux or the other operating system.

  Warning

  Do not perform a workstation-class installation if you're sharing a disk with Windows NT; if you do, you will be unable to boot Windows NT. LILO will overwrite NT's boot loader and you will be unable to boot NT. You must perform a custom-class installation and configure LILO so that it is not installed on the MBR. To create a dual-boot environment on a system that currently has NT, you must install LILO on the first sector of the root partition, not the MBR. Please be sure to create a boot disk. In a case such as this, you will either need to use the boot disk, or configure the NT system loader to boot LILO from the first sector of the root partition. Be sure to check out http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/mini/Linux+NT-Loader.html for more information on setting up LILO and NT.

  If this is your preferred choice, read the section called Setting Up a Dual-Boot Environment

• Do you want Red Hat Linux to be the only operating system on your computer? The Red Hat Linux installation program will remove the other operating system and also any data you have created using that operating system.

  Please Note

  In order to install Red Hat Linux and keep another OS on your system, there must be sufficient space for Red Hat Linux to be installed on. Otherwise, Red Hat Linux will replace the current OS and files on your system. If you have not partitioned your hard drive to make room for Red Hat Linux or made sure that there is sufficient unpartitioned space available for your installation, Red Hat Linux will install over the existing information by default. It will also happen if you select a server-class installation (note that a server-class installation does not install the X Window System so no GUI environment will be present [1] ). So a dual-boot environment is incompatible with this choice.

  If this is your preferred choice, first back-up any information on your computer that you want to save or perform a full backup if you think you may want to restore your system to its original configuration), then proceed with installation as explained in the Official Red Hat Linux Installation Guide.