Installing
From ArkWiki
Installing Ark is quite easy; in fact, it's been designed to be as quick and easy as possible! Just a few clicks, and we're already on our way to having a fully-functional computer.
Despite how easy it is to install, some people will have questions about options, or will go through so fast that they will miss something important. For those people -- and for those who would like to know what to expect from the installer before they insert the CD -- we start our walkthrough on installing.
Contents |
[edit] Getting an Ark Installation Disc
[edit] Choosing Your Ark
Looking at the main ArkLinux website, you probably noticed references to several different downloads of ArkLinux, and you may be wondering, "Which version of Ark do I choose? Should I go with 2008.1, dockyard, or dockyard-devel?"
Well, that's tough to say, but we can give you the options available:
- 2008.1 is our latest "Official" release, and has significant improvements over previous releases (2007.1, and before). This newer version should support AHCI SATA drives now, so try it out! If you want, you can easily upgrade from 2007.1 to 2008.1 (see our Upgrading to 2008.1 Without A CD page for details).
- Dockyard is the latest update to the most recent release, so right now it contains 2008.1 with any bug-fixes and security patches that were added since it was released. The installer for dockyard, however, was reported as not working for several users.
- Dockyard-devel is for beta testers only, it is a development version and can sometimes be unstable; it is even more unstable than normal right now because of Ark's transitioning from KDE3 to KDE4. It's highly likely there are many bugs right now so unless you're a developer or a beta tester, it is not recommended for daily use at the moment.
If you are new to Ark and wish to check it out, also available is:
- LiveCD is a special version of ArkLinux, based on 2007.1, that allows you try out ArkLinux without needing to install on your computer. Just leave the CD in and use it! Just keep in mind it will run slowly, as all data comes from reading the CD. If you enjoy Ark, please download an installer from the options above.
All of these versions come as a single file, called a CD Image, or a CD ISO File (because the filename ends in .iso). When you click download, it will download this ISO file. Note that these files are the size of a CD, about 700 MB, so be prepared to let it download for a while, depending on your internet connection speed.
[edit] Burning the CD Image
Once you choose a version of Ark, and have downloaded the ISO, you must write (or burn) this image to a CD for use.
You may burn this file with any program that can write an ISO image to a CD. If you are using Windows, here is a short list of options:
- ImgBurn (Good for low RAM systems)
- CDBurnerXP Pro
- ISO Recorder
You cannot simply copy this file to a disc, though. The ISO file is like a ZIP file that actually contains an entire backup of a CD, so it must be burned in a special manner. This is easy to do though, as the programs above have special options called something like "Burn CD Image To Disc...". You must choose this option or you will not get a working CD! If you have problems, check for help in the Forums or Live Support.
[edit] The Installation Process
Once we have our CD, we need to make sure your computer is set to boot from a CD. Since each computer is different, I can't give specific instructions for your computer. The most I can do is tell you to hit the setup key when you first turn on the computer (this is usually either F1, F2, DEL (or Delete), or ESC (or Escape) depending on your computer). Some computer will display instructions on how to enter setup, so watch for them.
When you manage to boot into the installer CD, this is the first thing you'll see:
This should be the first screen you'll see. Nothing special here, we can usually just press the Enter or Return key at this point. There are, however, several options we can try here:
swap=512
This sets the swap partition size to any size in megabytes that you specify during install. The swap partition is like virtual RAM. Macintosh user may relate this to Virtual Memory while Windows users might relate this to a Pagefile. If you don't specify any number here, it will go for several options by default: If you have more than 768MB of RAM, the swap will be 128MB. If you have less than 256MB RAM, the swap partition will be 512MB minus how much RAM you have.
Note: As of the 2008 release, if you have 1GB of RAM or more, the swap partition will be 256MB by default, and if you have less than 1GB RAM, the swap partion by default will be 1GB minus your amount of RAM.
cpu=i586
This is used to specify what kind of CPU you will be using. Although this is generally unnecessary (the installer can detect your CPU on it's own), it can be useful if you plan to stick your hard disk in a different computer after installing. Possible options are: i586 i686 athlon pentium2 pentium3 pentium4
acpi=off
Most newer computers come with a feature called ACPI-a feature that is used for power management and low level interupt routing (there is no need to worry if you don't know what this means). For older computers, however, this either does not work right (for example, it will enter power management mode at the wrong time, may hang at certain points, certain services may not work correctly, or hardware may not work correctly (despite the correct driver being installed)) or does not come on the computer. Specifying acpi=off will optimize the installer for an older computer.
nousb
On some older computers, the generic USB drivers that come with Ark do not work. If this is the case (maybe you're having trouble using your USB mouse in the installer and need to switch to a PS/2 or serial mouse), nousb will cause the installer not to load the USB drivers.
vga16
On some older video cards, the generic vesa video card driver does not work. Specifying vga16 will cause the graphics to not look so good, but should work on older video cards. This is only needed on really old video cards, the vesa driver should work if your computer was made after Y2K.
fs=jfs
This specifies a different Filesystem and is only useful for power users. In short, a Filesystem is how your computer stores files on your hard disk. The default if you don't specify this option is jfs because of it's speed (though not as fast as others), security, stability, self-maintenance, and journaling ability (journaling means that it keeps track of where each file is in a journal, practically eliminating the need to defragment). Possible options are, ext3, jfs, xfs, and reiserfs
When you are done entering the desired options (if any at all), press the Enter or Return key. The next thing of importance that we should see is:
Basically, you use the left button on your mouse (or touchpad) to select your desired language, keyboard layout, and time zone. Then, click Continue. We should next see some possible install options:
There are four possible options here:
System Install
This will erase ALL data on your hard disk, so back up any important files first! This is, however, probably the easiest way to install Ark because it requires the fewest mouse clicks. Make sure your hard disk is at least 3GB big!
Express Install
This is only possible if you have unpartitioned free space (that is, a part of your hard disk not formatted or devoted to another Operation System). It will format any unpartitioned space for use with Ark. Make sure you have at least 3GB of unpartitioned space! It should also configure your GRUB(the boot loader, basically what displays a list of installed operating systems when you turn on your computer) to display other installed operating systems
Parallel Install
This is only possible if you've got Microsoft Windows installed on a FAT (File Allocation Tables) partition. It will be able to shrink down a FAT partition and configure GRUB (the boot loader, basically what displays a list of installed operating systems when you turn on your computer) to display all installed operating systems. Make sure to shrink your FAT partition down enough that you have at least 3GB of available hard disk space!
Expert Mode
This is only recommended for people who have experience with programs like Partition Magic and QtParted. It allows you to modify your hard disk's partition layout. Please make sure to include swap space as specified in the swap= option and a partition at least 3GB big!
On my computer, I selected a System install. This is the next screen I saw:
It is formatting my hard disk for Ark. Afterward, it will start installing Ark onto the computer:
It may pause for a moment before, during, or after the install. This is normal. It just means that it is processing some information before continuing. While you're waiting, you can play Tetrix (a Tetris clone):
When it's done installing, it will let you know with an on-screen notification:
If you would like to continue with your game of Tetrix, click OK (note that you will have to manually turn off the computer or push the reset button when you're finished). If you're done with Tetrix (or do not wish to finish your current game), click I'm Done, and the computer will reboot into your newly installed Ark system (Note: There is a glitch in the current installer that cause I'm Done to not reboot the computer, so you will have to manually restart the computer)!
After you click I'm Done or shut off the computer/push the reset button and the computer reboots, please remove the CD immediately or your computer will reboot into the installer. If you accidentally leave the CD in too long, simply shut off the computer and turn it back on, making sure to remove the CD the second time around.
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