Install System Commander (if not already installed). Note -you can install System Commander 7 into any type FAT, FAT32 or NTFS partition.

You can only install System Commander 2000 into a FAT or FAT32 partition. If you are using NTFS, you can boot from the Restart diskette 2, and have System Commander 2000 prepare a FAT partition for you. If necessary it will shrink the size of an existing NTFS partition to make room for the new partition.

Select OS Wizard (Alt-O). The OS Wizard appears.

Select the type of installation (New) and the OS by name. System Commander 7 will ask you if your Linux supports installation past 8 GB on the hard disk. Most early versions of Linux will not be bootable from the hard drive if any part of the partitions are over 8 GB from the beginning of the hard drive (1024 cylinders). Newer versions of Linux will boot above this limit. Please see your documentation as to what your version will support.

You will also be able to select which physical hard drive to install Linux. If your version of Linux does not allow installation past 8 GB, and you wish to install Linux on a secondary hard drive, make sure that the drive is installed as a secondary master (attached to the other hard drive controller). If not, then Linux will see the drive as a continuation of primary master.

Complete the OS Wizard operation (this entire process is documented in detail in the System Commander manual). Once the drive is properly partitioned by the OS Wizard, instructions are provided for completing the OS installation.

Go to Installing Linux below.

Complete the OS Wizard operation. Once the drive is properly partitioned by the OS Wizard, instructions are provided for completing the OS installation.

Go to Installing Linux below.

Go to the manual partitioning screen.

To do this under System Commander, reboot the system and at the OS Selection menu, press Alt-O (for OS Wizard). Cancel the OS Wizard when it appears, click Start, then Partitioning.

For Partition Commander users, boot directly from the Partition Commander Restart disk 2. At the Partition Wizard, select Manual Partitioning.

For DriveWorks users, boot directly from the DriveWorks Restart disk 2. At the DriveWorks Wizard, select Partitioning - Auto or Manual. At the Partition Wizard, select Manual Partitioning.

Create a primary partition for the new operating system.

Remember that you can have 4 primary partitions or 3 primary partitions and 1 extended partition on a hard drive. You can have multiple logical drives residing in the extended partition. Linux can be installed to either primary or logical partitions.

You can only create a partition in a free space area. Free space, by definition, is unpartitioned space. You may need to manipulate existing partitions in order to generate the free space, such as resize an existing partition smaller.

Once you have the desired contiguous free space, click on the free space so it is highlighted by black bars and then click on the Create button. Choose to create a partition with the desired size. Choose Custom Partition Type to separately create a Linux and a Linux Swap partition. The minimum size of the Swap partition should be equal to your computer's RAM.

Once the partitions are created, reboot your computer on the installation media and begin.

If this fails to boot, you may need to configure your computer's BIOS to boot from the diskette or CD-ROM before other devices. Your computer and/or BIOS manual provides instructions on how to do this.

Insert the Linux boot diskette or boot CD. If you are planning to boot from the Linux CD, you must have the BIOS option set to allow booting from CD. Note that most systems are not set to boot from the CD as a default. Consult your computer/BIOS manual for details on how to set your system to boot from CD (before booting the hard disk).

There are many different versions of Linux and different installation procedures. Please refer to your Linux documentation for best results. However, here are a few things to remember.

Choose an "expert" or "custom" install. You will be asked more questions, but it is necessary for the best results.

Remember that your Linux root and swap partitions are already created for you. Do not choose to create partitions during the Linux install. Typically, use Disk Druid to edit the Linux partition you wish to "mount", if given that option. If not, then use the "expert or custom" partition program to opt out of automatically creating partitions.

Have handy the sizes of your Linux partitions and the hard drives they are on. This is sometimes a good way to recognize them when using the Linux partitioning programs.

During the Linux installation, it will ask how to install LILO or an alternative program GRUB. These programs are what make Linux able to boot from the hard disk. We recommend that you use the LILO program.

If you are using LILO, choose to install LILO into the superblock (the Linux partition, id 83). While System Commander also supports booting to the MBR, by doing so, it will temporarily stop System Commander from booting, and the LILO MBR method adds no benefits to running Linux.

If you installed LILO using the MBR method, when you complete the Linux installation, System Commander will NOT appear upon reboot. This is not a major problem. From the LILO boot menu, choose to boot into the operating system where System Commander was installed. Upon booting into this OS, System Commander will automatically re-enable our OS Selection menu and capture LILO into a file named C:\MBR_LILO.DAT.

Note: this function is only available with System Commander 7.04 and above. This will also work if System Commander (v7) is installed into a FAT or FAT32 partition.

When you next reboot, the OS will run where SC was installed (typically Windows or DOS). In addition this will automatically run our CHECKMBR program to enable System Commander and, if necessary, save the Linux MBR for System Commander.

Shutdown the OS and System Commander's OS Selection menu will appear, and the OS name Linux will appear as an OS selection. Select this to boot into your new Linux.

If LILO or GRUB is installed using the Partition method, sometimes Linux may not appear immediately on the OS Selection menu. This is typical of an installation to the extended partition. Follow these steps to make it appear:

From the OS Selection menu, press (Alt-S) for the Settings options.
Select the Order Add and Remove menu.
Press Alt-A to Add.
Select the Partition option.
Highlight the Linux Native or UNIX-83 partition.
Press Alt-T to toggle the bootable status of the selected partition to Yes.
Return to the OS Selection menu, the selected partition will now appear.