Installing on a blank hard-drive

[labine50]

I tried to install Ubuntu on a 16 GB hard drive that was running Windows 2000, and that failed, (There was no boot order option or whatever it was called) so I tore apart an old computer for a hard drive that used to run Windows XP, (60 GB) but it seems to have been totally blanked when it crashed two years ago.

Is it possible to install Linux (any distribution will work) to a totally blank hard drive, or am I going to have to go out and pick up a version of MS Windows for the sole purpose of installing a different OS?

And sorry if this is the stupidest question in the history of forever and the answer was staring me in the face this entire time, but this is a first for me.

[daark.child]

You can install any OS on an empty hard drive. In this instance, all you need to do is use the partitioning tools included in the Ubuntu installer to create and format your new partitions (during the installation you will be asked about setting up partitioning for Linux, so thats when you should probably partition the drive).

[labine50]

Er... Not quite sure what you said there, but I'll give it a shot. Life is about learning, no?

[GTX2GvO]

Installing onto a blank hard disk is the SOLE method of installing any Linux in a Virtual PC.

No logic in installing Windows first if your not planning on having it in the configuration of that specific V-PC.

[labine50]

Ok, maybe I should have said this sooner, but I have no options to open files on the CD, use anything, or press anything. When I start up the computer, it displays a flashing _ and reads the CD, (Well, it spins around anyway) but doesn't do anything.

Sorry to be bothering you with all of this...


Well, something is happening. It's demanding that I insert a floppy disk, the problem is the only floppies I have are 1.38 MB, and the OS is 695.

I'm going to keep hitting random keys while it starts, it's got me this far.

[rcgreen]

It sounds like your computer won't boot from the CD.
When you first power it up, most PCs will display a message
telling you how to enter "setup". Do that to set it to boot from the
CDROM drive.

[labine50]

Y'all are going to hate me when I say this-

I was copying the CD wrong. I was trying to use the program that came with this computer, (The fully functional one that I haven't messed around with... Yet.) which doesn't support ISO files.

Sorry.

[oz]

Here's a HowTo you can go by to make sure you burn the ISO file properly:

http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/ins...nstall-cd.html