eAction

This is further to my previous blog about downloading and installing Linux ISOs. To be more specific, Suse. I’ve just finished downloading all 6 ISOs to make the CD set for installing Suse 10.1. All have burned right away on the first try. Since I had some problems last year when I tried this, I thought it might be wise to spell out the steps I took this time, in case that might help you.

To start, I tried various Suse sites and clicked on the Download links until I came to this page; Open Suse Released Version. Near the bottom of that page is a chart. I know my computer is just a generic Pentium III, so the first line of links was for me. (The middle line is for fancy whiz-bang new computers that are out of my league and the PPC line is for Mac and Apple computers, also something I don’t have).

I had already ordered a DVD of Suse 10.1 last weekend, but my niece wants to try switching to Suse now as well, and she does not have a DVD drive, so I decided - hey, why not give it a try again?

So over several days this week, some during the day, and in the background, and some at night, when I left my computer running, I’ve been downloading and burning these CDs in the K3B program, and it has worked out quite well.

I’ve read that it is not recommended to be downloading such a large file as an ISO, and I see why. Many other actions, even downloading email is slowed down and takes longer than I’m used to. However, when I was mostly just writing, and not going to all kinds of sites online, or working with emails, and PDF attachments, then there was no problem with the downloading in the background. I just had to give it time because some of those ISO files took anywhere from 5 to 9 hours of continuous download. That’s why I spread it out over several days.

Normally I shut down the computer over night, but here I clicked on the next CD on that chart, and watched to make sure the download was happening, and then I turned out the lights and went to bed.

Now, in K3B, with a blank CD in your Burner-drive, what you do is click on “Data CD” Then, in the upper left window, go to the folder where the downloaded file is. When it shows up in the upper right window, Simply click on it. The next window pops up and the Md5sum check is beginning before you bring the scroll bar down on the upper action screen to find it. When the green checkmark appears, you can click on the “Burn” button on the upper right corner.

Or, drag the file with your mouse from that window to the lower window. Then you need to go up to “Tools” and from that menu, select, “Burn CD image.” Now that other window pops up and you can check for the Md5sum action bar as it is being checked. When the green checkmark appears on the left, you know your download went fine, and you can click on the “Burn” button at the top right.

In a matter of minutes K3B ejects the burned CD and blows that lovely “Ta-da-Ta-DA!” trumpet. That means SUCCESS.

(Note: if the MD5sum did not check out okay, it means something went wrong with the download, and you don’t have a full or complete ISO. You’ll be wasting your CD if you try to burn that file. You’ll need to download it all over again).

I sometimes push the CD back into the burner, close the windows that did the burning, and in the main screen go to the drive (by name) which holds it. In just a moment or two I can see the files that are on the new CD and convince myself that I really did do a successful burn.

Now, switch back to the folder where you have the next ISO file downloaded, remove the finished CD and put it into a sleeve marked with the name, etc. and pop another blank CD into the burner drive. When you have the set all made, you are ready to install.

Hopefully by my next blog entry here, I will have done a full install again, and will be able to describe the steps.

Meantime, I’m thinking, if I’m going to make copies of this first set for others, I’ll soon need a good source for low-cost CDs!