Install CentOS 6 over windows XP?

ITSpectreITSpectre Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
in LPI, Red Hat & Linux Foundation
I recently bought a laptop for 40.00 from a friend of mine and I was wondering has anyone done a install over windows and replaced it with Linux? I do not want to run a VMware Player or workstation I want to do a wipe of windows and a clean install of CentosLinux to aid me in attaining my RCHSA. Im not sure if my PC is up to par to even do this so here are the specs

The Memory is the important thing....

Memory slot 1 - 1024MB
Drive C:\ - Total space 975.44MB
Drive Z:\ - Total space 63.75MB

Will this even be enough memory to do a clean install???
In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
“The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios
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  • ITSpectreITSpectre Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
    More about the Laptop... I can tell it used to be a Govt computer or someone used to work on a network because I cannot un install anything or really do anything with the settings. So I will probably have to wipe the entire PC anyway.
    In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
    “The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios
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  • stryder144stryder144 Member Posts: 1,684 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Here is a website that shows the minimums for various versions of CentOS. It would seem, based on the specs listed, that 512mb is the minimum, so 1gb of RAM should be fine. As for how much HDD space you need, that is dependent upon what software you install, to be honest.

    As for installing over Windows, I've done it numerous times so it should be pretty trivial. Just prepare the install media you plan to use, boot from it, then follow the onscreen instructions. It is fairly intuitive, at least compared to my first Linux install in 1997.
    The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position. ~ Leo Buscaglia

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  • ITSpectreITSpectre Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
    stryder144 wrote: »
    Here is a website that shows the minimums for various versions of CentOS. It would seem, based on the specs listed, that 512mb is the minimum, so 1gb of RAM should be fine. As for how much HDD space you need, that is dependent upon what software you install, to be honest.

    As for installing over Windows, I've done it numerous times so it should be pretty trivial. Just prepare the install media you plan to use, boot from it, then follow the onscreen instructions. It is fairly intuitive, at least compared to my first Linux install in 1997.

    Thanks. So im running into a issue. I have the ISO burned to a USB stick. But when I select "boot from USB" it goes straight to windows xp and does not even boot from my USB stick. The ISO I downloaded is the Centos-6.8-i386 minimal. And its not allowing me to wipe it.. What I want to do is boot from the USB stick and install centos but I may have to wipe the HD which is going to be hard because there is no CD drive unless you can run DBAN from a USB?
    In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
    “The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios
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  • vanillagorilla3vanillagorilla3 Member Posts: 79 ■■■□□□□□□□
    You'll probably have to go into the BIOS and change the boot settings. You may be able to press F12 before the Windows boot logo to get a boot menu and select the USB drive.
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  • ITSpectreITSpectre Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
    UPDATE.

    So I had a co worker look at it and this laptop has probably been imaged. I cannot uninstall anything and I cannot see the C:\ at all which is not normal. Also the USB device I plug in is not even recognized. The BIOS is outdated and needs to be updated but if that does not work then I may have to buy a cheap laptop HD and start from scratch.
    In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
    “The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios
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  • wolfinsheepsclothingwolfinsheepsclothing Member Posts: 155
    Linux doesn't use drive letters (ie. 'C') for devices/partitions. How did your coworker install the OS? Everything on a single physical disk? Are you able to authenticate and open a shell? If so, could you please relay the output of the following: 'df -h' and 'll /dev/sd*'

    EDIT: Do you have updated firmware to flash the BIOS? How old is this computer? Does it support virtualization? I misunderstood what you wrote; how did you burn the ISO to the disc? Is it bootable?
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  • ITSpectreITSpectre Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
    wolfinsheepsclothing wrote: »
    Linux doesn't use drive letters (ie. 'C') for devices/partitions. How did your coworker install the OS? Everything on a single physical disk? Are you able to authenticate and open a shell? If so, could you please relay the output of the following: 'df -h' and 'll /dev/sd*'

    Wolf Linux is not on the laptop... im trying to install linux on this laptop by installing it from the USB stick I have... currently the OS that is on the laptop is win xp. the problem that I have is the PC will not read the USB stick to boot from it. the BIOS im checking for a update to it but if it will not allow me to install it then I have to figure out how to wipe the HD then start over
    In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
    “The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios
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  • VeritiesVerities Member Posts: 1,162
    ITSpectre wrote: »
    Wolf Linux is not on the laptop... im trying to install linux on this laptop by installing it from the USB stick I have... currently the OS that is on the laptop is win xp. the problem that I have is the PC will not read the USB stick to boot from it. the BIOS im checking for a update to it but if it will not allow me to install it then I have to figure out how to wipe the HD then start over

    If you can't get the BIOS to boot from USB, it could be that you didn't make the drive bootable. You can always burn an ISO onto a disk and boot from CD/DVD drive on startup. In my opinion that's the way to go since you'll probably end up blowing away the OS multiple times as you begin learning Linux.

    Something to keep in mind; the RHCSA focuses on RHEL 7, so it would be a good idea to download and install CentOS 7 and not CentOS 6. Also, I firmly believe that new Linux users should start with minimal installs so they can see what packages need to be installed for specific utilities. This will help you a lot if you take that route instead of using the "everything ISO".

    CentOS Download:

    https://www.centos.org/download/

    RHCSA Exam Objectives:

    https://www.redhat.com/en/services/training/ex200-red-hat-certified-system-administrator-rhcsa-exam

    Some free study material:

    https://www.certdepot.net/rhel7-rhcsa-exam-objectives/
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  • ITSpectreITSpectre Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
    So the issue is worse then I thought. I have no CD drive and there is symantec endpoint encryption on the laptop which is preventing a lot of windows things from being used. I think the best thing to do is buy a new Laptop HD and install Linux on that.... because that is the only way I can use this laptop.
    In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
    “The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios
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  • vanillagorilla3vanillagorilla3 Member Posts: 79 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Did you change the boot order in the BIOS? Try enabling legacy boot devices in the BIOS as well. As Wolf said above, how did you create the bootable USB? I've always used a free program called Rufus. It's always worked well for me especially with Linux.
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  • ITSpectreITSpectre Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
    What I did was just install the ISO file onto my USB stick.... but the issue is when I go into the BIOS and select boot from USB it goes right to the Windows XP screen. And when im on the PC and plug in my USB stick to see if the PC can recognize it, I get the usual popup that says "device is ready to use" but I look under the folders and its not there...
    In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
    “The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios
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  • stryder144stryder144 Member Posts: 1,684 ■■■■■■■■□□
    What is the exact make and model number of the computer?
    The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position. ~ Leo Buscaglia

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  • ITSpectreITSpectre Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Make and model is HP 2533t mobile thin client
    In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
    “The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios
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  • ITSpectreITSpectre Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
    So what im trying to do is install centos on my laptop. I have the following issues
    - symantec encryption is on the laptop
    - usb not recognized when plugged into laptop
    - No C drive on windows xp
    - Not able to remove any programs bc of security settings

    So to me what it looks like is I need to buy a small cheap laptop HD off craigslist and swap out the HDs. install the Linux OS on the HD from the USB that way and go from there.... because even if I removed the HD and tried to reformat it on my main PC I couldnt do it without it being unencrypted correct?
    In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
    “The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios
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  • stryder144stryder144 Member Posts: 1,684 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Ok, this might not work. I just reread your post and looked up the model information. You only have 1gb of PATA flash storage. Not sure what the form factor is. If it isn't a 2.5" form factor, you might not be able to install a decent, usable copy of CentOS. Not to mention, finding a 2.5" PATA HDD that isn't well used might be a challenge for you. Additionally, the version of Windows is XP Embedded. Sadly, I would recommend possibly getting a different computer.
    The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position. ~ Leo Buscaglia

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  • ITSpectreITSpectre Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
    ughhh so basically I just bought a 40.00 paperweight...
    In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
    “The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios
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  • ITSpectreITSpectre Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
    I talked to my friend and im going to swap out laptops. He has a different laptop a toshiba that has 1.5 GB of ram and is also running Win xp but im going to test it and see if its good before I swap. I may end up just getting my money back alltogether.
    In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
    “The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios
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  • wolfinsheepsclothingwolfinsheepsclothing Member Posts: 155
    How did you get the ISO on the USB? From a Linux box, I recommend using dd (dd if=/path/to/your/iso of=/your/usb/drive bs=1M). From a Windows box, you will likely need to use some kind of installer (something like this: https://rufus.akeo.ie/).

    I agree with Verities; you should install RHEL/CentOS7. I also like the idea of using a minimal install. This is what I do when I prep for exams (for the reasons Verities mentioned).
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  • ITSpectreITSpectre Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
    wolfinsheepsclothing wrote: »
    How did you get the ISO on the USB? From a Linux box, I recommend using dd (dd if=/path/to/your/iso of=/your/usb/drive bs=1M). From a Windows box, you will likely need to use some kind of installer (something like this: https://rufus.akeo.ie/).

    I agree with Verities; you should install RHEL/CentOS7. I also like the idea of using a minimal install. This is what I do when I prep for exams (for the reasons Verities mentioned).

    I did not do that.. But I wonder if I can still install Linux on a embedded xp system?
    In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
    “The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios
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  • stryder144stryder144 Member Posts: 1,684 ■■■■■■■■□□
    It appears to be possible to install it but it seems to be rather difficult. With just 1gb of storage, I am not certain it would be the best fit for what you intend to use the computer for.
    The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position. ~ Leo Buscaglia

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  • VeritiesVerities Member Posts: 1,162
    stryder144 wrote: »
    It appears to be possible to install it but it seems to be rather difficult. With just 1gb of storage, I am not certain it would be the best fit for what you intend to use the computer for.

    I agree, the laptop isn't going to be ideal for your studies ITSpectre. The minimal ISO is only a couple hundred megs, doesn't require much RAM, and only needs 1 CPU. However, you're going to have problems if you want to install KVM guests and working with logical volumes.

    Are you opposed to using a free virtualization product? I used Virtualbox with 2 x CentOS 7 vms when I studied for the RHCSA. I'm using the same setup for my RHCE studies. You can also get free AWS tier so you can deploy servers quickly without using your own hardware or go the even easier route and buy a Linux Academy subscription which basically does the same exact thing for you but they've streamlined the process.
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  • ITSpectreITSpectre Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Verities wrote: »
    I agree, the laptop isn't going to be ideal for your studies ITSpectre. The minimal ISO is only a couple hundred megs, doesn't require much RAM, and only needs 1 CPU. However, you're going to have problems if you want to install KVM guests and working with logical volumes.

    Are you opposed to using a free virtualization product? I used Virtualbox with 2 x CentOS 7 vms when I studied for the RHCSA. I'm using the same setup for my RHCE studies. You can also get free AWS tier so you can deploy servers quickly without using your own hardware or go the even easier route and buy a Linux Academy subscription which basically does the same exact thing for you but they've streamlined the process.

    Well im not opposed to it. I just wanted a cheap laptop that I can take to work with me and study when there is down time. I already have the RHCSA book... and I really cant use VmWare player on my main PC because I need more ram. When I run vmware player it freezes.
    In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
    “The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios
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  • ITSpectreITSpectre Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
    I may just sub to Linux academy though and use their stuff....
    In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
    “The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios
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  • DoubleNNsDoubleNNs Member Posts: 2,015 ■■■■■□□□□□
    I also recommend Linux Academy subscription and/or AWS free tier.
    Goals for 2018:
    Certs: RHCSA, LFCS: Ubuntu, CNCF CKA, CNCF CKAD | AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, AWS Solutions Architect Pro, AWS Certified Security Specialist, GCP Professional Cloud Architect
    Learn: Terraform, Kubernetes, Prometheus & Golang | Improve: Docker, Python Programming
    To-do | In Progress | Completed
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  • wolfinsheepsclothingwolfinsheepsclothing Member Posts: 155
    DoubleNNs wrote: »
    I also recommend Linux Academy subscription and/or AWS free tier.
    If you don't want to build a Linux laptop (or build machines on your own hypervisor), this is route I'd take.
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  • ITSpectreITSpectre Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
    wolfinsheepsclothing wrote: »
    If you don't want to build a Linux laptop (or build machines on your own hypervisor), this is route I'd take.

    I actually want to build my own laptop and build machines. its the best way to learn the nuts and bolts of Linux.
    In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
    “The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios
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  • wolfinsheepsclothingwolfinsheepsclothing Member Posts: 155
    ITSpectre wrote: »
    I actually want to build my own laptop and build machines. its the best way to learn the nuts and bolts of Linux.
    Agreed. I meant if you're not able to find a laptop with adequate specs, EC2 instances on Amazon is a good route to take.
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  • TomkoTechTomkoTech Member Posts: 438
    Use Universal USB Installer – Easy as 1 2 3 | USB Pen Drive Linux to create the USB. See if it will let you boot to the USB that way.
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  • ITSpectreITSpectre Member Posts: 1,040 ■■■■□□□□□□
    TomkoTech wrote: »
    Use Universal USB Installer – Easy as 1 2 3 | USB Pen Drive Linux to create the USB. See if it will let you boot to the USB that way.

    Yep I tried that already. The laptop would not see the USB stick. Im going to swap this laptop for the other laptop he has and test it before I take it home because I brought my usb stick to work today.
    In the darkest hour, there is always a way out - Eve ME3 :cool:
    “The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.” – Thane Krios
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  • varelgvarelg Banned Posts: 790
    To begin with, CentOS 6 won't help you get RHCSA. It has to be CentOS 7. Further, there's no 32-bit version of CentOS 7, and I suspect your laptop's processor isn't 64-bit-capable.
    In addition to Linux Academy subscription, you may also consider getting:
    - a virtualization product that would allow nested virtualization. That way, when the time comes to study KVM, you won't have to deal with installation of Linux on hardware. Linux is very picky about hardware and prefers business-grade laptops.
    - a Red Hat desktop support subscription. It's really cheap ($49 a year) and will pay back in spades. You'll get access to their Knowledge Base which opens many doors for you in terms of preparation for the exam and further.
    If you are still interested in having a dedicated Red Hat Linux computer of your own and not a virtual installation, you may want to check out Red Hat's list of PC's tested to work with Linux. For laptops, it's basically Lenovo T440s and up.
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