This document intends to help new to Linux users install Slint Linux in text mode. If you have not already read how to get and install Slint, you should do so. It will explain how to create a bootable USB stick or DVD disc containing Slint.

Here are the installation steps:

Choose Locale and Begin Installation Process
Create the Partitions
Set Up the Partitions
Install the Software Packages
Configure the System

You will see this screen after (re)booting if your machine is in BIOS or Legacy mode:

The screen is slightly different in UEFI mode. However it has the same features:

Select the language you prefer by using the down and up arrow keys. Press [Enter] once you make your selection.

The screen becomes black and displays a lot of messages. You generally do not need to read these messages. Basically it is information the Linux kernel discovers about your system while booting. The Linux kernel is being loaded into RAM. Once that is finished, you will see and hear a dialog asking you if you want to keep speech during installation at the bottom of the screen (new in version 14.2.1):

If you accept typing S then Enter, you will be proposed to display the keyboard shortcuts for reviewing the screen with speech (new in version 14.2.1):

If you type R then Enter the keyboard shortcuts will be displayed (new in version 14.2.1):

You may then confirm or change the language set in the greeting screen of the boot manager (new in version 14.2.1):

An option to load support for another keyboard is then displayed:

The keyboard map you choose should match the language you chose earlier. To choose a different mapping, enter [1] and press [Enter].

If you chose to change the keyboard mapping, you will be presented with a dialog box. In this dialog you can test your mapping by typing some characters. Once you are satisfied, on a new line, press [1], followed by [Enter].

If you are unsatisfied with the change, enter [2] on a new line, followed by [Enter]. You will be brought back to the previous screen and be able to adjust your keyboard mapping again.

Once you choose your keyboard mapping, you will be presented with an informative screen:

Read through this information carefully. Once finished, type the administrator user name (root) into the prompt, and press [Enter].

This will display another screen with more recommendations:

We assume that you are installing a new Slint system, therefore only the last paragraph is relevant:

To partition your hard drive(s), use cfdisk or fdisk.
For systems using GPT instead of MBR, you can also use cgdisk or gdisk.
To activate PCMCIA/Cardbus devices needed for installation, type pcmcia.
To start the main installation (after partitioning), type setup.

If you have already created the partitions needed to install Slint Linux, you may skip this part and go directly to Set up the partitions

The cfdisk application can handle GPT partition tables, as well as MBR, which are also known as DOS partition tables. You can use cfdisk in all cases to set up your partitions. Of course, if the partitioning is already complete you can skip this step, and just type setup to display the main installation menu. If you are unfamiliar with the vocabulary (like partition, MBR or GPT) you can consult the glossary.

In this an example it is assumed that you are installing Slint on a new hard disk. The example hard disk is 1 Terabyte in size, the system requires UEFI mode, and has not yet been formatted.

Here is the screen that you will see after having typed cfdisk and hit the [Enter] key:

On the bottom of the screen it says:

Device does not contain a recognized partition table.

This is expected because the hard disk has not yet been formatted. Create the partition table now. For UEFI you should select the GPT label type. select gpt and press [Enter] to continue.

The next screen displays an empty partition table:

In our example we will set three partitions. Other partition layouts may require more partitions due to specific use cases. We will assume a generic scenario to simplify these directions:

• A partition of type EFI system, called the ESP (EFI System Partition). It will store the files needed to boot the system. Be sure to make it at least 100 Megabytes in size.
• A partition of type Linux swap. This partition will store swapped data when RAM (Random Access Memory) becomes full. The swap partition is optional. It becomes necessary if you have less than 4 Gigabytes of RAM, plan to compile very large programs, or intend to hibernate your machine. Hibernating your system will require more space because your system will store all of the contents of RAM in the swap partition. We will assume that you have 2 Gigabytes of RAM and will set the size of the swap partition to 3 Gigabytes.
• A partition of type Linux system. Make it as big as possible. In our example , we will set its size to 300 Gigabytes, reserving the remaining space for future use.

In cfdisk, you can navigate using the [Tab] and the arrow keys. Press [Enter] to confirm choices. Select [Help] and press [Enter] to see more about cfdisk usage.

First set up the EFI System partition. Choose [New] and then press [Enter]. By default the partition will take up all available space. Use 100 Megabytes instead by typing 100M:

Confirm your changes by pressing [Enter]. By default the partition will be of type Linux system:

To change that, select [Type], press [Enter], and then move the cursor upward with the arrow keys to select EFI System:

Confirm your changes by pressing [Enter]. Then press the down arrow key to create a new partition in the remaining free space:

Repeat the same process to create a swap partition and the root file system. Set the swap size to 3G and the partition type to Linux swap. Set the root partition to 300G (300 Gigabytes) and the partition type to Linux system.

Up until now all changes have been stored in RAM. Saving your changes requires you to select [Write] to write the partition table on the hard disk.

At this point you will be asked to confirm your changes. Type yes to confirm. Select [ Quit ] and press [Enter] to exit cfdisk.

The system is now ready to run the Slint Linux installer.

Type setup to begin the Slint installation process. This will display the setup main menu:

The setup main menu lists the steps needed to install and configure Slint. Some of the presented choices are optional.

This article provides more detailed explanations than the HELP menu. Additionally, you should already have chosen your keyboard map. You do not need to choose the HELP or KEYMAP menu options.

Select ADDSWAP. The next dialog box explains that the swap partition has been detected. It gives you the option to select the swap partition you wish to use:

Confirm the addition of the swap partition(s) by pressing [Enter]. You are now asked to check the swap partition(s) for bad blocks:

You can safely accept the default answer: No.

The next screen displays a line describing the swap space. This text will be written to the file /etc/fstab at the end of installation process. This file records the mapping between partitions, directories, and associated file systems (fstab stands for File Systems Table):

After the ADDSWAP dialog, the next dialog displayed by the installer is the TARGET menu option. The TARGET dialog asks which partition should be used as the root partition. The root partition is designated as /, also known as the first directory in the Linux filesystem hierarchy.

In our example we set up one Linux partition. The block device to use for the root partition (or /) is /dev/sda3.

The term format refers to the process of configuring a partition with a filesystem so that files can be stored and managed. Choose Quick format with no bad bock checking. This option will be used in most cases.

Several types of file systems can be used to format Linux partitions. The ext4 filesystem type is highlighted by default. Choose it by pressing [Enter] to assign it to the root partition.

Formatting the partitions takes a few seconds. On older systems it can take a bit longer. The next screen displays the text that will be written to /etc/fstab for the root partition at the end of the installation process.

Format the EFI System Partition. This will allow the installer to create the files needed to boot in EFI mode.

The line displayed is what will be written to /etc/fstab.

The next part of the installation process is the INSTALL menu option.

In this section you will be guided through the media selection and software installation portion of the installation process. A predetermined set of software packages will be installed onto your hard disk.

You will be asked to select the media from which the installer will copy the Slint software packages to your hard disk. In this example the installer will copy its files from a DVD.

Select option 2, Install from a Slint CD or DVD.

The installer will find the DVD drive automatically. Select the recommended option auto, Scan for the CD or DVD drive.

The installer will find the DVD. Confirm that you are ready to install the packages by selecting Yes and pressing [Enter].

You can choose to install or not the KDE packages (new in version 14.2.1):

One line is displayed on the screen for each software package installed.

Please be patient. The installation of all software packages will take a few minutes. This process may take longer if you have an older system. The next step is the configuration process of your system.

The installer will automatically register the system fonts after all software packages have been copied. This takes just a few seconds.

Then a font cache is generated so that system fonts can be accessed quickly in the future. This also takes a few seconds.

Then the installer asks to make a USB boot disk. This USB boot disk will aid you in starting up your system if it becomes unable to boot. An example of such a scenario is if the boot loader fails or if the boot sector is not updated when a kernel upgrade occurs. This step is skipped in this tutorial, but it is a recommended safety measure you should consider.

The next step is installing a boot loader.

In our example we booted the installer in EFI mode. The installer asks to skip the installation of LILO in order to install ELILO instead. It is safer to prepare the system to boot in both modes (BIOS and EFI). You will install LILO alongside ELILO.

Select install, Install LILO anyway.

Next, you will be asked several questions about installing LILO. In each dialog you should accept the default choice.

Select simple, Try to install LILO automatically:

Select standard, which is the safest choice, Use the standard Linux console:

If you do not need extra parameters passed to the kernel to boot, press [Enter].

Select MBR, Install to Master Boot Record:

Next, select to install ELILO. This will write the necessary files to boot in EFI mode onto the EFI system partition.

Select install, Install a boot menu entry. This entry will go in the firmware's boot menu. It will be written to the CMOS instead of on the hard disk. It will give you an alternate way to start the boot process.

The next screen confirms the installation of the menu entry.

You probably won't see then the next screen. USB mice are auto-detected by default.

Next you will be asked if you want a Console mode mouse cursor. This may not be necessary if you strictly use Graphical mode. It doesn't hurt to enable this option if for some reason you only have access to Console mode at some point in the future.

Select Yes to configure the network settings. This is needed to access the internet, even if you do not have a local network,

The hostname is needed to identify the machine in a local network. If you do not have a local network, you can use any name. Some examples could be machine or box.

Enter a domain name that will allow other computers on the internet to reach you. This is useful if you are hosting a web server, or other network services. If you are not planning to do so, enter any name you wish.

Next you will be asked how you would like to configure the network. In most cases the best choice is to select NetworkManager, Autoconfigure network using NetworkManager.

Select Yes to confirm your choice. You will automatically see a widget on your Slint desktop panel. It will allow you to manage both wireless and wired network connections.

Slint can be used as a server and a desktop. This dialog asks what services you wish to run on your Slint system. It is safe to accept the default menu options. You can easily change your system configuration after the installation process is complete, and you are booted into your new system.

You will now choose if your computer should start in Graphical or Console mode. A novice Linux user will often prefer Graphical mode, but in this example Console mode is chosen. This can easily be changed later on when you are booted into your new system.

Several Windows managers are available in Slint's Graphical mode. Pick the one you like or one at random. You will be able to change this setting and try other window manager after the installation process.

If you travel a lot, set your computer's clock to UTC. If in doubt, answer No.

Select your preferred timezone. Use the arrow keys or [Page Up] and [Page Down] to find your timezone. Press [Enter] when you have it highlighted.

Next you are asked if you want to set up a password for the root account. The root account is the administrative account that is allowed full access to all aspects of your system. It is strongly recommended that you choose Yes.

Enter your password and press [Enter].

Type the root password again to confirm it and press [Enter].

It is also recommended that you set up a limited user account (non-privileged). This is the account you will use for day to day activities such as browsing the web and checking e-mail. Select Create a new account and press [Enter].

Then type the name associated with the account. It can be your first name or a nickname you will remember.

Enter the password for the new account and press [Enter].

Type the password again to confirm it and press [Enter].

You can create as many user accounts as you wish. Once you are finished, Select Exit user setup and press [Enter].

We chose English as the default language for this installation process. If English is not your native language you can set another language for the installed system.

At this point the installation is complete. You are asked to remove the installation medium. If you used a DVD, open the DVD tray, and remove the disc. If you used a USB stick, remove it from the USB port.

Finally, you can select Yes and press [Enter] to reboot into your new Slint Linux system.

If for some reason there is another task to complete, choose No and press [Enter]. You will be dropped to a root shell on your system.

You have successfully installed Slint Linux. You system should be fully functional and ready for every day use. You may, however, have a few questions about what to do next. For example, you may wish to manage users or groups, change the keyboard map or language, install a printer, configure sound, manage your network connections, or initialize network services. You may also have questions about how to install, remove, and upgrade software on you system. Or quite possibly, you simply need a brief introduction to Slint's graphical user interface. All of these questions and more can be answered by returning to the section of this wiki that describes Slint's usage.

If for some reason you find a topic is uncovered, please visit the support section of this wiki, and follow the directions.