Is linux easy to install?

Depending on the distribution (or distro) one chooses to install, the installation process can be quite simple. As Linux is largely distributed via Internet downloads, users seldom start with a physical CD or DVD and installation manual. Still, for most distros - especially the more common or popular flavors - there is a wealth of documentation online. Some of the more popular "entry-level" distros include OpenSuSE, Ubuntu, Fedora, Mandriva, and PCLinuxOS. Each of these has a large community base of home users and dedicated developers that maintain online manuals and upgrade each distro for future releases.

Most entry-level Linux distros offer at least an option of progressing through a graphical installation process; that is, one starts the computer with a bootable CD/DVD in the drive, and the installation process starts automatically with a visual series of screens through which the user selects (often by mouse-clicking) different options for installation. Some distros go one step further by allowing the user to select a "preset" installation method (e.g. "Home User," "Workstation," etc.), where the most suitable options are automatically used. Other distros can be geared toward users more comfortable with the Linux OS, and may rely on more advanced text-based installation methods

Additionally, many Linux distros are packaged as "Live CDs" which can be used to boot the computer into the OS without installing it, so the user can preview the distro or just use it without having to install onto the hard drive. Live CDs are a good way to introduce oneself to the distro without altering any existing information on the hard drive.

As a final note, a user considering installing a Linux distro onto a computer should bear in mind that installing any Linux distribution makes certain changes to the boot sectors of the hard drive, and these changes will most likely render any existing operating systems (like Windows XP) unusable. There are ways to avoid this, including dual- or multi-booting, and ways to recover and re-enter a previous OS after installing Linux, but these processes are typically fairly advanced and involved, and the risk of permanently damaging or losing some or all of the information/files on a hard drive can be high. For the first-time Linux user, a Live CD (or at least installing onto a blank primary hard drive with no other files on it already) is usually the best way to preview a distro.

First answer by SilverZero. Last edit by SilverZero. Contributor trust: 13 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 14 [recommend question]

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