Linux Installing Linux/Linspire

So I tried to install Linspre OEM on an old drive. I was hoping that I could just drop the disk in and it would format the drive and install itself like XP/Vista, but it didn't. All I got was a black screen and:

GRUB>

Is this true for every type of Linux? Does Mandrake or Ubuntu install like XP/Vista? I want to start using some of these OS's to better understand them.

 

It sounds like something went wrong in the final stages to be stuck a grub prompt.

Ubuntu's installer is much better than the XP installer, i'd download that and have a go. The Debian installer is also easy and only requires a very small initial download as every thing is pulled off the net once your about done.

Installing Debian: http://www.debian.org/CD/netinst/
Installing Ubuntu: http://www.ubuntu.com/GetUbuntu/download
Note you want the desktop cd.

 

Ubuntu boots and (I think) gives you an option to install (Which is a graphical installer) or a live environment, which then has an installer if you decide to install.

Most distro's that I've seen have graphical installers in some manner of speaking, whether that be dos-like asci stuff, or proper GUI, they're pretty easy to interpret. Not sure about Mandrake, as I have never used it.

 

Live CDs are available of the following Linux distributions (distros):-

Ubuntu (Gnome) / Kubuntu (KDE) / Xubuntu (Xfce) - all based on Debian
Mint - based on Ubuntu
OpenSUSE
Mandriva - The name Mandrake has gone by for several years now
Fedora
Sabayon - based on Gentoo
Slax - based on Slackware

There are undoubtedly others, but those are the ones I have to hand.

Your question arrives at a very busy time in the Linux world, as several of the above distributions either have, or are about to, release their latest versions.

If you want to know which I'd recommend, I suggest reading the last item in my sig.

 

I wouldnt recommend linspire for learning more about linux, its dumbs everything down (which some people may like)
@IanW for the record gentoo does have a livecd, but no one recommends using

 

Nope, it booted from CD and went directly to that GRUB prompt. I wasn't able to get anywhere at all with the installer. It did say TAB will show me the commands available, but when I used the command 'install', it said that it was an invalid command.

I'll try Ubuntu instead.

 

Dodgy disk then, would just bin it. Go with one of the other major distros by all accounts they're better than Linspire its a bit rubbish.

 

TheGreatSatan, both linspire and mandrake are dead (mandrake have been renamed mandriva 3 years ago and linspire have been bought by Xandros and then killed). Ubuntu is now -the- linux distribution, openSuse and fedora are second and third. But they are not intended for beginner, they are a little bit harder to use.

 

Always make sure you check the MD5 checksum before and after burning.