GUI Install

Make sure you first partition your hard drive. Use only Linux partitions (type 83), and optionally a swap partition (type 82).

Start the installer by selecting "Install X-Amiga" from the Tools menu.

Welcome

The installer is careful not to make any changes to your system until all options are reviewed, with an opportunity to go back and select new options. Only by pressing the 'Install' button (later) do the changes become irrevocable.

You can exit at any time by clicking the close gadget.

Note: if you skip a step, the installer resets that particular option (important if you go back to change an option, but change your mind and skip the step).

1 - Partitioning

X-Amiga must be installed onto a hard disk partition. A hard disk is commonly divided into several partitions; alternatively one partition can span the entire hard drive.

X-Amiga requires about 40MB. This is only the Linux requirement; it does not include Amiga ROMs, operating system, or floppy disk images. These can reside on the same partition as X-Amiga, or you can choose to copy them onto a separate dedicated partition.

If your hard disk is already partitioned (perhaps a partition is already occupied by another operating system) and the destination partition is already set to the correcty type (see below), then you can skip this step.

Important: X-Amiga only installs to Linux partitions (type 83). If you want, you can also define a swap partition (type 82).

2 - Install destination

Select a partition on which to install X-Amiga.

3 - Amiga destination

Select a partition on which to install Amiga-specific files.

When the main installation has finished, you'll be given options to copy Amiga ROM, OS and ADF files to the destination entered here.

If you want these Amiga files to reside on the same partition as the Linux system then leave this destination at the default (it should be the same as the destination you chose in the previous step).

However, if all you need is the Linux system, and you prefer to deal with copying Amiga-specific files by yourself, you can skip this step - no options will be given later to copy Amiga files.

4 - Bootloader

Choose how you would like to boot the computer.

GRUB can be used to boot many other operating systems, including Windows. A configuration file will be generated by the installer. It is easy to edit this file to allow for multi-booting, or it can be incorporated into an already-existing GRUB configuration.

If you already have a bootloader or prefer to install an alternative, just skip this step or select 'None'.

4 - Confirm boot device

The installer must be sure where to install GRUB, because a mistake can make your computer unbootable. Should this happen, the only way to fix it is to boot from a CD (or other external device) and re-install the bootloader.

5 - Video mode

Select a suitable resolution and color depth for your display. The VESA graphics modes shown in the list are detected by the BIOS. The mode you choose will be used by E-UAE for its display, and in the splash screen.

The format is:

[Mode number] [X-resolution] x [Y-resolution] x [color depth]

6 - Sound card

Select your sound card. The list shows all the sound cards supported by the kernel. More information is on the ALSA website. If your sound card isn't displayed, you can skip this step, or select 'dummy'.

7 - Networking

This option installs networking tools for wired and wireless ethernet connections. The beta version of X-Amiga doesn't automatically set up networking (yet!), but it's quite straightforward to do manually after installation. See the FAQ section in the Documentation page.

8 - Password

To ensure security, there is no root user on an X-Amiga system. The password you enter here will enable you to carry out administrative tasks using 'sudo'.

View summary

This screen is a reminder of your choices so far, together with any associated warnings.

Settings menu

Here you have an opportunity to go back and change settings, if necessary.

Simply select an option from the list and press 'OK'. You can review your choices by selecting the 'View summary' option.

Note that the installer won't continue unless a destination has been selected and an administrator password entered.

Ready to install

When you press 'Install', the installer will begin the installation process. All data on the selected disk/partition(s) will be erased and replaced with the Linux operating system and Amiga files.

Important: if you continue, all changes become irrevocable!

Progress bar

The packages being installed are organised into various categories; the progress indicator shows which subsystem is being copied.

Finished installing

The main part of the installation is now complete. The next few steps are concerned with copying essential Amiga files.

Kickstart ROM setup

Choose whether to install an Amiga ROM. If you'd rather copy the ROMs manually, you can skip this step.

Important: E-UAE won't work without a ROM image!

Insert medium

The installer mounts CDROMs only at this point during installation; USB storage devices can be plugged and unplugged at any time.

The mount point for all devices is /mnt

For instance, a CDROM is usually found at /mnt/cdrom

USB devices are mounted at /mnt/usb1, /mnt/usb2, etc.

Select Amiga ROM source directory

Select a directory containing Amiga ROM files. The entire directory will be copied to the destination.

Important: don't attempt to copy individual files; it will only confuse the installer!

If you're using a recent version of Amiga Forever, the ROM files are located in /mnt/cdrom/Emulation/System/rom:

.
`-- cdrom
    `-- Emulation
        `-- System
            `-- rom

The installer recognises ROM files with extension .rom and keyfiles .key

Select Amiga ROM destination directory

Select a destination for the Amiga ROM files. Default directories are shown, so you should select 'ROM'. If you wish to create your own custom directory, you can click 'New Folder'.

Confirm copy

The installer will ask you to confirm the source and destination directories. If there's anything wrong, you have a chance to go back and try again.

Amiga OS setup

The options for copying an Amiga operating system are the same as for ROM files.

Important: the installer assumes that the directory selected contains pre-installed operating system partitions, in the form of sub-directories.

For example, if you're using a recent version of Amiga Forever, the System & Work directories (which represent the original Amiga partitions) are located in /mnt/cdrom/Emulation/System/dir:

.
`-- cdrom
    `-- Emulation
        `-- System
            `-- dir
                |-- System
                `-- Work

Don't select System or Work; select the directory that contains them: /mnt/cdrom/Emulation/System/dir

Amiga floppy setup

The options for copying an Amiga floppy disk images are the same as for ROM files.

UAE setup

The installer can generate an E-UAE configuration file (.uaerc) based on the choices made during installation. You should check this file afterwards, however, because if there are any errors, E-UAE may not start properly.

Finished copying

Confirmation that Amiga files have been copied.

Finished installing X-Amiga

The installation is now completely finished. You should read the post-installation notes before exiting.

Post-installation notes

These are notes about the installation. The installer has generated a log during installation; this is checked for errors.

Now proceed to Run X-Amiga!

Back