Five PCs, five problems
PC one is slow but works. PC two will not start properly after a bad update. PC three belongs to a designer who needs two systems. PC four is brand new. PC five is one of forty in a lab.
Each needs a different kind of install.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Network | computers joined together so they can share data |
| In-place upgrade | moving to a newer system without wiping the drive |
| Clean install | wiping the drive and installing the system from new |
| Repair install | reinstalling system files without removing user data or upgrading |
| Multi-boot | a computer that can start into more than one system |
| Boot manager | the small program that lets you choose which system to start |
| Compatibility | whether programs and hardware work with a system |
| Installation media | the disc, USB drive or download that holds the installer |
| PXE | starting a PC from a server over the network |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can compare five install methods and choose one for a case.
Starter
Have a go
Starter
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
In-place upgrade and clean install
An in-place upgrade moves a PC to a newer system without a full clean install. It is simple and quick. User profiles are not lost. But old programs may not work with the new system, and you need installation media or a big download.
A manual clean install wipes the drive and installs fresh from the media. You get the latest, cleanest system. But it takes time and you may need a backup first.
Repair install and multi-boot
A repair install puts the system files back without losing data and without upgrading. There is no need to check compatibility, and it may fix faults. But it is a manual job, and it may not fix every fault.
Multi-boot lets one PC start into more than one system, even from different makers. It is hard to set up and look after.
Build a disk image with two system partitions
truncate -s 64M multi.img && parted -s multi.img mklabel gpt mkpart systemA ext4 1MiB 30MiB mkpart systemB ext4 30MiB 100% && parted -s multi.img printA command for the lesson’s lab terminal. It is shown here and not run.
Remote network installation
A remote network installation installs a system from a network boot. It may need no visit to the PC. It makes use of unattended install, and it deploys to many devices well.
But the speed is limited by the network. A special network set-up is needed, and each PC must support network boot, such as PXE. It takes a lot of configuring.
Five methods compared
| Method | Good | Not so good |
|---|---|---|
| In-place upgrade | Efficient, simple, keeps profiles | May have compatibility issues; needs media or a large download |
| Manual clean install | Newest system; simple | May need a backup; takes time |
| Repair install | Keeps data; no compatibility check; may fix faults | Manual; may not fix every fault |
| Multi-boot | Run systems from different makers | Hard to set up and keep going |
| Remote network install | No visit; efficient for many PCs | Limited by the network; needs PXE and set-up |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.