Pre-installation checklist is the must have documentation before begin installation of any operating system, not just Linux. Basically, pre-installation checklist is an information about the whole system from computer hardware components, software, version, license key and networking data and hardware information.
Hardware
Information about hardware can be found in the manufacturer's manual. If the manual is missing, check hardware name and version (should be printed on the component) and search it's information in the manufacturer's website.
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
- Processor Type - i386, i486, DX2, etc :
- Processor Speed - Maximum speed in MHz :
Random Access Memory (RAM)
- Memory Size - Size in MB :
Mouse/ Mice
- Type - PS/2, USB, etc :
- How many buttons? :
Keyboard
- Type - PS/2, USB :
- How many keys? :
CD-ROM drive
- Manufacturer - Sony, Samsung, etc :
- Type - IDE, ATAPI, SCSI, etc :
Hard Disk Drive
- Manufacturer - Seagate, Maxtor, etc :
- Type - IDE, SCSI, SATA, etc :
- Size - Size in MB :
Video card (VGA)
- Manufacturer - ATI, NVIDIA, etc :
- Memory size - Size in MB :
Display Monitor
- Manufacturer :
- Size of the screen - 14", 15", 17", etc :
- Resolutions :
- Vertical refresh rate/ Vertical sync. frequency :
- Horizontal refresh rate/ Horizontal sync.frequency :
Printer
- Manufacturer :
- Type :
- Port :
Networking information can be check with ipconfig command in Windows Command Prompt and ifconfig in Linux terminal.
- Hostname :
- Domain name :
- IP address :
- Netmask :
- DNS IP addresss :
- Router IP address :
GNU/Linux pre-installation checklist - A complete pre-installation checklist.
You can also proceed to the next tutorial: Linux installation methods.