(Missed Part I? Click here.)

Don't boot your SimplyMepis CD yet! While you're still in your old operating system make a note of your current modem and/or network settings. And your ISP's connection settings too. Now simply re-start the PC.

On boot SimplyMephis presents a number of choices. The default, BOOT NORMAL, is best for newer systems. If you have display problems, try BOOT VESA. On older systems use BOOT MINIMUM. SM's recommended configuration is a Pentium-III or better and 256MB of RAM. It will work with older CPUs and as little as 64MB of RAM but be warned that "performance may be poor."

Also keep in mind that you are, initially at least, running from CD which is way slower than running from a hard drive.

First up you'll find a login window containing three pre-configured users;


Along the top of the box is the name and version number of the distribution. The garbage in brackets is the build number of the system's kernel build number. Paswords mirror user names so sign-in as demo, password demo.

And that's it. You're running Linux!

SimplyMepis opens two windows on startup, a selection of tips and a sound mixer called KMix. The reason for the latter is that some systems default to silence when booting so if you didn't hear a startup tune, check the volume slider.

Like all Linux systems, SimplyMepis protects key configuration settings from general user tampering by requiring a root password. Root = God in Linux (or "Administrator" in Windows.) The default root password is "root" (without the quotes) and you'll need it for some of the following.

To configure network settings, click the K-Menu button, choose Mepis Config and select Network Interfaces. SM handles wired and wireless networks in all possible flavours. Note that the first network card is always "eth0" in Linux.

Modem users should click the K-Menu button, choose Internet, Connection then the Internet Dialup Tool to set your configuration. If you're using a winmodem, be warned that not all are usable under Linux on account of their tie-in to the Windows operating system. I have had some success in getting them to work but if you don't fancy messing around you can pick up Linux-compatible modem for under $30 from DSE.

With luck and good management that's all you'll need for a fully functional internet-connected Linux system. If you're having problems, the Documents folder on the desktop contains a couple of files called Quick Start and Tips. You can also download the Mepis User Guide (it's around 2.6MB) from this link.

Go ahead and try out your new environment. Do whatever you like. You can't actually break anything - even as root - since you're running from CD. Next time we'll look personalising the configuration and how to keep those new settings, and even take them from PC to PC.