Changes

The first step on the path to learning about CentOS 6 involves installing the operating system. CentOS 6 can be installed either in a clean disk environment (where an entire disk is cleared of any existing partitions and dedicated entirely to CentOS 6) or in a dual boot environment where CentOS 6 co-exists with another operating system on the disk (typically a member of the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems).

== Trying CentOS 6 without Installing ==

Insert the first CentOS 6 DVD into the appropriate drive and power on the system. If the system tries to boot from the hard disk drive you will need to enter the BIOS setup menu for your computer and change the boot order so that it boots from the DVD drive first. Once the system has booted you will be presented with the following screen:

[[Image:centos6_installation_boot_screen.png|The CentOS 6 Boot Screen]]

* '''Use Free Space''' - If the current partitions on the drive do not take up the entire disk space available, any unallocated space may be assigned to the CentOS 6 installation using this option.

* '''Create Custom Layout''' - When selected, this option displays the disk partitioning tool allowing each partition on the disk to be manually configured. Unless you have experience with low level disk partitioning this option is not recommended.

For the purposes of this chapter we are assuming the entire disk is available to accommodate the CentOS 6 installation so select the ''Use All Space'' option.

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