Install DVD version over existing installation?

[Luke M]

What happens if I install the DVD version of Fedora 15 over an existing installation of Fedora 15-KDE? Will it cleanly add any software I don't already have, or will it change or disrupt my installation? Good idea or not?

[markkuk]

It will delete and replace the existing installation. Re-installation is usually pointless unless the system is so badly broken that you can't login to it.

[DBelton]

Why would you wish to install the DVD version over the KDE version unless it is so broken that you can't recover it?

If you just wish to install applications that you don't already have, just install them from the online repositories. (There really aren't any applications available on the DVD that are not in the online repos)

One thing you can do if you wish to have a GUI interface to browse through and select packages to install is to use yumex...

either open a terminal or go to a console screen (ctrl-alt-F2)

su -                 (or from console screen, sign in as root)
(root password)

yum install yumex

exit terminal or logout of console then ctrl-alt-F1 to return to your GUI session

[Luke M]

Originally Posted by DBelton

Why would you wish to install the DVD version over the KDE version unless it is so broken that you can't recover it?

Since I'm just getting my feet wet I'm happy to accept someone else's idea of what packages are especially beneficial. I'm not looking for anything in particular. Plus it seems easier to download a big chunk than to do things piecemeal.

[DBelton]

That all depends upon what packages you wish to use

Seriously.. That is one of the things that makes linux so great. You can pick and choose what YOU wish to use, not settle for what some company wants you to use.

It's kinda hard for someone else to tell you what you would find beneficial, not even knowing how you use your system. After all, there are over 20,000 packages in the online repos now.

I do know a few packages that I go back and install on just about every system I have.

Disk utilities:
gparted - an application to partition a disk and create a filesystem on them.
testdisk - useful in the even that you have partition data corrupted.
hdparm - listing and setting drive parameters.

Audio/video
I usually use an application called AutoPlus (look in the guides section of this forum) to install the audio/video codecs

I also install vlc as a media player. (it's in the rpmfusion repo)
Adobe flash player. (If you have 32 bit, you can use the adobe repo and install from there. If you have 64 bit, adobe just released a beta flash 11 for 64 bit.)

beyond that, it's more specialised depending upon what I am going to use that particular system for.

[markkuk]

Originally Posted by Luke M

Plus it seems easier to download a big chunk than to do things piecemeal.

If your supernatural powers can predict perfectly everything you will do in future with your Fedora system, then that's true.
Regular people need to build up their software setup piecemeal no matter what method is used for the initial installation.