To boot into the installer, double-click the BootX application. The BootX application may be called Boot LinuxPPC if you're using a LinuxPPC 4.1 or 5.0 CD-ROM.

First, the installer asks if you are using a color monitor. Press the space bar to make the installer operate in color mode, which has a blue background with red and grey buttons. Press the space bar or Return key when you are done reading the Welcome to Powermac/Linux message. The next screen lets you tell the computer what kind of keyboard you're using. The default is the U.S. keyboard. After selecting your keyboard type, the installer asks for the source of the installation files, which will probably be a CD-ROM.

Next, the installer automatically picks the partitions that will become root and swap. Formatting all of the partitions can take quite a while, but it is recommended when installing on a previously used hard disk.

You then choose which packages you want to install. The default installation is acceptable for most users. If you want to add more software, such as other servers, or want to pare down the installation, you can add or remove items to be installed at this screen. If you want the installer to install other packages, such as the bundled C compilers, use the arrow keys to move up and down through the installer screen, and use the Space bar to select and deselect items.

When you have selected the packages you want to install, tab over to the OK button and press Space. The installer begins putting the system in place. Depending on the speed of your CD-ROM drive, installation will take 10 to 45 minutes. After the computer has finished putting packages in place, the Network Configuration screen appears. However, instead of using this screen to set up your network interface, you should use the netcfg utility, which is available once you're in LinuxPPC. So skip this step.

Next, select the time zone that you are in. The default is U.S./Eastern time zone. After that, you'll need to assign the root password for the system. Please be sure to protect yourself by choosing a good password with a mixture of letters and numbers.

Type in your root password and press Return. The password will not appear on the screen, but the system will remember it. Type the password one more time to confirm it, and then press Return. Press Return one more time to press the OK button. You can skip the next two screens, "Quik Installation" and "Change Boot Variables." Leave the fields on these screens blank. They're not used for this installation process.

That's all! The computer will congratulate you on installing the system and should reboot into the Mac OS.