Ways to get PCLinuxOS




 * Relevant to all editions PCLinuxOS.

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This page will explain about different methods for getting a copy of PCLinuxOS for you to install and use.

Introduction
PCLinuxOS is free software. You only need to get a copy of it in either electronic form or physically as a CD/DVD. You may either


 * Download over the network/internet

OR


 * Buy a CD/DVD

Download over the network/internet
Advantages


 * The download is free of charge.

Disadvantages


 * You need the hard drive space to download one large file.
 * You must provide your own writable CD or DVD.
 * There are extra steps to check and burn your download.

Buy a CD/DVD
Advantages


 * Perfect for dialup users.
 * You get a professionally-burned CD.
 * A portion of the purchases from [on-disk] are donated to the PCLinuxOS project. This is presently not working.
 * Save the hassle of downloading, checking and burning a CD.

Disadvantages


 * This costs a little money.
 * Shipping the CD still takes some time.

Download sources
There are several different ways in which you can download PCLinuxOS.


 * Download PCLinuxOS ISO's via FTP or WWW
 * Download via BitTorrent
 * Download via rsync

The method is essentially - Download a .iso image of the PCLinuxOS system, burn it to a CD or write to a flashdrive and then boot your computer from the latter. Use the links above to find out how to download via the different methods.

Advantages


 * Very easy to do.
 * Usually quite fast.

Disadvantages


 * If you have an unreliable Internet connection, your download can stop in the middle. Sometimes you have to start the download all over again.
 * This is an error-prone method, and the file must be checked after downloading it.

NOTE

 * Due to individual mirror bandwidth capacity and the number of people allowed to download from that mirror, a site that is geographically close to you may not be the fastest for you. For example, if you are in the USA, sometimes you may find an International mirror to be faster for you than one in the USA.


 * Remember to get both the .iso file and the small .md5sum file with the same name. You'll need the md5sum to check that your download worked OK.