Here's something that will save all linux users and administrators a lot of time and little bit of money.

If you don't want to waste time downloading ISOs and then wasting more time and money on burning CDs why not try a Linux installation over network. But of course you do need to download 1 small ISO!

Here's what hardware I had when I tried this Linux installation of network:

• AMD Athlon
• 40GB HDD
• 1GB RAM
• Network Interface (of course you need this if you are to try this out)
• CDROM

As you can see the above hardware is shed of crap but its surprisingly fast. However, you may find that its not always the hardware that will slow you down, sometimes it can be the speed of your internet connection.
Anyway, make sure the hardware is working fine by your own methods.

Step 1
You'll need to download the CentOS-5.1-i386-netinstall.iso from the CentOS mirrors its only 7.3MB, a small sacrifice for a big return.
Here's a link to find your nearest mirror : http://isoredirect.centos.org/centos/5/isos/i386/

Once you've downloaded the ISO, burn it onto CD and pop it into your target PC's CDROM
(make sure the your BIOS is setup to boot from CDROM)

Step 2
Wait for the CentOS 5 boot screen...

Press enter to go into GUI mode.

Step 3
Coose your installation language...

Step 4
Choose your keyboard type..

Step 5
Choose your installation method. Since we're going to be installing over network, we will choose HTTP.

Step 6
Configure your TCP/IP settings...
For server setup, it is best to use Manual Configuration.
For general workstation or desktop use Dynamic IP.

Step 7
If you have chosen Manual Configuration, you will need to input the appropriate IP settings.

Step 8
Enter where your source file are located for installation.

Step 9
CentOS netinstall will retrieve all the necessary setup files and will then startup the normal installation screen as you would see when you install with CDs/DVDs.