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madcat11
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« on: July 23, 2003, 11:28:41 PM » |
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Here's my question. My next computer, a laptop (so I don't have a lot of things I can fix internally myself) will be a Gateway. It is for evaluation purposes only - I've been using Dell, and before that I built my own desktops. My intention is to partition the hard drive and have a dual boot - one for windows XP and the other will be using Linux. The goal is to eventually go completely to UNIX-based..
I've been out of the field for a while - and have become sort of complacent - and my only experience was with Red Hat when they first started years ago. I now understand that there are many, many versions I can download and install. My question: What would be the best UNIX system to instatll in a computer (laptop) partititioned to dual boot w/windows and where can I get it/download it? There should be no difficulty in learning anything (I've taught UNIX before; Linux specifically...) and I'd like something easy to install, use, something documented and widely recoognized.
Any thoughts on that?? Anything would be appreciated! I'm kinda in a rut about this, slowly working my way up the sides of the thing; of course I see the light abouve and have hope that it will work out.!
Thanks,
Marlene
btw, I am really impressed with the feedback I'm getting when I run into these little stumbling blocks. Way to go Lunarpages! I am sooo impressed with ya'll ; just after my last brohaha (sp:?) I went to mozilla.org, downloaded their latest, looked at firebird and opera, dumped netscape, brought myself up to date with HTML 4.01 (a few years out of date, yes i know...) and am removing all references to microsoft FrontPage in the program - looking at Dreamweaver and Flash. (opera, while pretty and really neat, just didn't have the options I needed right now... email the same, bookmarks, etc. - that mozilla does. Thankg to the Graphics moderators and those who also replied - such a help!
>>>> <<<<<
quote of the day: "if love and light is all there is, will computers be more a part of us, physically...?"
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stephan
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« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2003, 11:38:53 PM » |
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Hello,
I'd recommend using Mandrake Linux.
Redhat Linux is very easy to use, but some of the things they do are not very standard.
Debian is very good, but tricky to install.
Mandrake is good. Easy to install, and includes quite a bit of software. I have had good results anyway.
I think you need to install Windows first, then Linux, as Windows gets confused apparently when you put it on a second partition. (or so I've heard).
I don't dual boot, I just installed Linux and have Windows on a spare computer.
Good luck.
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-E-
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« Reply #2 on: July 24, 2003, 06:14:13 AM » |
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I would check out a Linux Users Group in your area. Linux is a tight community and we're always looking to help new users.
I use SUSE 8.0 with dual boot and am pretty satisfied. I already had Windows (of course). To partition and install was super easy: 1 insert CD1 and 2) turn on computer 3) Click next, next, next.
If you're going to go with Open Office for your LInux office suite don't use anything lower than 1.1. Version 1.0 was buggy, especially with MS Word files. KDE 3.0 works pretty well for a desktop environment, but GNOME 2.2 looks great too.
Hope this helps.
-E-
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madcat11
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« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2003, 10:35:52 AM » |
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Thanks Stephen & E,
I will look to a user's group, as well as checking out Mandrake, Stephen, but would love to know why dual booting would be a problem. e.g., boot up, choose 1- linux or 2- windows and regardless, you go to the system that thinks it is the only one on the computer. They shouldn't even know about each other. Now, I'm old school, where you would build, configure, fdisk, format and install all your own software, but there may be problems with these huge virtual disks (?) dunno. Like I said, I've been away from that end of it for a while... the last time I partitioned, it was for windows 3.1 and OS/2 on the same harddrive...
E, I'm assuming SUSE 8.0 is a version of (?) Linux, but I'm not sure what you mean about partitioning being easy by just putting in the CD, hitting next, next, etc...? Can you partition now with a windows system already on the computer. What I mean is, don't you have to essentially delete all the stuff on the hard drive, re-partition it for 2 areas (one for Linux, the other for Windows) then on the windows side, format and install XP or whatever version you are running, then all the other programs you want, and then on the Linux side ....? I'm assuming I will download something that I can burn to a CD that I can then put on the Linux side, after which I can install whatever programs I can need for my new Linux os.
Now, if all these questions are too much for y'all, I'll gladly take them to a user's group - I just had to ask questions about a couple of things said.
Thanks,
marlene
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stephan
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« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2003, 11:19:13 AM » |
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Hello, Windows can get confused if it installed second. It shouldn't but it does. Perhaps only when you do it wrong... I would partition the drive, install Windows, then install Linux. Suse and Mandrake both make it very easy. Just a few clicks and it's all arranged. The old problems of limited partition sizes are gone now  You can have huge partitions. Window 3.1 was slightly limited. I don't know about OS2, I didn't use it. |
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-E-
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« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2003, 12:19:22 PM » |
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SUSE is a German Linux distro.
What I meant was you can have a Windows system installed with 0 partitions. Stick in the first install disk for a Mandrake, SUSE, Red Hat or any other current major Linux distribution and it will both partition the drive and install Linux for you with a few clicks of the mouse. You don't touch anything on the Windows side. With my SUSE distro, I can even see files on the Windows partition while I'm running Linux!
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madcat11
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« Reply #6 on: July 24, 2003, 04:44:33 PM » |
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Thanks! Stephen and E! Lots of great info... I am definitely going there (already been to the mandrade site...  |
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Boris
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« Reply #7 on: July 28, 2003, 10:30:35 PM » |
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Windows shouldnt do anything wrong if you install a linux distro after installing windows. I use mandrake as a dual boot, happily Of course it's just a matter of preference. Talking linux, anyone tried the Lindows version? (heard a 2.0 is coming out..) |
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Questions on graphics? Visit the lunarpages Graphics forum!
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mattsoftware
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« Reply #8 on: July 28, 2003, 11:50:22 PM » |
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Hello, Windows can get confused if it installed second. It shouldn't but it does. Perhaps only when you do it wrong... I would partition the drive, install Windows, then install Linux. Suse and Mandrake both make it very easy. Just a few clicks and it's all arranged. The old problems of limited partition sizes are gone now You can have huge partitions. Window 3.1 was slightly limited. I don't know about OS2, I didn't use it. Absolulty. Partition, windows, linux. I recomment RedHat. I'm using 7.3 but 8.0 is alright. Havn't got around to 9.0 yet. Mandrake is a suped up RedHat, and since i like configuring everything myself, I leave Mandrake along, but horses for courses, which is why linux is so good One note for laptop linux. Yes, linux will work on most laptops. My experience says not very well. Unfortunately most of the specific laptop drivers are built for windows. An example of this is when standby or hibernation is called (in WinXP). I just have not seen a linux distribution with those facilities (but I haven't looked that hard). As long as you dont mind it running all the time, and if its going to be the gateway my assumption is that it will be, this will not be of much concern. But other than that I am quite happy with linux, have been quite happy with RedHat for the past 7 years, and only use WinXP on my laptop cause its nice to hibernate when I close the lid (but I should stress I mainly use Cygwin, the POSIX compatability layer for Windows). Hope this helps. |
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