Linux Q's

[johnsonb125]

I am running Windows XP and like it alright but recently used a friends Mac running OSX and found that I liked it a lot. I know that Linux is similar to OSX and would like to try Linux. But if I install Linux on my comp will it erase all my files and stuff on my computer. And then if I decide Linux isn't for me can I reinstall XP with no problems. Also what Linux Core would you recomnend for a Noob? I was looking at screenshots from Mandrake and thought it looked cool. Any ideas?

[Lord Kalthorn]

Erm, Rocker wouild say SuSe; I will have to say that too from the little experience I have myself.

[135791]

back up all your files on disk try linux if not go bk to windows
i prefer windows but thts because ive grown up wid it and its pretty gd

[Lord Kalthorn]

I much prefer Windows anyway; but thats because I love it and maybe I'm tainted because of that.

However, good advise if you can back the stuff up.

[johnsonb125]

How do I back all my files on disc if I don't have a cd burner. I have an iPod but that would take forever plus its not big enough. Any suggestions?

[135791]

i would buy a cd burner u could transfer them if your on a network

[root]

yes, a C-burner wouild be best, and they are quite cheap, If you wanted to try a linux system Suse do a live evaluation C, yuo can download the disc image from their website, record the CD then bot off of it anduse linux, the best part is it wont touch your files, the worst part, you need a CD burner!

You'll find that f you choose to buy a boxed linux version you'll probably spend more on tht than you would on a CD burner, and you can download most linux distro disc images for free.

[135791]

if u live in the U.K go to
http://www.pcnextday.co.uk/product_summary.asp?stype=2&group=CDRW&pgroup=DRV&nofeat=Y
they got gd cd-rw drives cheap

[Lord Kalthorn]

Yeah, CD-Burners are totally easy and cheap nowadays. And worth every penny.

[135791]

Yeah, CD-Burners are totally easy and cheap nowadays. And worth every penny.
CDs are the future u got to buy a burner. im lookin for the best deal to get a dvd burner

[Lord Kalthorn]

Yeah, I don't think I could live without my DVD Burner now.

[135791]

u got n e gd places for a DVD-RW
i would look but i dont hav the time to type up my course work and help on two forums

[Lord Kalthorn]

Lol, nah, I buy them from PC World with my discount! :D

[Jack the ripper]

before you do any thing make a copy of your boot.ini file
you can partition the HDD in to 2 sections then install linux BUT it ask you to install a boot loader (duh) no matter what boot loader you use install the boot loader on the MBR

hope this helps

JTR

[Mrlonely]

im stuck with linux cos of either a driver prob (dont think) or page file errors , at first i was gutted grown up with win 3.1-xp-media-longhorn (qood) but then the error on new pc that i built so i had linux for a long time and just stared at it until now i installed it (mandrake 10.1) some bugs but just needed updating, then there were probs with windows apps (couldnt run them) installed WINE , worked runnin favourite apps . linux=fast, windows=slow and linux is virus free!!!!!

[iamroot]

The main question is whether you still have unpartitioned spae on your HDD. If there is sufficient spae then you can just install GNU/Linux straight away and the GNU/Linux bootloader will detect your XP installation and both will work fine. You won't lose any data. If you dont have space then you've gotta do a reformat I'm afraid.

Installating XP with GNU/Linux already installed will again raise the question of whether you have unpartitioned space. UIf you dont then you've gotta do a format and lose all ur data.

The GNU/Linux distro I would recommend is Fedora Core 3. It's pretty stable, its free (as in zero price) and it's cutting edge. I might change my opinion once Debian Sarge comes out though=)

[Entangledphoton]

Actually, if you use certain distro's the install disc comes with a partition manager that can resize your windows partition to make a new one for Linux. This is a pretty sweet deal. It is pretty safe in terms of data loss. Unless you overstep your data, you'll be safe. My advice is to defragment your windows partition before even attempting to install inux along side it.

Next you'll want to download a distro and burn the .iso file to a blank cd. You will need ot actually burn an image and not just copy the file onto the cd. If you do a search online there are some free programs to do that, but most likely your cd burner will come with one that is capable of doing it.

For a beginner there are a few distro's that are really neat to try. I prefer Debian based distro's, mostly because they have the largest amount of free and stable software in the open source community. There are several good ones to try, even if you do not want to partition your drive.

The first would be SimplyMepis. It runs from the cd and allows you install from the os while it is running. You do not need to and you can simply use it from the cd. The only downside is that you cannot save anything to your hard drive and any settings you change will be lost on reboot.

Another good one for speed and user-friendliness is Yoper. Yoper is very fast, and while rpm based, it has its own repository of custom rpms. (Rpm refers to the package system developed by Redhat. There are many that use this system such as Fedora, Redhat and Mandriva- formerly Mandrake)
This distro is not available on al ive CD but does allow you to resize your windows partition and not lose any data to make a spot for Yoper. It installs in about 5 minutes too.... making it the fastest install for any distro.

A nice debian based distro is Ubuntu. Ubuntu is most similar to Mac OSX. It is very easy to use and has a great forum of dedicated people to help. The installer is text based and may scare a new user a little, so you may want to read a little on their page on how to install before giving it a try.

And lastly, there is Xandros. Xandros is a commercial distro, but has an Open Circulation Edition that is free to download through bittorrent. Or, you can purchase a regular download for $10. This distro is bases on debian, but also has its own repository of software. Software can be installed through Xandros Networks with the click of a mouse. The distro is very easy to use and keep up to date.

There you go. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.