Linux Considering linux..help please.

OK, so help me out please. I've decided I want to try out linux. My main rig (Scorpion), has a empty 40gb partion, that really needs using up...and i've decided to give linux ago.

I have an ubntu install CD, and XPpro on the main (80gb) partion, and was wondering if I could install linux, without having to screw up XP, and have a dual boot system working.

Now i'm going to put this perfectly clear. I am the biggest n00b ever when it comes to linux, so can somone give me a linux n00b friendly walkthrough on how to go about this please.

Thanks in advance

 

yes! easy!

go ahead and reboot and boot off the ubntu cd you need only tell it to install to the 40GB drive

It'll take care of the dual booting stuff etc..

 

That easy? Really???? Nice!

How about installing software and such, how much different is it? I've heard theres a lot of command line stuff to learn...

 

not with that distro. it's all GUI for installing things.. huge lists of software lots of mouse clicking but it's still not command line..

(though tou CAN do it that way if you want. )

 

And real men do

No, ubuntu is much like windows But because of that it is a lot easier to make the switch to Linux... And you can use the CLI if you want, but aren't forced to it... That way you can gradualy learn the power of the CLI, and learn to love it...

 

Okay, he mentioned he was a newbie to linux, so please someone mention the differences between his primary and secondary hard drive!!!!!

If you are using normal IDE drives, the partitions are set up like:
hda1 (first partition on first drive)
hda2 (second partition on first drive)
hdb1 (first partition on second drive)
hdb2 (second partition on first drive)

If you only have one hard drive with only 2 partitions, the first using XP, and the second using nothing so far, then you will want to install to hda2 (the second partition)

When you go through the install process, I would say do a manual partition edit, and create a 38GB partition (hda2) as filesystem type "ext3", then add another one with the rest of the space (hda3) as filesystem type "linux swap"

Be sure it doesn't try to format hda1, since that's where XP lives.

I'd also strongly reccomend using the latest version of Ubuntu 6.06, even if you have to wait a few days for it to download... there is a night and day difference between 6.06 and the previous version, and the new one is much easier.

When you install the latest version, you just boot into the "Desktop CD" which lets you get comfortable with the feel of linux before installing it. The best thing to do first, IMO, is to install X-Chat (if it isn't already installed) you can do this by going to "Applications>Add/Remove" then selecting the "Internet" section, then check the box next to "X-Chat" Then click OK and continue to click ok/next until you are done. Now go to "Applications>Internet>X-Chat" and click the "IRC" menu and choose "Connect", scroll down to "freenode" and click connect. it may or may not ask you to log in, if it asks you to log in, you will need to create a username and password, and it should provide instructions for how to do this.
Once you are in freenode, type "/join #ubuntu" and ask all your questions before and during your install. (I'd point you to the bit-tech IRC, but I've never been able to log into quakenet... quite annoying actually)

I hope this helps and doesn't scare you off, but I'd rather you not loose your XP install, since that's always a pain.

 

ubuntu is an awesome distro. i would be using it 100% if it weren't for my addiction to gaming and video editing and my loathing for dual boot.

 

I have a new newbie question or two...

1- How do I alter the parameters of GRUB? Change te default boot and timeout?
2- I've just ordered the upgrade for ubuntu...can i upgrade within ubuntu, or will it mean formatting the partion?

Thanks

 

About grub, mount your boot partition (if not mounted), and edit "/boot/grub/menu.lst" (IIRC it is called this in ubuntu)

 

once you have ubuntu installed then a new version comes out you should be able to just upgrade the system through apt-get .

 

ubuntu is awsome but I would say although been newb freindly it's very command line driven. A good thing for someone brought up with DOS and good typing skils

 

come again? Ubuntu = no command line if you don't want... Have you ever tried Debian/Gentoo? THAT'S a CLI driven distro...

 

I'm somewhere in the middle...

I think you can run Ubuntu without using the command line, but as you (glider) know, it is much easier to get some tasks done on the command line. In fact, there are still a lot of things in ubuntu (linux in general) that require the command line, especially for troubleshooting.

I think the thing I like about Ubuntu is the fact that you get to choose if you use command line or not. I can't think of a day that has gone by that I haven't used the command line, but then again I SSH into servers on a regular basis.

 

you can use ubuntu without the command line if you REALLY want to but you save yourself so many head aches if you use it.

i can't wait until linux distros start shipping with Xorg and XGL

 

Suse linux 10.1 have XGL, kororra had XGL

and about command line, it is simple. Things that take 10 minute inside a GUI take 1 line in command line. Some exemple are video encoding, mass file copying/renaming/moving, etc. Comand line is not the worst thing in linux, it is the best tool.

 

Don't be shy... CLI is the POWER of Linux

 

for those who don't know, the GUI is simply an interface to the system, much the same way the command line is an interface.

Both save typing by grouping various tasks into a few simple commands.

In a GUI, you may change settings in 5 different windows to be sure you get the desired results, in command line, you can attach 5 modifiers to the same command.

If you use that command on a regular basis, it is much quicker to type out a single command with 5 preferences than to go through 5 windows to select the same options.

It is even easier, if you use the same 5 settings each time to write a shell script, then you can just type in 5 characters and have the same results as opening an app, clicking through 5 windows, and clicking save.

but if you don't like the command line, those 5 windows are still waiting for you, perhaps with a bit of a shine on the buttons!

 

I've played with Linux several times but still feel like a total linux noob myself. However, after scouring the net I found DistroWatch , looked at several of the distros & decided on Mepis. It's got a "live CD" so you can run it off that just to try it out (runs way faster once installed). It's very easy to install, is known for good hardware detection, relatively simple to upgrade, and I find it to be quite user friendly.

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