I Wanna Switch To Linux

[lost_in_space]

Hi,

I've decided to make the switch to Linux, for a variety of reasons, but I'm fairly computer illiterate. I've been using the Knoppix live CD a bit and I'm pretty impressed. So I'd like to find some help to do a dual boot on my computer. I tried Suse but I goofed it up somehow and lost a lot of (well, all) data. Nevertheless, I wanna try again. I'm just a little gun shy after my first experiece.

I'm interested in Ubuntu cuz it's all free, but I'm not stuck on any particular distro.

So, my point (and I do have one) is I'm looking for a Linux Users Group in BKK, anybody know of one? or a shop that is Linux competent? Can someone point me in the right direction?

[chanchao]

You'll love me forever for this:

www.mepis.org

Like Knoppix, it runs as a live CD but offers the option to install to HD.. And most stuff just works, run the installer and you're done.

Make sure you get the 'pro' one. Only thing I ran into was that it didn't automatically recognized the sound hardware.. had to open a console window and type 'alsaconf' <enter> which set that bit up, too. The support forum is pretty good.

Mepis is based on Debian, software packages for Debian work on Mepis.

Mepis is the first Linux I didn't hate.

Still... Are you SURE you want to use Linux... The moment you actually need to use it for something it's mostly he_ll to set up.. It's just not as user friendly as XP and definitely not as userfriendly as MacOS..

(There, I said it. )

Cheers,

Chanchao

Edited March 17, 2005 by chanchao

[chanchao]

Also most winmodems are not supported, print quality is &lt;deleted&gt;, network setup requires more than a CS degree (I know because I have one), if anything at all goes wrong you're left editing cryptic config files.. It's a bit of a joke really that only serious geeks find funny.

It has its uses, like when you run a massive amount of servers and licensing costs would be prohibitive.. But with XP costing a couple 1000 baht...

[lost_in_space]

thanks chanchao, i'll check out mepis.

"Still... Are you SURE you want to use Linux... The moment you actually need to use it for something it's mostly he_ll to set up.. It's just not as user friendly as XP and definitely not as userfriendly as MacOS.."

that's why i want to do a dual boot thing with xp and linux. i figure i'll make the transition slowly. i just don't want to goof up my computer while installing linux.

i kinda like MacOs, some friends bought mac laptops but seem to be having hardware probs, one guy's ibook was down for months while they kept "fixing" some part of his motherboard. still, they really like the OS. also, i'm not happy about apple suing some bloggers for releasing info about apple products, so i don't want to help finance that by buying a mac.

[phazey]

Knoppix has a HD installer already on the CD. Once you set up your partition (i used Partition Magic) i ran the install and away it went, also autoconfiguring GRUB so keeping my original XP installation.

once installed and networked, just run 'apt-get upgrade' to get the latest packages for yor system.

[Merlin]

I use Mandrake 10 for all my internet stuff [had enough of windoze viruses], but for all my music apps etc I still use WIN2KPRO

[bkk_mike]

From the fact that you lost your data first time around - I'm guessing your hard disk is formatted as one big partition...

When switching to dual-boot, you'll usually want to have multiple partitions, and the first one will probably be your XP one (it's easier to install Linux around an existing XP partition than vice-versa), and if you're still going to be using it for a lot of stuff, probably around half the disk...

i.e. Your first step - before inserting any Linux install disk, is to alter the partitions on your hard disk so that you have the space you want to allocate to Linux in unformatted space on the hard disk (i.e. Either in a partition you're willing to reformat, or not in a partition at all).

I believe Partition Magic can resize an existing partition, but the only other way to reduce the size of your XP partition would be by saving all your data off, and basically reinstalling XP - as you'll need to repartition and reformat the disk...

Once you've got your XP using only half the disk (or however much you want to give it), and working - THEN you can install Linux on the rest of the disk...

[Oleg_Rus]

Linux is actually pretty easy to understand. go to RedHat and dowload installation guide in pdf. print it and read. it's even easier to comprehend them MSCE for Win2K - nice, simple and very straight forward.

I did it and love it. configs are simple too. goo for it

[Richard W]

If your disk is using a FAT file system (e.g. FAT32), some Linux installations CDs can partition it for you without loss of data. That's what I did when I installed Mandrake 8.2, and is why I haven't switched over to the better NTS system. You may want to keep a FAT system available to share files between the two systems.

Also, if you get desperate enough to want to replace a system file without using file tools, you may have to use the Linux system to sneak up on it. I don't think NTS has been fully reverse-engineered yet, but it can be done if Windows is on a FAT file system.

On Windows XP, right-clicking and selecting properties will tell you what sort of file system you have.

Richard.

[grrr]

I've been using Gentoo Linux full time for over a year now and would not change for anything. For Windows crap, don't forget about things like VMWare or Crossover Office which eliminate the need to dual boot and work quite well. My winmodem is supported in my laptop, print quality is fine, and network setup was a breeze so maybe chanchao should check some other distros ! Have fun!

[lost_in_space]

Thanks for the tips gents. I'm off to get Partition Magic. It seems like the Linux setup is going to be a learning by doing thing.

One last question, I'm on a dialup modem (I actually have TOT adsl but it doesn't seem to be working...a whole nother story). what kind of modem can i use for linux? this is where i'd like to find a shop that can help. i actually went to Atec in Pantip, cuz they use Linux on their computers, thinking I could buy a modem from them, but they said they couldn't help. When I went around asking other shops, I pretty much got either blank stares or ...Shop hand- "yes, modem works" Me- "for Linux?" shop hand - "Huh?"

Wish me luck

[johng]

For Linux you can use almost any "standalone" external 56k modem ...that is one that is in it's own box, with it's own power supply and connects to your computer via the serial cable. You can find them very very cheaply now that everyone is changing to ADSL.

Edited March 18, 2005 by johng

[Darknight]

Linux is actually pretty easy to understand. go to RedHat and dowload installation guide in pdf. print it and read. it's even easier to comprehend them MSCE for Win2K - nice, simple and very straight forward.

I did it and love it. configs are simple too. goo for it

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

what's an MSCE ????

And how does that become an installation guide then ????

i know an MCSE which is a "microsoft certified system engineer"

but never heard of the other one

[francois]

hi'

want to try Linux ... use either vmware or virtual pc and set it on a different partition than the c one, and try it, play with it(learn) until you feel confident that you can install it on a second disc.

then you'll decide by yourself wich distro fits you and your needs, you can try as many distro as you wish on a virtual pc ... time to decide and being sure that you want to change.

it's not a small change, and after years of use, I would say now, be careful and try it before!

you can't migrate from windows to Linux in a click

may be the best way is to have a friend or someone who can help you out for the beginning

francois

[bkk_mike]

For Linux you can use almost any "standalone" external 56k modem ...that is one that is in it's own box, with it's own power supply and connects to your computer via the serial cable. You can find them very very cheaply now that everyone is changing to ADSL.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There are Linux drivers for "some" of the winmodems now. You might try searching for one for your existing modem before going off and buying a new modem. You might need to download it under XP, then in Linux, read the install file (RPM or whatever) to install the driver.

But believe me, you might find it a lot easier to get your ADSL working - especially if you use either an Ethernet ADSL modem, or a router (not a USB ADSL modem)... - Makes life a lot simpler than faffing around with dialup modems...

[lost_in_space]

For Linux you can use almost any "standalone" external 56k modem ...that is one that is in it's own box, with it's own power supply and connects to your computer via the serial cable. You can find them very very cheaply now that everyone is changing to ADSL.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There are Linux drivers for "some" of the winmodems now. You might try searching for one for your existing modem before going off and buying a new modem. You might need to download it under XP, then in Linux, read the install file (RPM or whatever) to install the driver.

But believe me, you might find it a lot easier to get your ADSL working - especially if you use either an Ethernet ADSL modem, or a router (not a USB ADSL modem)... - Makes life a lot simpler than faffing around with dialup modems...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

why not a USB ADSL modem?

I actually got my adsl up and working, albeit slowly. I can only get 128 both up and down, according to my router. I should have 256 down, i think (TOT supercyber). anybody know why this might be happening?

just in case anybody is thinking about getting TOT adsl. i ordered it in august of last year. they told me they'd call around new year to install it (which i think means flipping a switch somewhere). when i called them in late december, they insisted they had already tried to call me and i hadn't answered. finally in january, they anounced it was installed, but it didn't work. after some visits by a computer guy, i occasionally got a very slow connection (at one point 220 bytes per second!). they said they'd be out to check my line, they said they were going to boost the signal in my area (maybe they did cuz I'm up a bit now, but i doubt it). i gotta admit they were sympathetic and nice to me on the phone. anyway, i started the process 7 months ago, and today is the first day i've had a useable connection. i hope it doesn't stop before i finish this post.

[Gary A]

I'm also in the "Love to hate Microsoft" crowd. I bought a Linux package that was a complete failsafe (supposedly) system. Rather than taking any chances and destroying my existing XP Pro system I put the Linux on a separate hard drive. I had that hard drive in and out a dozen times before I gave up and gave the Linux package to a friend of mine. I'm for certain not a techie and it showed because I was at a loss to be able to get many of the drivers to work. I never did get a modem to work. In addition most of the programs I have were not compatible. I decided that XP isn't so bad after all.

The package came with a lot of programs (five Cd's) and I have to admit they were not too bad. I use Auto Cad quite a bit and it wouldn't work so that was he main reason to give up.

[meadish_sweetball]

For Linux you can use almost any "standalone" external 56k modem ...that is one that is in it's own box, with it's own power supply and connects to your computer via the serial cable. You can find them very very cheaply now that everyone is changing to ADSL.

There are Linux drivers for "some" of the winmodems now. You might try searching for one for your existing modem before going off and buying a new modem. You might need to download it under XP, then in Linux, read the install file (RPM or whatever) to install the driver.

But believe me, you might find it a lot easier to get your ADSL working - especially if you use either an Ethernet ADSL modem, or a router (not a USB ADSL modem)... - Makes life a lot simpler than faffing around with dialup modems...

why not a USB ADSL modem?

I actually got my adsl up and working, albeit slowly. I can only get 128 both up and down, according to my router. I should have 256 down, i think (TOT supercyber). anybody know why this might be happening?

just in case anybody is thinking about getting TOT adsl. i ordered it in august of last year. they told me they'd call around new year to install it (which i think means flipping a switch somewhere). when i called them in late december, they insisted they had already tried to call me and i hadn't answered. finally in january, they anounced it was installed, but it didn't work. after some visits by a computer guy, i occasionally got a very slow connection (at one point 220 bytes per second!). they said they'd be out to check my line, they said they were going to boost the signal in my area (maybe they did cuz I'm up a bit now, but i doubt it). i gotta admit they were sympathetic and nice to me on the phone. anyway, i started the process 7 months ago, and today is the first day i've had a useable connection. i hope it doesn't stop before i finish this post.

You have paid for 3 months of an unusable service? I guess you must be out of other options. My TRUE cable modem has worked since day one with only two days of downtime for 6 months. The international speed does not reach 512/256, but is mostly around 200. Still, this is a lot better than a non-functional line.

[cmjc]

One Tip when switching to Linux:

I learned the hard way.

I bought Linux CDs from BKK, U no where...

Tried installing them for a week b4 discovering they were corrupted.

It would have put me off Linux, unless I had bought a sound (md5sum checked) set of CDs from Malaysia.

When they arrived, put them in, and installed sweet as a nut, no problems, no viruses or spyware, and free (apart from the 300 baht for the cds.)

I got the cds from cheapiso.com, who are based in KL. I have no connection with them other than sincere gratitude.

Solid folks.

I bought Mandrake 10.1 Official edition .. Highly recommended.

Colin

[graemeho]

After trying a few of the Linux "distros" (distributions) Mandrake, SuSE, RedHat, I can personally recommend Ubuntu, particularly for hardware compatibility. It handled the WiFi on my IBM laptop from first installation, after I spent many frustrating hours downloading trials recommended for the other distros.

Clean interface, and some "interesting" calendar shots available for wallpaper from the home site - fresh one each month.

[pal78]

One Tip when switching to Linux:

I learned the hard way.

I bought Linux CDs from BKK, U no where...

Tried installing them for a week b4 discovering they were corrupted.

It would have put me off Linux, unless I had bought a sound (md5sum checked) set of CDs from Malaysia.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't know if this is true of all distributions of Linux, but Fedora Core includes a CD checking utility as part of the installer. You can verify your installation discs are okay before you start installing. And, of course, if they are not good you can bring them back to "u know where" and get some fresh ones.

Ubuntu is oaky. Not brilliant, but then you get what you pay for. I don't think Windows XP is worth the difference in cash if you want to look at it that way. By the way, if you go to the Ubuntu site you can order the CDs directly from them. Not only are the CDs free, but they will ship to your door free also. I ordered them when I was living in Europe and they shipped from Africa. Took about 4 weeks to get to me. If you do order from them they suggest that you order multiple copies since their biggest expense is the shipping cost. So order 10 or something and pass 'em around. Ubuntu comes with 2 CD's. The first is a live CD, let's you try it out without any installation, so you can see if it'll work on your system. And then the second CD is the installer disc.

Good luck.

[cathyy]

Ok, some support sites for the Linux noobs. After 5 years of Linux I know where to go for help when I need it!

Winmodem support This site has everything you need to see if your winmodem will work under Linux. A bunch of chipsets, not just the Lucent, are now supported.

Linux printing This site is the place to visit BEFORE you buy a printer. Hint: Buy an Epson. There are darn few unsupported Epsons. Hint 2: Don't buy a Lexmark. Please remember that if the printer output is of lower quality than with Windows, it is due to the lack of cooperation by the manufacturer of the printer. The manufacturer wrote the Windows driver. Unless he writes a Linux driver or releases the information needed to write a comparable driver for Linux the poor open source geeks are reverse engineering the drivers. In their free time. For no money. Be grateful a driver exists.

OSS sound drivers Some of you may have a sound card that is not supported by the excellent ALSA drivers. If so, you may be able to purchase a driver from here.

The current problem in Linux support is with wireless networking. 802.11b, at 11 meg throughput, is extremely well supported. 802.11g, at 54 meg throughput, is not. A common solution, included in some distros, is to use the Windows driver with ndiswrapper. PM or email me and I can help. I have not only set up my own (more than once) but have walked several other people through the process online.

[francois]

hi'

I need to say a few things to newbies in linux world ...

using windows, you hardly read nay text files for help or a setup or for whatever the reason could be ... it's like this, in windows you click and "hop" it's on ...

in linux, basicaly it's the opposite, you need to READ a lot of how-to's, read-me, help-files and manuals(included in distros as man pages), if you don't it's likely that you'll give up.

one has to know that linux is not an OS for geeks only, it's made for everone who has the will to learn.

no room for lasy users with linux

but at the end, after manipulating the system, you learn where are the things and how to get them to work and eventualy put them back on work after a problem, for which the user is the culprit

learning command lines, a few of them that you'll have to use often.

learn dependencies and linux file system as it's far different from windows, it's not my docs and program files anymore ...

rather /usr/bin .... usr/local ... /name/home/folder ... fun

and nowadays, most of functios are built with a nice gui ... easier

francois