Linux Users

[kwiz117]

This is all about Linux.

Can anyone advice me how to install Linux into a Machine that has Windows XP?

Assume I partition the HDD.

How to install Linux to that partition and keep my current OS intact. [windows XP] ?, How to change the operating System at the start up ..?

Do I have to reformat the HDD and install Both OS from the start or can I simply use another existing Partition to install Linux?

If your answer is to Install both OS from the start then..

What should I install first? XP or Linux?

Please put down all the steps so all members who like to try something new can use it.

Thanks

kwiz

[singa-traz]

Better than double boot ... http://www.vmware.com

Just need a bit more memory (512 MB ok, 1 GB better)... and you can run WinXP and Linux ... at the same time, on the same box.

The Free "equivalent" of VMWARE: http://bochs.sourceforge.net/

But less features ...

[kwiz117]

Better than double boot ... http://www.vmware.com

Just need a bit more memory (512 MB ok, 1 GB better)... and you can run WinXP and Linux ... at the same time, on the same box.

The Free "equivalent" of VMWARE: http://bochs.sourceforge.net/

But less features ...

Thanx..I visited the websites and it is new to me.

I am wondering by using the above software, whether it will give the exact performance of Linux or it will just work like an Interface for Linux and Windows XP ?

Infact wonder whether this will slowdown the performance of both OS. Any idea?

[phazey]

vmware is a good peice of software, and will serve you well for learning perposes. But in the end it's still running in a windows enviroment. I'd say use vmware to familiarise yourself with the linux installation, then once you are confident you won't screw things up (you took a backup of important files right ?) go for a real install.

To answer your questions.

1) repartition your disk in windows, using partition magic. You'll eventually make a minimum of two partitions, your swap partition (double your total memory size) and your root ( / ) partition. you can make more but i rarely bother. Thisi s done from the linux installation process.

2) All Linux installations come with a boot loader that will allow you to choose the OS you want to boot. Most common now is GRUB alough a few distribitions still use LILO.

hope this helps

./P

PS: oh yeah, you wil get slightly slower performance when using vmware, but it's still usable, the main problem is memory.

[singa-traz]

Thanx..I visited the websites and it is new to me.

I am wondering by using the above software, whether it will give the exact performance of Linux or it will just work like an Interface for Linux and Windows XP ?

Infact wonder whether this will slowdown the performance of both OS. Any idea?

Yes, it will slow down the performance, compare to "a normal" installation, as it will run both OS at the same time.

On a laptop or desktop PC, this is OK, for testing, training and demo.

The Server versions of VMWARE (ESX/GSX) are used for Server consolidation ... but you need a big box ... depending on how many instances of OS you want to run.

[francois]

1) repartition your disk in windows, using partition magic. You'll eventually make a minimum of two partitions, your swap partition (double your total memory size) and your root ( / ) partition. you can make more but i rarely bother. Thisi s done from the linux installation process.

2) All Linux installations come with a boot loader that will allow you to choose the OS you want to boot. Most common now is GRUB alough a few distribitions still use LILO.

whao whao ....

VmWare ... memory sucker!

used by journalist to make screenshots, and to test new distribution ...

not really to work as it is too heavy for a "light system", the minimum requirements

are at least a cpu 1ghz (2 is better), 512mb RAM(1gb better), so you see in fact, running VmWare needs quite a fast and loaded com ... and Bochs is even heavier

and you are still running in windows space ...

let's talk about Linux install

usingg partition Magic to repartition your disk before install to free some space is ok, but surely not to prepare some partition for Linux, one and only reason, nowadays, Linux use EXT3 journalized file system, partition Magic can't do this properly.

during the Linux Install you'll have the Linux partitionner which make a perfect

work, useless to prepare partition before!

then, setup only 2 partition is a non-sens! Linux is safe if the /root partition is unaccessible by any other than the administrator (root).

you have to setup a /home partition! YOU HAVE TO DO SO!

about boot-loader grub or lilo is the same ... they are boot-loaders

but, it should be more important to consider where to put it!

on which partition?

so to say it, should be either on hda1 if dual-boot or hdb1 if two disks (to be on /root partition), if on the same disk than windows, it will depend of how many partition you already have for windows and how many devices you have, cdrom,

cdwriter, zip ...etc

can easily be hda8 ...

you can't install Linux like you do with windows!

so, if you want help from me, just ask I'm here.

I run Linux for 8 years now

I might be a good help for beginners, like I never had

francois

[exchange1973]

Hi there,

1. VMware is NOT an alternative for installing the OS in real. It's hungry for resources and would never ever perform like a native installation.

(So when you got familiar with Linux you can run XP within VMware ;-))

2. Need to have some free space on your HDD. Like the guys already told: use PartitionMagic. Be aware to use PartitionMagic for preparing your free space for Linux. Then install Linux. During the installationprocess it will set up the partitions on your HDD.

Bootloader: Use LILO (LinuxLoader) - no question... it will manage the bootprocess on your new dualbootsystem.

3. I guess you will use the new system alone. francois adviced you to setup a /home-partition. This makes sense if you will not use the system by yourself and alone. A normal Enduser-Installation (workstation,not a sensitive serversystem) contains at least a / - partition (root-partition) and a swap-partition (you can compare this with the paging file in Windows). Mostly it contains a /boot partition which contains the bootable kernel.

4. using a journaling filesystem like EXT3 or reiserFS is a must! It will reduce the opportunity of a corrupt filesystem.

Hope this helps a bit!

Regards and greetings from Berlin!

exchange1973.

[francois]

This makes sense if you will not use the system by yourself and alone.

SURE!

it makes sens, more than that, during Linux install, you woill be asked to enter a root-password, and then a user name and password.

why this?

simply because Linux is safe if you use it as a user not as a root(admin) ...

going on internet as a root is a brainless thing to do!

most of program's install, the ones that you have to compile yourself before installing ask you tobe logged as root for the install process.

as weel, as RPM format programs, you will be asked to be logged as root.

any reason/, sure there are some, but the most obvious, is to secure the system itself from bad manipulations ... if you mess up as a user, you can always go back with shell-root command-lines, if you mess up as a root, blame yourself!

toplay with the system, you have to know exactly what you are doing ...

other way ... you run toward catastrophy!

the install of the boot-loader is more than a choice ...

if you have Xp on the same disk, only one configuration allow you to have a dual-boot, being in a FAT32 system-file ... no way in NTFS!

so, the only safe way, is to put the boot-loader (lilo or grub) on a floppy and setting the bios to boot by the floppy first, then you will have the choice of which

OS you want to boot, if you have install windows first ... so Linux can recognize

the other OS and the default-active partition.

ain't it clear?

windows since win2k allow you to have a administratot and users, XP does the same, it's a kind of guaranty.. exept that windows give admin privileges to some users, which can be harmful to the system ... a wrong nstruction from the admin and the system is down ... as Linux does too, exept than no user have a default-root privilege ... you need to know the root password, internal work or distant work ... same safety!

windows is far from this still ...

keep posting .. answers will come as you ask

francois

[francois]

from a recent talking with ######, I have to say this;

Linux is not windows, everyone knows this.

to install Linux rather than windows is a choice, and not an easy one as some could believe, Linux requires quite a lot of reading, how-to's, manual pages, and so on,

if you are not keen on this... well, pass your way. it's pity to say this, but at the opposite of what Linux users and devellopers would like to make you believe,

Linux is not yet as easy as windows to use ...

most of Linux users still have a windows-box ... like me, for one and only reason,

quite a few programs run under windows only.

I won't push anyone to use it, but if you do want to give it a try, I have a good solution for you.

there is what we call a 'live-cd", this means that you setup the bios to boot from your cd-rom, and here you go!

nothing on your disk, you can use it, internet, office, mails, etc ...

if you want to save your work, do it on an external device.

do this, run it, play with it, once you will get use to it, you might want to install it for good, put a second disk, and go-on.

but keep in mind that if any help is needed, help would come, but you have to discover things by yourself, no-one can do it for you, no-one can run your system for you

jumping from windows to Linux is a choice, but then you'll be in a different world.

and as it is for windows, you'll have to get used to it, be aware that this does take a lot more time than windows ... it might be satisfying for some, but very frustrating for others (a majority of new-users).

I'll be there still, for help and advice, don't worry, but I have no intention to run an entire thread dedicated to Linux ... as it might be for a real too few of us.

anyway feel free to email me, I can send a 'live-cd" to anyone who ask for,

I'll even give some basic advices to get it started easily

francois

ps; the "live-cd" I have to give you, is based on a Debian distribution (very stable).

and you can still install it for good from the same cd.

[exchange1973]

@francois

regarding to /home-partition:

1.

it's quite clear not to work or surf with root-permissions.

therefor you will be asked for a root password during the installation and will be asked to setup a user(with no root-permission). ;-)

You will not asked for that because the systems wants you to setup a /home-partition.

2.

heard about the bug of the third generation? Quite simple, this bug is the USER.

A system is so secure like the user in front of it. If the user decides to work with root-permissions he must face the consequences, right?

3.

sorry, but I run a dualboot-sys (LILO) with W2K with NTFS and Linux (don't understand what you mean when you talk about the "no way with NTFS").

Regards

exchange1973

[francois]

You will not asked for that because the systems wants you to setup a /home-partition.

that's exactly what I mean!

a disk partionned for linux MUST have a /root partition , a /swap partition and a /home partition, and if you run Linux for a little time, you would find practical to have a /usr partition and may a /var one ...

heard about the bug of the third generation? Quite simple, this bug is the USER.

A system is so secure like the user in front of it. If the user decides to work with root-permissions he must face the consequences, right?

that's what I mean too ...

manipulating the system as root contains some kind of danger that you have to aware of ... before to face a stupid re-install

sorry, but I run a dualboot-sys (LILO) with W2K with NTFS and Linux (don't understand what you mean when you talk about the "no way with NTFS").

sorry ... I should have said it's not valid for a dual-boot with winXP on NTFS ...

as I said, I still have a win box under winXP ... for dreamweaver and some program else ...

but mainly I boot from floppy as it is the safest way to keep both disk safe!

you have also, to know that partition under NTFS are in read-only if they are in NTFS, may be that the new kernel generation will allow the writing ... not yet!

which distribution do you use?

I used a Slackware 8.0, and now run a Mandrake 9.1, but ... soon come back to Slackware (the 9.0) ... more stable!

just to say ... I began Linux with a red-hat, then tried Debian ...and slackware, and stayed with this one for a while.

francois