[caminator]

I don't know much about linux, but I'm looking to convert from XP to it. I'm tired of my problems that I'm having (standard MS problems) and want something better. I have rsearched slackware and debian mostly, but I'm having a hard time really determining which linux "flavor" is better.

Can somebody explain the main difference between the few top ones? Or is there a place I haven't run across that really breaks down the differences. Slackware seems cool (I've actually played with it a litle bit), but also seems pretty boring to look at/complex to use.

Debian seems like there are a lot of users, which in return allows for a lot of support and applications.

RedHat same thing, but seems like people have a lot of problems with that also ie security issues....

And on and on...

Any ideas? Thanks

[saikee]

Kind of choosy after sticking with one MS outfit all this time, aren't you?

Linux are very similar. You can just pop any one in and go.

First timer need between 5 to 10 Gb for the Linux and 1Gb for a swap.

You can create as many as say 5Gb logical partitions as you like and try each one out.

I think the main players Fedora, Suse, Madriva, Slackware, Debian and Gentoo have possibly 60% common parts and the remaining differences are not that great, from a newcomer point of view.

In Linux you are discouraged from logging as root (admin) and so to damage files is more difficult than in M$ systems. There is a lot less hatred towards Linux as it is people's system and so a lot less virus attacks.

So just dive in head first!

Linux can co-exist with each other and boot XP so all you need to do is to make room in the hard disk for them. Every Linux can multi-boot.

First timers are advised to try installable CDs that are small in size, quick to load, easy to install, can run with or without being installed in a CD.

Nice one that come to mind are SLax, Mepis, Troppix, Whax, Knoppix (now in DVD), Ubuntu, Damn Small Linux.......... All of them can fire you up in the Internet, play MP3 while you are finding your way in the desktop. You can down load 12 CDs from Debian and would not see much difference from most of the above in the application when you are a newbie.

[caminator]

Thanks for the reply. I'm choosy because I don't "really" know waht I'm doing when it comes to installing Linux, so I want to get it right the first time. So all I have to do is put in a bootable cd and it wil basically do the rest for me? Much like Windows?

Although it sounds like I NEED to create a partition for it right? Does the installer do that for me, or at least walk me through it? I'm screwed if I mess up my win partition.

This is probably a dumb question, but does the linux install have to be on a certain drive? I have two large drives, and one of them (the secondary drive; D has A LOT more room on it, so if possible I'd like to put it on that. Is that possible? Thanks

[saikee]

It is a good policy to have the partitions ready before you install a Linux. This way you can't possibly screw up other areas. You will need some unallocated space available first.

Mepis is probably ideal for this task as you can ask the Live CD to do the partitioning for you. The best program to use is cfdisk. When you boot up Mepis, log in as root (=admin) and click terminal in to command prompt.

If you use IDE disk your two disk will be name hda and hdb ( but can be any 2 of hda, hdb hdc and hdd depending on the position of the mobo you attach the two drives. type

fdisk -l

will list every partition of every disk for you. I strongly urge you to take note of what the screen tells you here and know where are the Windows partition stored. Linux uses a numbering system after each disk to denote a partition. The first 4 are always either primary or extended partion and logical partitions always starts at the 5th position. Every partition number is therefore unique and the alphabets system of M$ system is never used, except in distros specially designed to please the Windows users.

If say your second disk is hdb then you partition it with the command

cfdisk /dev/hdb

The information from the screen is self-explanatory and nothing will happen unless you click "write" after changing the partition table. cfdisk will automatically makes type 83 native Linux partition should you create one.

For Sata disk you will find the disks will be named as sda and sdb respectively.

A Linux can be installed in either a primary or a logical partition and I always put them in the latter. You can leave empty space for future use. None of my Linux is bigger than 5Gb and so 10Gb should be ample plus either 0.5 or 1Gb swap. The swap is normally twice the size of the physical memory in the PC.

After you have the partitions ready just take alook at Mepis desktop and click "install me" to carry out the installation.

As long as you make sure the installer installs the Linux in the specified partition you should be trouble free. As a first timer you should select the boot loader to go to the MBR and Linux would dual boot the PC automatically.

[caminator]

Now if I do this, how hard is it going to be to get my system back to the state it was in BEFORE i created partitions, and installed linux? How hard, and what needs to be done to do that?

[saikee]

If you have unallocated empty space already Linux installation got nothing to do with your existing Windows system.

If you haven't got empty space the best way to to resize your hard disk's existing partition to create the unallocated space withwhich you can make partitions for the Linux. The resizing is irreversible and Windows software like Partition Magic is pretty good at this sort of thing.

Once a Linux is installed it works in its own partition. You can "mount" the NTFS XP partition for it to read, copy the file out, play MP3, display photos etc but Linux officially does not write on a NTFS partition and cannot damage it, although there are experimental programs available attempting to get round it.

When you load XP it doesn't support Linux and you will not be able to see a Linux partition. Again there is some free XP programs available to allow you to view a Linux partition.

Therefore the two systems are mutually exclusive of each other and pretty safe from accidental damage.

The most common problem is in the booting. XP can boot Linux and so can Linux XP. However it takes 10 times more effort for XP to boot Linux than for Linux to boot XP.

Most people are afraid of giving up the XP's Master Boot Record or MBR, which is the first 512 bytes of the bootable hard disk, to Linux to carry out the dual boot duty because they do not know how to restore the MBR. The XP's MBR can be restored just by a DOS floppy or XP (or any Win2k) installation CD.

I don't want to dwell on the user's igorance but if a Windows user does not wish the XP's MBR to be touched he/she can opt for putting the Linux in a bootable floppy. This way the XP is 100% intact.

Another way of keeping the XP's MBR untouched is to use a second disk (or the slave disk) for the Linux. Basically when you install a Linux you use the Bios to reverse the master/slave relationship so that the 2nd disk becomes the first bootable disk. You install the Linux and have in working first. Then you use Linux's Grub boot loader to "re-map" the disk order "on-the-fly" so that if XP is booted it temporily recognised as the master as the original condition. As you are using only the MBR of the 2nd disk for the Linux to dual boot the XP's MBR in the 1st disk is unused and untouched.

I am sympathetic to nervous Windows users trying to protect the XP MBR because I was just the same when I started. Now I laugh at it because (1) I know how to restore it and (2) XP can be booted without the use of its MBR. In fact when playing around with the 80 systems in my box I seldom use the MBR.

You can use XP to delete a Linux partition and reformat it for XP use possible in one minute flat. It takes about 1.5 minutes in Linux to delete a partition, recreate another and format it for apllicaltion.