[DDastardly]

I'm running Windows but would like to do all my internet surfing via Linux to avoid viruses. Could somebody explain how I go about installing it side by side with Windows please. Thanks in advance.

[arochester]

http://apcmag.com/the_definitive_dua...stepbystep.htm

[lotuseclat79]

Originally Posted by DDastardly

I'm running Windows but would like to do all my internet surfing via Linux to avoid viruses. Could somebody explain how I go about installing it side by side with Windows please. Thanks in advance.

Hi DDastardly,

Start with an Ubuntu (9.10) Karmic Koala Live CD. Download it from here (see download link in left-hand panel), and burn it to CD, then make sure your BIOS is setup to boot from CD before hard drive in boot order. Here is the Karmic Koala User Guide.

-- Tom

[iconicmoronic]

Originally Posted by DDastardly

I'm running Windows but would like to do all my internet surfing via Linux to avoid viruses. Could somebody explain how I go about installing it side by side with Windows please. Thanks in advance.

.

Thanks to the amount of time Linux has been available, this is a lot easier than it used to be!!

Originally Posted by arochester

http://apcmag.com/the_definitive_dua...stepbystep.htm

.

This looks to be a good starting point. It looks very worth reading DDastardly.

Originally Posted by lotuseclat

Start with an Ubuntu (9.10) Karmic Koala Live CD.

This sounds like good advice too, but there are a few more options.

Ubuntu is a good one. The package manager has been made near self-maintained and makes installing application pain free, generally. In order to switch between Windows and Linux you need to dual boot your system. Before you decide to do that though, note that you can install Linux inside of windows and Ubuntu has an automated process for doing that too. Just download a copy of Ubuntu and pop it in the CD/DVD drive after Windows is loaded.

Suse, Redhat, and Ubuntu are all copies of Linux which have made Linux a lot more user friendly. When you install either of these, they will install the LILO or GRUB boot manager so that you can choose a default operating system at install time and be able to choose which operating system to load at boot time. Alternatively you can also modify the Windows NT loader to recognize Linux on boot but it isn't as pain free as installing LILO or GRUB during Linux installation. There are tons of Linux distributions that are light weight and some that are very tailored to meet a specific users needs, but since you are a first timer I would advise you to go with Suse, Redhat, or Ubuntu. A good idea also is to familiarize yourself with the package manager that is included with the copy of Linux that you install. This would be available in man pages (which are tutorials/references) or the wiki or website documentation for that particular distirbution. I also advise you to familiarize yourself with the editing of source lists which will enable you to add software repository locations to the package manager and widen the array of software available to you. You really won't be starved for choices though to be honest.

Another hting you want to do is familiarize yourself with the sudo command. It can be annoying, and disabled by more advanced users, but as a first timer you are very likely to have to deal with it among the more popular Linux packages. sudo basically tells the OS to give you administrative or elevated privledges for a period of time, youw ill have to supply your password. You will likely use sudo when you are updating software, downloading software, editing software repositories, or if you get into more advanced Linux administrative functions.

Don't forget that you can use programs like WineHQ and Cedega to emulate Windows and run a lot of Windows Programs like IE, Office, various games etc. At the winehq website they have an applications database of the compatible programs. That is definately a tutorial worth looking at which may reduce how often you need to reboot and log into Windows from your internet surfing enabled Linux. You should not that winehq has had more success in Windows emulation with certain programs under suse linux than ubuntu or redhat.

A little bit of research will really place you in a position to do so very fundamental things with Linux that will prove most productive!

So:

Pick One:
Suse, Redhat, Ubuntu

Familiarize yourself with the sudo command
Familiarize yourself with that distributions package manager
Familiarize yourself with the editing of source lists
Read a winehq and/or a cedega tutorial
Read about the red hat package manager (both redhat and suse use this)
Read about the debian package manager (ubuntu uses this)
*make sure you don't just read a description, you want to be familiar with commands
ONCE YOU'VE INSTALLED LINUX:
check out the man pages. these are manual pages, read from a terminal. just try inputting something like man wine or man openoffice to get a manual page up. man application name is the command, man -k may provide you with a list too although my terminal is saying apropos what? and I'm going to find out why. Most man pages area also available in online documentation.

visit http://www.linux.org
there is a lot of information and distribution download links available here which will assure you pick the right computer architecture, and let you customize your distribution according to what you are interested in in terms of functionality. If you like Linux and want to learn more, check out O'Reilly books on Linux+ Cert, and read A Practical Guide to Linux by Mark G. Sobell. When you know your way around, try Linux From Scratch, it can be fun if you're nerdy enough.

Note, you really won't even need to edit source lists unless you start looking for software not provided by the distribution distributors. A lot of the said software is either experimental, no longer supported, or considered to have some complication with copyright like codecs and such. You can find nice software in alternative repositories though.

[Lordandmaker]

Originally Posted by DDastardly

I'm running Windows but would like to do all my internet surfing via Linux to avoid viruses. Could somebody explain how I go about installing it side by side with Windows please. Thanks in advance.

Without meaning to be rude, running Linux is no substitute for just being sensible.
Linux and Windows are equally open to breakage through user error.

[jrbuergel]

Here are good Linux sites; http://distrowatch.com/ , http://www.tuxfiles.org/ , and this one too; http://www.ubuntu.com/community , http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/index.php and the most critical items are the hard drive partitioning correctly to keep your windows so it can dual boot, and learning the grub boot loader. http://gparted.sourceforge.net/ , and here for the grub; http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/grub.en.html

[itsjusme]

The simplest way to use or try Linux is with one of the Live cd`s. It is also very safe for surfing in that it`s almost impossible to get infected running from a live cd. The drawback being that live cd`s are inherently slow, with the exception of a few distros that will load into and run frrom ram, like PUPPY LINUX, it is very fast. If you want to try a hard drive install but dual booting looks scary to you, the WUBI installer is the neatest thing thats come along in a long time. It will install UBUNTU into a seperate folder on your hard drive, to a partition of your choice, as if it were a regular windows application. If you dont like it, you can uninstall it just like any windows app, without messsing up your MBR.
http://wubi-installer.org/

[mrx3000]

Another thing to add to this would be UnetBootin. It lets you put on Linux distributions (Ubuntu, SUSE, Fedora) on to a memory stick. If you want it to it can even download the Linux Distribution for you, or it allows you supply the ISO. But the hardest part for new users would be configuring the bios for USB booting. You can find directions over the internet for this.

Also it is live so all the data gets deleted when you exit unless you mounted your data.
Have or safe web browsing with linux.

[perfume]

Dear DDastardly,
As a newbie to Linux, let me share my experience with you. If you have a friend who has experience using any of the distros mentioned above, you may install the same one on your pc. The help you get from your friend will prove invaluable. Confidence and commitment is everything here!
My friend has fedora 11 on his dual-boot and i first downloaded the live cd, let it be kde, Gnome or 86_64 versions.Insert the "DVD--containing the live version" and restart. Boot from the "cd/dvd"(by selecting it from the BIOS) and the experience is as if you are using a real UBUNTU, PCLos, fedora, etc! The beauty is your windows under the hood is not affected. I was happy with fedora 11 and that's the happy ending! All the best.