[zyon]

[color=darkred]hi,
im thinking of adding an extra OS on my notebook, i heard alot of good comments about linux & i would like to give it a try!

my main problem is which version of Linux should i go for? there are many of them such as SuSe,RedHat etc. some say redhat is slow,hangs,crash bla bla.....while some say Mandrake doesnt support many pragrams?!!?

actually i nvr use any OS before besides than Windows (95,98,Me,NT,XP). hence im expecting a user-friendly linux that suits my daily use. eg.for web-browsing,audio visual & some text work similar to Office.

BTW, would the linux work on dual-boot? cause im planning to have it as my secondary OS(XP as primary in my C drive).

my notebook specs:
P3 800Mhz
192 SDram
20G HDD
8M display card

pls give me some advice.

thanx in advance!!

PS. how many Gig of HDD space is needed for installing the linux?

[pvc9]

<img src="http://forums.techguy.org/images/tsgteam/welcome.gif" alt="">

zyon,

From personal experience I felt the installation of Mandrake Linux 8.2 was much easier when compared to that of RedHat Linux 7.2.

I've also felt that Mandrake is a better option if you're a newbie to Linux. Tried SuSe Linux once, its also a good one. To see more opinions use the below link, its one of the TSG!'s threads in the same forum -

DifferentLinuxDistros

Hope this helps...

[pvc9]

About the other questions -

BTW, would the linux work on dual-boot? cause im planning to have it as my secondary OS(XP as primary in my C drive).

Linux would definetely work on Dual-boot. As a matter of fact I used 3 OSes earlier with Linux being one of them. I had Win 98SE, Win XP Pro and RHLinux 7.2. All you would need is to install the bootloader when you install the Linux OS. That would do it.

PS. how many Gig of HDD space is needed for installing the linux?

Now the answer for this depends on the installation type you choose. If you choose to install only few packages(or programs) then Linux would occupy 800 MB - 1 GB of space. If you wish to install all the packages then it will take upto 2 GB - 2.5 GB. Again this might depend to some extent on the distribution of Linux you use.

I installed all the packages of RHLinux and performed a Workstation installation and it occupied 2.25 odd GB.

So I guess these solve your doubts.

Hope this helps...

[Jiggy]

i agree with pvc9, i used mandrake 8.2 as a new comer the Linux i found it a damm good change from the rest, also huck it up to the net.

[pvc9]

<img src="http://forums.techguy.org/images/tsgteam/welcome.gif" alt="">

Jiggy,
Welcome and thanks for the advice!

[stnwerks]

Well here's another vote for Mandrake
and a site that deserves a good read

http://www.linux-laptop.net/

Have fun and don't be in a hurry!!!!
Steve

[zyon]

hi guys, im back!
thank you every1 for the advice and suggestion,i really appreaciate them, they meant a lot to a newbie like me. thanx guys!!

hookay,i have good news & bad news..

the good news: i bought the Mandrake 8.2 yeah!!

and the bad news: i am having MAJOR problem installing it, itz a total nightmare!!!!

i just cant stop calling myself a dumpa$$ whole night during the installation.

the problem is using the discdrake to partition the drive.there were 2 drives in my laptop, C with XP & D as backup. i wanted to install linux into the D drive but ended up dividing it into 5 extra partitions.

1.what should i do to merge these 5 small partitions back to a single drive as before?

2.this may sound stupid: "how to install linux into my D drive?" i really need serious help in this.....

thanx!

[pvc9]

How did those partitions come up or what do you mean by created? Did you create them by mistake? Are they formatted to be the Linux partition i.e., the ext2 file system or can they be read under DOS or Windows(are they still the FAT file systems)? If they are still in the FAT16/FAT32 format then you could do that easily by deleting all the partitions using the fdisk under DOS.

If they are in the ext2 format then I guess there would be an option to delete a partition during Linux installation. Becareful and delete all the partitions you want to and leave alone the C drive as it is.

One more word when you are installing dont use the Diskdrake(as you're a newbie to Linux) to set the partitions its always a good option to use the Auto Allocate for all the partitions. That would be much easier for you.

Try these and get back...

[stnwerks]

Heres a link to a thread at mandrake user board that sounds a lot like what your doing Mandrake on D drive, look it over and check the links in the thread.
My installs have been simple and I used Partition majic to make linux partitions.
Look at link and I hope someone with better answers come along.
Mandrake split my partition into 3 pieces and linux usualy take 2 native & swap, what are the 5 on your drive?

these things can really get frustrating, hang in there you'll get it.
Good luck
Steve

[stnwerks]

http://www.club-nihil.net/mub/viewtopic.php?t=4031
Sorry deleted in last post
PVC9 has a good point about diskdrake!

[codejockey]

The Mandrake installation allows you to specify the drive you wish to partition and install Linux on. You would use /dev/hdb if you wish to install linux on your secondary drive on the first IDE channel. You would use /dev/hdc if you wish to install LInux on your primary drive on the secondardy IDE channel. You would use /dev/hdd if you wish to install Linux on your secondary drive on the secondary IDE channel.

Mandrake also allows you to create, delete and re-size partitions during installation. You can delete any partitions you don't want and have the installation procedure update the partition table on disk. Click on the partition(s) you wish to change, and follow the prompts.

Mandrake also allows you to select a "typical" installation (the name may vary; can't remember exactly how Mandrake explains it) but the bottom line is that Mandrake makes partitioning decisions for you and sets things up so that it all works. You can also partition the drive yourself during installation, in which case you will need at least one Linux native partition and one swap partition. Choose the size for the swap partiiton to be between 1 and 2 times your memory size; the Linux native partition can take up everything else.

Hope this helps.

[zyon]

hiya,
With every1's guide, i solved the harddisk partition probelm & finally managed to install onto my D drive. thank you!! *2 thumbs up*

during my second time boot-up, there was a command line in the DOS (before going into linux) which require local host login & password. but after that, there is another line with "[myname@localhost.myname]$".
what is this all about? i couldnt go into the linux platform....does every1 has the same problem before?

i think this problem is related to the last time when i logout as an admin from local host.

few more question:
how to boot into user mode directly without going into local host? how to switch from local host to user? the last time i logout as local host & there is no other option than login again as local host...
how to find the COM connected with my modem?can i look for the COM in WinXP? if yes, how to do so?

thanx in advance!

[lynch]

The "DOS" is actually the command line for linux.When you get the "myname@localhost.myname" that's the command prompt.From there you enter commands.You might want to try "startx" and see what that brings back.
BTW,once you get into x,there are ways to change the "myname@localhost.myname".It's the hostname and domain name.There are ways to do it from the command prompt also,by editing a file.
lynch