2hdd/2OS questions

[Francis Marsden]

My system has two hard drives. One is empty, except for some files that
were installed in it when the comp was put together for me. Other hd has XP
Home. I would like to install Ubuntu Linux on the spare drive and play
around with it, in case Windows 7 turns out to be a piece of crap like
Vista. (I really do like XP, though.) The only things I use my system for
are email, IM, voice chat, web browsing, newsgroups, simple word processing,
listening to online radio stations, and information searching, ie. googling.
Very basic. I know a little more than the average user, but have never been
a power user or gamer etc. Also I have almost zero knowledge of anything to
do with command line, eg dos. Would Ubuntu be suitable for me? I have
heard that setting up a "dual-boot" with Windows and Linux is problematic,
but does the term refer to two hard drives, or one hd with two OS's? Your
comments will be appreciated.

 

[db]

if you are just playing
around,

then I suggest to install
"virtual pc" in windows

then install your practice
o.s. in virtual pc.


--

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces
- @hotmail.com
"share the nirvana" - dbZen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Pegasus [MVP]]

My system has two hard drives. One is empty, except for some files that
were installed in it when the comp was put together for me. Other hd has
XP Home. I would like to install Ubuntu Linux on the spare drive and play
around with it, in case Windows 7 turns out to be a piece of crap like
Vista. (I really do like XP, though.) The only things I use my system
for are email, IM, voice chat, web browsing, newsgroups, simple word
processing, listening to online radio stations, and information searching,
ie. googling. Very basic. I know a little more than the average user, but
have never been a power user or gamer etc. Also I have almost zero
knowledge of anything to do with command line, eg dos. Would Ubuntu be
suitable for me? I have heard that setting up a "dual-boot" with Windows
and Linux is problematic, but does the term refer to two hard drives, or
one hd with two OS's? Your comments will be appreciated.

If you want to know whether Ubuntu is suitable for you then an Ubuntu
newsgroup would probably be a better place to ask.

The simplest way to test Ubuntu would be to physically disconnect your
Windows disk, then install Ubuntu on the second disk.

 

[olfart]

If you want to know whether Ubuntu is suitable for you then an Ubuntu
newsgroup would probably be a better place to ask.

The simplest way to test Ubuntu would be to physically disconnect your
Windows disk, then install Ubuntu on the second disk.

or try a Ubuntu Live CD first. Then you can throw the POS in the trash
without having made any changes to your system. You can setup dual boot on
one HD, but getting rid of it and going back to just WinXP can be a real
PIA. So a live CD or an install like Pegasus suggested would be the safest
thing to do

 

[Francis Marsden]

Why is it necessary to physically disconnect the windows hard drive? And
how do you do it anyway? (I am terrified of the insides of a computer)


..
The simplest way to test Ubuntu would be to physically disconnect your
Windows disk, then install Ubuntu on the second disk.

 

[Francis Marsden]

Where do I get the Live CD, and what does POS mean?.

 

[olfart]

Why is it necessary to physically disconnect the windows hard drive? And
how do you do it anyway? (I am terrified of the insides of a computer)


.
The simplest way to test Ubuntu would be to physically disconnect your
Windows disk, then install Ubuntu on the second disk.

So that there is NO chance of the Ubuntu installation screwing up
Windows....which it will try to do. When you are finished you will be able
to go to your boot menu at startup and select either Linux or Windows.

Turn off the computer and remove the cover. Disconnect the 2 cables going to
the first hard drive...C. You can tell if you have disconnected the correct
drive by trying to start the computer. If it doesn't boot into Windows then
you have the right one. Then put in the Ubuntu CD and boot from it. When
Ubuntu is finished loading....it will take a while....click on the "install"
icon and follow the directions. If and when it finishes you will have Ubuntu
on your second drive. Reconnect your first drive and when you turn the
computer back on hit the appropriate key F10, F12 or whatever brings up your
boot menu. You can then sekect the drive you want for the OS you want to
boot to.

 

[Pegasus [MVP]]

If you're not experienced in these things then it is quite likely that you
damage your Windows boot environment or perhap the whole Windows
installation when installing another OS. This risk is does not exist if you
first disconnect your Windows disk.

There is no need to be terrified about the insides of a computer. Make a
note beforehand where each cable goes, and which way, so that you have an
easy back-out path. If you're still not comfortable, ask a friend to look
over your shoulder when you do it.

 

[olfart]

Where do I get the Live CD, and what does POS mean?.

You will need the CD anyway to install
Google for Ubuntu and there will be plenty of info on it. You will have to
download the CD as an .iso file and then burn it to a CD. If you aren't set
up to do this you can purchase the CD for about $10.00
It appears that you don't have too much computer experience so you will
probably find any Linux O/S a real challange. That's why it's better to try
it live from the CD first without installing it.
POS = piece of s**t

 

[Malke]

Where do I get the Live CD, and what does POS mean?.

Linux might be fine for what you want to do. Only you can tell. What was
being suggested is that you get a Linux Live CD to try it out before
bothering with an install. A Live CD is an operating system that runs from
the CD using your computer's memory and doesn't touch the hard drive.

There are many different versions of Linux, called "distributions" -
"distros" for short. Ubuntu is a very popular and simple distro and can act
like a Live CD. I'm not terribly fond of it and the Live CD function
doesn't come with a lot of programs. It's fine for if you want to install
it and then get the programs you need afterwards since it's fairly
newbie-friendly and has a large user base and active forums. I think
Knoppix is a better Live CD to play around with because it comes with
everything you need and is very good about recognizing hardware. It isn't
that easy to install however since that isn't its main function. Most often
Knoppix is used as a rescue disk. So I would say to try Knoppix to play
around with Linux and then if you want something more permanent, install
something else.

With the distros that have a Live CD, you download the .iso and burn it as
an image. You must use third-party burning software to do this. Boot with
the CD you created (making sure of course that your optical drive is first
in the boot priority) and off you go.

Since questions about Linux aren't really appropriate for this Windows
newsgroup, here are some links to help you:

http://www.livecdlist.com/ - The Live CD List
http://distrowatch.com/ - reviews of various distros
http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm - Linux Is Not Windows, For Newbies
http://www.linuxquestions.org - A good place to start

And POS stands for Piece of Sh*t, which is apparently the way "olfart" feels
about Linux. To each his own.

Malke

 

[Lil' Dave]

This tidbit of information about your PC experience begs the question if you
actually have 2 physical hard drives, or, one hard drive with 2 partitions
(windows calls these drives by the way)?

 

[Francis Marsden]

Yes, there are two physical hard drives in my system. One is 300 gig,
10,000 rpm and the spare one is 500 gig, 7200 rpm