koala

I've tried the Kubuntu Live CD and now want to install it onto my hard drive.

This is my current setup (2 drives, both NTFS):
C: 80gb, Win2K
D: E: F: 250gb (3x80gb partitions made with Partition Magic)
D: WinXP
E: storage
F: unused

Do I need to make another new partition or can I use F:?

Will it need to be NTFS or some other format native to Linux?

And if I decide to uninstall Linux, is it easy to change back to NTFS if necessary?

K-B

Hi koala
How much space is on F:? You'll probably be OK, but you should have at least 2gigs free space. If there is sufficient space, yes you can use F.
It doesn't matter what filesystem it's using at the moment. During the Kubuntu installation, you can have the installer format the partition for the default Linux filesystem (ext3).
If you want to uninstall Kubuntu, all you have to do is go to Windows Control panel, Administrative Tools and format that partition back to NTFS (Or use Partition Magic). You'd also have to do a fixmbr from the Windows XP recovery console to remove the GRUB bootloader. (GRUB is what allows you to select Windows or Linux when you boot your PC, when you have more than one OS installed).
During the installation you'll want to make sure that you specify to keep your current OS's and set up the bootloader (the installer should automatically detect your Windows OS and set up the bootloader). You might be interested in looking over this guide (it's for Ubuntu but also applies for Kubuntu)
http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/p3.htm
btw, I think you made a good choice of distros!

koala

80gb on F: completely unused so far. I might split this into 2x40gb partitions if Kubuntu doesn't need much room.

Will Linux appear in my current multiboot list at startup or will it replace it with its own bootloader? At the moment the default is to boot to XP with a 10 second pause to show the menu.

Thanks for the advice and link.

K-B

Depending on what you're planning on using Linux for, 40gb is more than enough. It's like any other system, if you're planning on installing lots of programs, (which is really easy to do, as most programs for Linux are free), download lots of music or videos you need more room.
Linux will replace the current bootloader. By default, Kubuntu would be the first to load. But you can configure whichever system you want to load by default, and set the pause to however long you want it.

koala

One more question before I click the download button

Is it better to go for the AMD 64bit version of Kubuntu 6.10 for my Athlon64 X2 4200 instead of the standard version, or will this cause problems with partitions or conflicts with 32bit XP/2K?

floydfan

go with the 32 bit, theres more applications, and 64 bit although really fast, isnt that much faster.

K-B

No, the 64 bit version won't conflict with your other OSs. But I'd recommend you install the 32bit version. First, because 64bit Linux program support is still not very large, while 32bit is widely supported in both hardware & software fields. Secondly, and most importantly, the 64 bit versions are more problematic, which for a beginning user equals more difficulty.
So my personal recommendation is to use the 32bit version. Granted, you probably would get more speed & responsiveness with the 64 bit, but it also might not be worth the trouble.

koala

Thanks to you both for the tips. I now have 2 people to blame if all goes wrong j/k

K-B

ooo. *checks insurance policy*

koala

Kubuntu 6.10 32bit downloaded and burnt to CD.

It runs ok off the CD, but I'm stuck at the install stage where it asks which partitions to use. I select F: from the graphics display, then it says I need one partition at the root of the drive and another for the swap file.

F is the 3rd partition on my 2nd drive, the other 2 are D:(XP) and E:(storage), so would installing to the root wipe over XP?

Does this mean I can't install the whole thing to F?

floydfan

if i remember correctly, when i installed kubuntu edgy, i used a 250gb drive, that already had a vista partition, and i left the rest of the drive untouched. in the installation, i told it to find the most contiguous free space, and use it for linux to partition itself. dont take my word though, let other people state what they did when they installed as i dont clearly remember how i did it.

K-B

You will need a swap file & root. Do you not have a choice to do some custom partitioning? I haven't installed ubuntu in a while. It should give you the option to manually select or resize partitions. You can then create two partitions, one for swap and one for root.
With 2gb RAM, you shouldn't need a large swap, (maybe 512mb). Then you should be able to format those 2 new partitions to the correct filesystem.
Hope this helps.

koala

Up and running. I decided not to install it to the XP drive (D, E, F partitions) in case anything went wrong. So it's on the 2K drive (C) in a 40gb partition and working well. No problems..... yet. I'll be back later with more questions about connecting to the internet and finding drivers.

floydfan

you dont need anything to connect to the internet, it does it out of the box. as for drivers, the only you'll most likely need is video. most apps you'll ever need are already installed, or are available through synaptic which comes with the system, or automatix which you can download and install, the instructions are on its site. once you get used to linux, it really grows on you.

Cellus

It should support most standard wired NICS, though the same is not necessarily true if it is wireless. Worst case scenario if you can't find the driver for Linux is to get the Windows one and use ndiswrapper to enable use in Linux.

As for video many cards are supported, though if it is a newer card you may need to download and install the appropriate Linux driver for it.