[carsey]

In the new year I plan on swapping XP for linux. I plan on having a Hard-drive devoted to the running of Linux and the other Hard-drive for XP. I really need so advice/help on the changeover.

I already have a bootable Linux Ubuntu disc, which I downloaded and burned as an ISO. How do I install linux to the new HDD I plan on getting for christmas?

How would I create a dual-boot so that linux is the preferred choice and then XP as a gaming OS??

I also plan on trimming down Windows so that gaming is optimized. I will ask later about this once I feel comfortable with linux.

Am I able to run software such as MS office, or do I need to find an alternate word processing suite??

How would I set up a wireless connection for Ubuntu so I can connect to my wireless network?

Does Ubuntu have a built-in firewall or would something such as zone-alarm do the trick?

Is Linux easier to use than XP??

What size HDD would you think best for the above installation of Ubuntu?


Thats about all the questions I have now.

Many thanks for advice.

Chris

 

[Joefireline]

I already have a bootable Linux Ubuntu disc, which I downloaded and burned as an ISO. How do I install linux to the new HDD I plan on getting for christmas?

Make sure boot from CD is set first in the BOIS, turn on the computer, and put the disc in, and go through the installer.

How would I create a dual-boot so that linux is the preferred choice and then XP as a gaming OS??

The dual boot manager will come with the Linux CD, if you are using Ubuntu, it will be GRUB. Linux will automaticly be the preferred choice/default.

Am I able to run software such as MS office, or do I need to find an alternate word processing suite??

Most programs will not be compatable with Linux, Microsoft Office will not work, however OpenOffice is a free program, alternative to Microsoft Office, and for Linux.

Does Ubuntu have a built-in firewall or would something such as zone-alarm do the trick?

I am not sure, however Linux is alot more secure than Windows, and not many people try to hack it. If it did get any malware, you restart, and it is gone, usually.

Is Linux easier to use than XP??

Well, you will need to get used to it. Generally, Microsoft is a lot more 'User friendly', meaning easier to do things. It is a bit more complex, but you will get the hang of it.

What size HDD would you think best for the above installation of Ubuntu?

Well, 20GB would do for Linux, but it is up to you. How much space will you need? What will you be using it for?

You will not need anywhere near as much space compared to a Windows system.

Hope this helps,
sorry, I don't know about setting up the Wireless Network card...

 

[carsey]

Thanks for the reply, Joe.

That helped a lot. Thanks.

Its not a problem that you don't know about the wireless setup. Others will contribute i'm sure.

 

[K-B]

Yep, like Joe said, the size of the hard drive all depends on what you're planning to do. If you just want to surf the net, email etc with it, and not much downloading/software installing you can do with much less. 5-10GB. The very minimum space requirement is 1GB, but obviously you can't do any expanding with that.
Firewall, if you're the paranoid type/store sensitive info, there are firewalls available for Ubuntu/Linux. But not as necessary as in Windows.
Wireless, it depends on what card you have. Best scenario is that there would be Linux native drivers available for it, but if there are none, you'd have to use "ndiswrapper", a program that uses the Windows drivers in Linux, but is more difficult to install/configure. If you'd post what brand/type wireless card you have, we could tell you if it's going to be smooth sailing or a headache.

 

[Bartender]

For Christmas, ask for some books!

"The Official Ubuntu Book" is good.

I like "Beginning Ubuntu" by Keir Thomas. Though it was written with Breezy in mind, most of the text is applicable.

I keep hearing good things about "Ubuntu Hacks" but haven't seen the book.

Hang around the forums to absorb knowledge.

As Kyle suggests, get us the data on your wireless card. The actual chipset is handier than the brand or model #. If it's an Intel wireless chipset you're in business. If it's a Broadcom or some other, you might have trouble. Or not.

In your original message, you say you burned the download as an .iso. Is that what you meant? If so, it won't work. The download has to be converted to a bootable CD. Toss your CD into the optical drive, open Windows Explorer, and Explore the contents. If it shows one file, you did it wrong. If it sees seven or eight folders and a handful of files, then at least we know you converted the .iso correctly. That doesn't necessarily mean the CD will work. Did you burn it very slowly, like 2X or 4X? Many many people let their burn utility go full speed, then they're on the forums asking why the CD is no good. Using cheap CD's can also cause trouble.

Is Linux easier to use than XP? I think so. No bull**** validation hassles, malware is not an issue at this time, & the OS is more stable than Windows. The biggest problem is operator unfamiliarity, and trying to do things the way you did them with Windows.

Well, another big problem is that most of the people who make printers, scanners, and various other peripheral devices aren't bothering to write drivers for Linux. You can get around that by spending your money with those who are writing drivers or making sure your stuff is already supported by the Linux distro you want to use.

Say you knew little or nothing about computers. Someone gives you two PC's and hooks them up to the internet for you. One's running XP and the other's running Ubuntu Dapper or SUSe or PCLinuxOS. Unless you learned very quickly how to defend yourself, the Windows PC will quickly be dead in the water from viruses and spyware. By then you'd have found your way around the Linux PC and wondering why all your friends use that other OS :grin:

 

[TheMatt]

Ubuntu is famous for bad wireless drivers, and there are tons of guides for getting your wireless working. What card do you have? Post back and we could probably help.

For the firewall, I use KMyFirewall in Kubuntu, and there is probably a GTK firewall. Just search in your package manager.

 

[carsey]

D-Link Air plus G DWL-G510 version C

 

[TheMatt]

Well that was fast. I would try it, that one might work in Ubuntu. The Broadcom cards are the toughest to get working.

 

[carsey]

So was your reply. Thanks. Suppose ill always have windows to fall back on if it goes pear-shaped.

 

[TheMatt]

I did a little research. It depends on what the wireless chipset is. You will have either the marvel or realtek chipset.

The 510g with the realtek chipset has a driver here:
http://rtl8180-sa2400.sourceforge.net/
The 510g with the marvel chipset is supported by ndiswrapper:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/W...head-edc9986f8a0fb31c0d1041a01759a763eac834c7
Both chipsets are supported by ndiswrapper, so you could go that route if you don't want to mess around with the driver or if it doesn't work.

 

[K-B]

ndiswrapper comes pre-installed in Ubuntu (supposedly) so it shouldn't be too much trouble getting it going.

 

[huntert]

if you want to learn about linux one book i recommend is knoppix hacks the book comes with a copy of knoppix. you can boot up with knoppix and check out the os without having to uninstall windows. Also you can get another book called testdriving linux where you get a copy of knoppix. linux for non geeks has fedora os and has alot of good info. linux for dummies has a lot of good info including info about wireless driver installation

 

[Bartender]

There's been some positive buzz about Mint Linux. It's 98% Ubuntu DNA.

The Mint devs didn't get too worked up about avoiding any proprietary or semi-proprietary stuff - they went ahead and tossed in the multimedia apps that most of us go ahead and install anyway.

Plus they focussed on trying to get as many wireless cards working as they could. It appears they're working hard at adding more in time for next release.

They disabled IPV6 right off the bat. IPV6 is relatively easy to turn off, but it sure trips up lots of new users.

Plus it's blue. Yes, yes, I know, it's easy to change colors and themes, but again something that might appeal to new users.

Uses same package manager (and I believe uses the Ubuntu repositories but not sure about that) so that's a good thing.

I tried Bea (latest version) at home and think it's nice but don't have broadband so can't really do much with it.