Installing Linux

[Rifat]

I have a computer (a slow one) with 2 hard drives one of them is about 10GB and the other is 40GB. I want to install Linux into the former hard drive, so do you guys have any tips as to how to go about it so everything runs smoohtly. I'm only going to be using Linux for school programming projects and general use of the internet. Thanks in advance.

[SensoVision]

Hi Rifat! I'm glad to hear you wish to try out Linux! I'd be glad to assist you as much as possible.
Have you already decide or got some distro on your hands you wish to try out?
Also do you have broadband and can download necessary comonents from the web? (as if you have such possibility I can describe you step by step guide when you download Debian network installer disk 25 mb or ~100mb(I prefer this one) disk if you wish to have installer which you can use with packages you download on other So through systems or for later installations). You can simply burn this CD, boot from it and download packages which you would like to use.

Returning to your original question, it's hard to give general instructions as each case is somehow different, but anyway I'm strongly suggesting you to make backup of at least most important data to external media e.g. CD, DVD of flash drive. It's not because I'm doubt in Linux but it gives peace of mind hat you wouldn't loose data in any case.
Also when you do install it's good idea to setup some directories on different partitions, e.g. if you plan it to use as Desktop machnie I would suggest you to have at least 3 partitions:
1. / Root probably biggest one(I had 10 Gb for it).
2. /home this is home parition where all your personal files and settings would be stored, so even if you reinstall Linux you'll have your desktop look just like it was before re-installation. Sometimes it even work if you install other Linux distribution.
3. if you're low on RAM create swap partition, it's suggested that it have size two times more than amount of physical memory.
4. Also if you wish have data from Linux accessible under Windows you should think about creating one FAT32 parition, this way you'll be able to write data to it from Linux and later read it from Windows OS and vice versa.
Please note that right now kernel doesn't able to write to NTFS partitions safely, only read data from them.(there are ways to overcome this but I never tried this myself as prefer using FAT32 partition for transferring data between OSs).

Also please be ready that Linux would overwrite your bootstrap with own bootloader, so maybe do backup of it if you decide later to wipe out Linux completely and return to Windows. Otherwise you'll have GRUB or LILO bootloader where would be able to choose what OS to boot.

Not sure what else to tell you about Linux info, maybe you have some questions or doubts, if so please ask them here and I'll try to respond.

[Rifat]

Thanks SensoVision, I've done my backing up. The distro I have got is just Red Hat, my only concern is that I need files under Linux to be somehow accsessible to Windows OS, I think I'm on FAT32 at the moment.

And also a minor question, when I have installed Linux into the other hard drive. Does the computer at start up give me a choice as to which OS i want to use, is this all automatic or do I have to do something so it does this.

[donecweb]

Thanks SensoVision, I've done my backing up. The distro I have got is just Red Hat, my only concern is that I need files under Linux to be somehow accsessible to Windows OS, I think I'm on FAT32 at the moment.

And also a minor question, when I have installed Linux into the other hard drive. Does the computer at start up give me a choice as to which OS i want to use, is this all automatic or do I have to do something so it does this.

There is a program called "Ext2 Installable File System" that "It provides Windows NT4.0/2000/XP with full access to Linux Ext2 volumes (read access and write access). This may be useful if you have installed both Windows and Linux as a dual boot environment on your computer. The "Ext2 Installable File System for Windows" software is freeware." You can get it from....

http://www.fs-driver.org/index.html


The computer will give you a choice of which OS you want to boot from if you have a boot loader installed. However the boot loader instalation for Simply MEPIS and Ubantu is not automatic but I don't know about other distros.

[SensoVision]

Thanks SensoVision, I've done my backing up. The distro I have got is just Red Hat, my only concern is that I need files under Linux to be somehow accsessible to Windows OS, I think I'm on FAT32 at the moment.

my pleasure, I'd be glad to help if I can. Regarding Red Hat I didn't installed it from the times when it become commercial so I don't quite remember it's installation manager.
Regarding your question about accessing files from Windows, you can try method suggested by Don, or simply write files you need access to FAT32 parition, Linux have no troubles at writing to it, if you need details on how to mount parition please let me know, but I think that RH may mount them for you so you will only need to put there data.

And also a minor question, when I have installed Linux into the other hard drive. Does the computer at start up give me a choice as to which OS i want to use, is this all automatic or do I have to do something so it does this.

if installation manager detect that there are other system installed, it would tell you about this option, from what I remember RedHat told this to me, and let edit what OSs I wish to have in boot list.
There was also installation when you install bootloader to floppy which could be good solution for first time install, you'll simply need to create boot floppy which you would insert when wish to boot into Linux, and if discette is not inserted you'll boot normally to Windows.

Looking forward for more quesitons from you

[Rifat]

my pleasure, I'd be glad to help if I can. Regarding Red Hat I didn't installed it from the times when it become commercial so I don't quite remember it's installation manager.
Regarding your question about accessing files from Windows, you can try method suggested by Don, or simply write files you need access to FAT32 parition, Linux have no troubles at writing to it, if you need details on how to mount parition please let me know, but I think that RH may mount them for you so you will only need to put there data.
if installation manager detect that there are other system installed, it would tell you about this option, from what I remember RedHat told this to me, and let edit what OSs I wish to have in boot list.
There was also installation when you install bootloader to floppy which could be good solution for first time install, you'll simply need to create boot floppy which you would insert when wish to boot into Linux, and if discette is not inserted you'll boot normally to Windows.

Looking forward for more quesitons from you

I'm having trouble partitioning my two hard drives. This is what I had done , I installed Linux first. Allocated 10GB for Linux which is the whole drive, then after that started to install Windows xp on the other hard drive. But Windows XP kept coming up with this message saying it needs to be installed 10GB hard drive for some reason, I think because it's the primary hard drive out of the two (do you know how to change this?). I'm going to give it another go, after I get my Ubuntu CD back, I'll probably put Windows XP in the 10GB hard drive, and Linux in the 40GB hard drive. And maybe later figure out to make a shared space, both OS are able to access those files. 

[Rifat]

There is a program called "Ext2 Installable File System" that "It provides Windows NT4.0/2000/XP with full access to Linux Ext2 volumes (read access and write access). This may be useful if you have installed both Windows and Linux as a dual boot environment on your computer. The "Ext2 Installable File System for Windows" software is freeware." You can get it from....

http://www.fs-driver.org/index.html


The computer will give you a choice of which OS you want to boot from if you have a boot loader installed. However the boot loader instalation for Simply MEPIS and Ubantu is not automatic but I don't know about other distros.

Thanks for the link. Is this similar to GRUB? and I'm using Ubuntu for my distro.

[SensoVision]

I'm having trouble partitioning my two hard drives. This is what I had done , I installed Linux first. Allocated 10GB for Linux which is the whole drive, then after that started to install Windows xp on the other hard drive. But Windows XP kept coming up with this message saying it needs to be installed 10GB hard drive for some reason, I think because it's the primary hard drive out of the two (do you know how to change this?). I'm going to give it another go, after I get my Ubuntu CD back, I'll probably put Windows XP in the 10GB hard drive, and Linux in the 40GB hard drive. And maybe later figure out to make a shared space, both OS are able to access those files. 

yes, Windows has weired reuirements, as I wasn't able to make Windows bootable when make it last parition on the master harddrive. Also from what I remember it needs 8mb of free space in the beginning of disk...
So my advice would be to install Linux on secondary drive and give to XP disk it wish, Linux shouldn't have any troubles to run from any location.

The link adviced by Don, seems to be a driver for Windows which let you access Linux partitions from Windows. It has nothing to do with GRUB(GRand Unified Bootloader) as it's just a bootloader program which you see when system boots.

[donecweb]

That's correct Denis.

[Rifat]

yes, Windows has weired reuirements, as I wasn't able to make Windows bootable when make it last parition on the master harddrive. Also from what I remember it needs 8mb of free space in the beginning of disk...
So my advice would be to install Linux on secondary drive and give to XP disk it wish, Linux shouldn't have any troubles to run from any location.

Yes, that's what im going to be doing very soon. Another question when I was partioning one of my hard drives it asked what type I would like it in either 'logical' or 'primary'. Do you know the difference between them?

[SensoVision]

In short Extended disks let you organize your dirve more effectively as they serve for a base for logical disks. Usually hardrive could have limited number of primary partitions (I don't remember exactly but it could be 3), and using logical disks you could have much more partitions. Although from what I remember Windows should be placed or at least have primary partition in it's posession to be able to boot.
I usually created one primary partition for Windows and later create logical disk on the rest of space and made there additional extended partitions.
BTW you can place Linux inside extended partition it wouldn't be picky as Windows and could boot from there without issues(I had similar installation and it works for me).

[donecweb]

Windows will not work unless it is in a primary partition and even then it can cause problems if you have too many primary partitions. For this reason and the fact that Linux installations aren't picky about whether they are installed on a primary or logical partition I recommend using a logical partition for all Linux installations.

[Rifat]

I've pretty much finished setting it all up I'm pretty happy with it. Would be happier if Windows wasn't so stubborn, I've just got to install a Haskell and Java compiler now and also an editor (Kate or Emacs). Anyways thanks alot for your help guys really appreciate it. 

[SensoVision]

you're welcome, Rifat! We always glad to help if we can
So please post more questions if you need any additional help or just share what you learn so others could use your knowledge and have easier way to move under Linux.