Linux

[NE5]

not sure if I would do it just now, but more probably when I get a new PC, but can you split a hard disk so you have part of it running linux and part of it running microsoft for applications and games ?

 

And is it true that linux doesn't need virus checkers etc so its quicker and safer to use online ?

 

 

[ToonTastic]

Yep that's true no need for virus checkers, there are still virus checkers available to make sure you don't send on a virus to a Windows machine though but you don't have to worry about getting a virus yourself.

 

Yes it's possible to split your hard drive in to two so that you can have a section available for Windows and a section available for Linux. My machine is set up like this so that the games which don't work on Linux I can play on Windows. However you can also use a product called Wine to use alot of Windows applications and games on Linux as well so you might want to check this out as well.

 

To split your hard drive (partition) you will want to read a guide at http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/, this is basically the same regardless of the Linux OS you decide to go for. I use ubuntu myself.

 

If you don't fancy going the partition root there is another option, it's called Wubi. Basically it installs Ubuntu like a piece of software, so you install it within Windows itself and if you ever want to remove it you just go to add remove programs and delete it. http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/wubi has more details. Some people have a few problems with this but if you don't then it's another option especially if you are worried about partitioning.

[khay]

Quite a lot of new laptops with Vista all ready come with two partions anyways to make life easier.

[NE5]

Yep that's true no need for virus checkers, there are still virus checkers available to make sure you don't send on a virus to a Windows machine though but you don't have to worry about getting a virus yourself.

 

Yes it's possible to split your hard drive in to two so that you can have a section available for Windows and a section available for Linux. My machine is set up like this so that the games which don't work on Linux I can play on Windows . However you can also use a product called Wine to use alot of Windows applications and games on Linux as well so you might want to check this out as well.

 

To split your hard drive (partition) you will want to read a guide at http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/, this is basically the same regardless of the Linux OS you decide to go for. I use ubuntu myself.

 

If you don't fancy going the partition root there is another option, it's called Wubi. Basically it installs Ubuntu like a piece of software, so you install it within Windows itself and if you ever want to remove it you just go to add remove programs and delete it. http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/wubi has more details. Some people have a few problems with this but if you don't then it's another option especially if you are worried about partitioning.

 

thats exactly what I had in mind. I;ve also been told you can download a disk and boot the pc through a disk to see if you like the system so I might try this as well. Thanks for the info mate.

 

 

[ToonTastic]

Yep that's true no need for virus checkers, there are still virus checkers available to make sure you don't send on a virus to a Windows machine though but you don't have to worry about getting a virus yourself.

 

Yes it's possible to split your hard drive in to two so that you can have a section available for Windows and a section available for Linux. My machine is set up like this so that the games which don't work on Linux I can play on Windows . However you can also use a product called Wine to use alot of Windows applications and games on Linux as well so you might want to check this out as well.

 

To split your hard drive (partition) you will want to read a guide at http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/, this is basically the same regardless of the Linux OS you decide to go for. I use ubuntu myself.

 

If you don't fancy going the partition root there is another option, it's called Wubi. Basically it installs Ubuntu like a piece of software, so you install it within Windows itself and if you ever want to remove it you just go to add remove programs and delete it. http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/wubi has more details. Some people have a few problems with this but if you don't then it's another option especially if you are worried about partitioning.

 

thats exactly what I had in mind. I;ve also been told you can download a disk and boot the pc through a disk to see if you like the system so I might try this as well. Thanks for the info mate.

 

 

 

Make sure you first defragment your current hard drive if you currently have Windows on it. Defrag it and then do a disk scan so you know for a fact there are no errors on it. If you don't defrag the drive you will lose data or make your windows partition unbootable when your finished.

 

You'll be happy to know you don't have to defrag a Linux partition ever.

 

Most of the Linux OS's have Live CDs so you can test and decide which one you want. On the Gnome version of these OS's you will find the partition program which is much easier to use and understand than the one that comes with the installs (they use the same product but sometimes they word things in strange ways or format other drives if you don't notice the tick box).

[ToonTastic]

Also if your interested in Ubuntu the new version is released in a few weeks version 9.04 so you might want to wait for that.

[ToonTastic]

Finally if you go with Ubuntu (though it does have different guides) this site is good at showing you how to install and get loads of other great software which you will no doubt want to replace some of your Windows products http://www.howtoforge.com/the-perfect-desktop-ubuntu-8.04-lts-hardy-heron

[wacko]

Whenever I install Linux, I always put /home on a separate partition. That way, you can easily replace the system without messing up your user data, settings etc.

 

I must have installed 10 different Linux distros over about 5 years without changing /home.

 

Personally, I prefer Debian, but Ubuntu (which is based on Debian) is a good shout for users new to Linux.

 

Also, a FAT partition is a good idea to swap data between Linux and Windows. Writing to NTFS Windows partitions with Linux is not recommended (reading is okay), and can screw up Windows permissions.

[ToonTastic]

Whenever I install Linux, I always put /home on a separate partition. That way, you can easily replace the system without messing up your user data, settings etc.

 

I must have installed 10 different Linux distros over about 5 years without changing /home.

 

Personally, I prefer Debian, but Ubuntu (which is based on Debian) is a good shout for users new to Linux.

 

Also, a FAT partition is a good idea to swap data between Linux and Windows. Writing to NTFS Windows partitions with Linux is not recommended (reading is okay), and can screw up Windows permissions.

 

Yeah I've done the same with /home on a separate partition which is a good job cause when 9.04 comes out I want to do a full reinstall of Ubuntu.

[ToonTastic]

That's how I've always done it - however, I'm in two minds whether to do it again because the last time I had a problem with my drive (one physical drive with three logical ones), when Windows decided to throw its biannual conniption and wouldn't launch, I couldn't recover from it despite the partitioning.

 

In the past, overwriting grub (the Linux bootloader, for those who aren't familiar) with the standard Windows boot sector and doing a CHKDSK has always sorted it out (then, once everything is back up and running, reinstalling grub), but for some reason Windows just couldn't cope with sharing the drive with Linux-formatted partitions and I lost everything on my NTFS partitions.  Linux wouldn't mount the partitions either, so I couldn't recover them that way.  No idea what happened - I've been running a dual boot system for the last five years or so - but it's put me off the idea of dual booting.

 

End of the day, you can get a fully working internet box running from a live CD in no time at all (and if you are left without Windows for whatever reason, you can just install it then), so you have to ask yourself if the potential heartache is worth it for a secondary OS which - if you're anything like me - you'll never really use.  Ubuntu is very pretty, though, and I like the sound of Wubi.

 

** edit

 

I say three logical ones: there were probably more, because Linux likes a couple doesn't it..?  There was one NTFS system drive for Windows, one NTFS data drive for windows, one Linux-formatted system and probably a linux swap and a Linux data.

 

See I'm the opposite now, Windows is my second OS at home, I hate it and now only use it for games which don't work on Ubuntu. Use Ubuntu for everything else.

[wacko]

That's how I've always done it - however, I'm in two minds whether to do it again because the last time I had a problem with my drive (one physical drive with three logical ones), when Windows decided to throw its biannual conniption and wouldn't launch, I couldn't recover from it despite the partitioning.

 

In the past, overwriting grub (the Linux bootloader, for those who aren't familiar) with the standard Windows boot sector and doing a CHKDSK has always sorted it out (then, once everything is back up and running, reinstalling grub), but for some reason Windows just couldn't cope with sharing the drive with Linux-formatted partitions and I lost everything on my NTFS partitions.  Linux wouldn't mount the partitions either, so I couldn't recover them that way.  No idea what happened - I've been running a dual boot system for the last five years or so - but it's put me off the idea of dual booting.

 

End of the day, you can get a fully working internet box running from a live CD in no time at all (and if you are left without Windows for whatever reason, you can just install it then), so you have to ask yourself if the potential heartache is worth it for a secondary OS which - if you're anything like me - you'll never really use.  Ubuntu is very pretty, though, and I like the sound of Wubi.

 

** edit

 

I say three logical ones: there were probably more, because Linux likes a couple doesn't it..?  There was one NTFS system drive for Windows, one NTFS data drive for windows, one Linux-formatted system and probably a linux swap and a Linux data.

 

See I'm the opposite now, Windows is my second OS at home, I hate it and now only use it for games which don't work on Ubuntu. Use Ubuntu for everything else.

Windows was my second OS at home for a couple of years until I deleted it completely and just ran Linux. Then, about 4 years ago, I moved to OS X. UNIX under the hood (most of my Linux scripts worked without any modification), and very pretty on top. All the power of Linux plus lots and lots of polish.

 

Whenever I install Linux, I always put /home on a separate partition. That way, you can easily replace the system without messing up your user data, settings etc.

 

I must have installed 10 different Linux distros over about 5 years without changing /home.

 

Personally, I prefer Debian, but Ubuntu (which is based on Debian) is a good shout for users new to Linux.

 

Also, a FAT partition is a good idea to swap data between Linux and Windows. Writing to NTFS Windows partitions with Linux is not recommended (reading is okay), and can screw up Windows permissions.

 

Yeah I've done the same with /home on a separate partition which is a good job cause when 9.04 comes out I want to do a full reinstall of Ubuntu.

Is it necessary to do a full reinstall? I've used apt to upgrade Debian installs to the new version before without any problems. Or is the system a bit old and crufty?

[ToonTastic]

That's how I've always done it - however, I'm in two minds whether to do it again because the last time I had a problem with my drive (one physical drive with three logical ones), when Windows decided to throw its biannual conniption and wouldn't launch, I couldn't recover from it despite the partitioning.

 

In the past, overwriting grub (the Linux bootloader, for those who aren't familiar) with the standard Windows boot sector and doing a CHKDSK has always sorted it out (then, once everything is back up and running, reinstalling grub), but for some reason Windows just couldn't cope with sharing the drive with Linux-formatted partitions and I lost everything on my NTFS partitions.  Linux wouldn't mount the partitions either, so I couldn't recover them that way.  No idea what happened - I've been running a dual boot system for the last five years or so - but it's put me off the idea of dual booting.

 

End of the day, you can get a fully working internet box running from a live CD in no time at all (and if you are left without Windows for whatever reason, you can just install it then), so you have to ask yourself if the potential heartache is worth it for a secondary OS which - if you're anything like me - you'll never really use.  Ubuntu is very pretty, though, and I like the sound of Wubi.

 

** edit

 

I say three logical ones: there were probably more, because Linux likes a couple doesn't it..?  There was one NTFS system drive for Windows, one NTFS data drive for windows, one Linux-formatted system and probably a linux swap and a Linux data.

 

See I'm the opposite now, Windows is my second OS at home, I hate it and now only use it for games which don't work on Ubuntu. Use Ubuntu for everything else.

Windows was my second OS at home for a couple of years until I deleted it completely and just ran Linux. Then, about 4 years ago, I moved to OS X. UNIX under the hood (most of my Linux scripts worked without any modification), and very pretty on top. All the power of Linux plus lots and lots of polish.

 

Whenever I install Linux, I always put /home on a separate partition. That way, you can easily replace the system without messing up your user data, settings etc.

 

I must have installed 10 different Linux distros over about 5 years without changing /home.

 

Personally, I prefer Debian, but Ubuntu (which is based on Debian) is a good shout for users new to Linux.

 

Also, a FAT partition is a good idea to swap data between Linux and Windows. Writing to NTFS Windows partitions with Linux is not recommended (reading is okay), and can screw up Windows permissions.

 

Yeah I've done the same with /home on a separate partition which is a good job cause when 9.04 comes out I want to do a full reinstall of Ubuntu.

Is it necessary to do a full reinstall? I've used apt to upgrade Debian installs to the new version before without any problems. Or is the system a bit old and crufty?

 

The system is very old been on since version 6 and in that time i've done all sorts of testing stuff out so it's full of loads of KDE crap that I can't  be bothered to sort through and loads of other guff so it's time for a nice clean up. Only takes about 20mins anyway so I'm not overly fussed.

 

My problem with OS X is frankly I don't fancy paying over the odds for the hardware, and then I'm stuck again with the same problem games wise. I know I know i should spend my cash and buy a console for games instead but at the minute cash doesn't let me.

[wacko]

That's how I've always done it - however, I'm in two minds whether to do it again because the last time I had a problem with my drive (one physical drive with three logical ones), when Windows decided to throw its biannual conniption and wouldn't launch, I couldn't recover from it despite the partitioning.

 

In the past, overwriting grub (the Linux bootloader, for those who aren't familiar) with the standard Windows boot sector and doing a CHKDSK has always sorted it out (then, once everything is back up and running, reinstalling grub), but for some reason Windows just couldn't cope with sharing the drive with Linux-formatted partitions and I lost everything on my NTFS partitions.  Linux wouldn't mount the partitions either, so I couldn't recover them that way.  No idea what happened - I've been running a dual boot system for the last five years or so - but it's put me off the idea of dual booting.

 

End of the day, you can get a fully working internet box running from a live CD in no time at all (and if you are left without Windows for whatever reason, you can just install it then), so you have to ask yourself if the potential heartache is worth it for a secondary OS which - if you're anything like me - you'll never really use.  Ubuntu is very pretty, though, and I like the sound of Wubi.

 

** edit

 

I say three logical ones: there were probably more, because Linux likes a couple doesn't it..?  There was one NTFS system drive for Windows, one NTFS data drive for windows, one Linux-formatted system and probably a linux swap and a Linux data.

 

See I'm the opposite now, Windows is my second OS at home, I hate it and now only use it for games which don't work on Ubuntu. Use Ubuntu for everything else.

Windows was my second OS at home for a couple of years until I deleted it completely and just ran Linux. Then, about 4 years ago, I moved to OS X. UNIX under the hood (most of my Linux scripts worked without any modification), and very pretty on top. All the power of Linux plus lots and lots of polish.

 

Whenever I install Linux, I always put /home on a separate partition. That way, you can easily replace the system without messing up your user data, settings etc.

 

I must have installed 10 different Linux distros over about 5 years without changing /home.

 

Personally, I prefer Debian, but Ubuntu (which is based on Debian) is a good shout for users new to Linux.

 

Also, a FAT partition is a good idea to swap data between Linux and Windows. Writing to NTFS Windows partitions with Linux is not recommended (reading is okay), and can screw up Windows permissions.

 

Yeah I've done the same with /home on a separate partition which is a good job cause when 9.04 comes out I want to do a full reinstall of Ubuntu.

Is it necessary to do a full reinstall? I've used apt to upgrade Debian installs to the new version before without any problems. Or is the system a bit old and crufty?

 

The system is very old been on since version 6 and in that time i've done all sorts of testing stuff out so it's full of loads of KDE crap that I can't  be bothered to sort through and loads of other guff so it's time for a nice clean up. Only takes about 20mins anyway so I'm not overly fussed.

 

My problem with OS X is frankly I don't fancy paying over the odds for the hardware, and then I'm stuck again with the same problem games wise. I know I know i should spend my cash and buy a console for games instead but at the minute cash doesn't let me.

Probably a good idea. It's pretty hard to unbung a Linux system. If /home is a separate partition, it's pretty damn easy, too.

 

I can totally relate to that. I um'ed and ah'ed for quite some time before dropping the megabucks for a Mac Pro. Ultimately, I didn't want to live without Spotlight and syncing with my iPhone was also quite a biggie.

 

I had planned to be moving back to Linux about now, but it just hasn't made the progress I thought it would. Perhaps in another 4 years when this computer needs replacing, but in all honest, it would surprise me.

 

In the end, I ended up paying about 3 times as much as I wanted to for the Mac (but I expect to keep it at least twice as long as I normally would). I would have gone for the iMac, but I have this ridiculous 30" monitor that only works with Macbooks and Mac Pros.

 

If I want to play games, I can always boot Windows. Well, I could if it were installed.

[ToonTastic]

That's how I've always done it - however, I'm in two minds whether to do it again because the last time I had a problem with my drive (one physical drive with three logical ones), when Windows decided to throw its biannual conniption and wouldn't launch, I couldn't recover from it despite the partitioning.

 

In the past, overwriting grub (the Linux bootloader, for those who aren't familiar) with the standard Windows boot sector and doing a CHKDSK has always sorted it out (then, once everything is back up and running, reinstalling grub), but for some reason Windows just couldn't cope with sharing the drive with Linux-formatted partitions and I lost everything on my NTFS partitions.  Linux wouldn't mount the partitions either, so I couldn't recover them that way.  No idea what happened - I've been running a dual boot system for the last five years or so - but it's put me off the idea of dual booting.

 

End of the day, you can get a fully working internet box running from a live CD in no time at all (and if you are left without Windows for whatever reason, you can just install it then), so you have to ask yourself if the potential heartache is worth it for a secondary OS which - if you're anything like me - you'll never really use.  Ubuntu is very pretty, though, and I like the sound of Wubi.

 

** edit

 

I say three logical ones: there were probably more, because Linux likes a couple doesn't it..?  There was one NTFS system drive for Windows, one NTFS data drive for windows, one Linux-formatted system and probably a linux swap and a Linux data.

 

See I'm the opposite now, Windows is my second OS at home, I hate it and now only use it for games which don't work on Ubuntu. Use Ubuntu for everything else.

Windows was my second OS at home for a couple of years until I deleted it completely and just ran Linux. Then, about 4 years ago, I moved to OS X. UNIX under the hood (most of my Linux scripts worked without any modification), and very pretty on top. All the power of Linux plus lots and lots of polish.

 

Whenever I install Linux, I always put /home on a separate partition. That way, you can easily replace the system without messing up your user data, settings etc.

 

I must have installed 10 different Linux distros over about 5 years without changing /home.

 

Personally, I prefer Debian, but Ubuntu (which is based on Debian) is a good shout for users new to Linux.

 

Also, a FAT partition is a good idea to swap data between Linux and Windows. Writing to NTFS Windows partitions with Linux is not recommended (reading is okay), and can screw up Windows permissions.

 

Yeah I've done the same with /home on a separate partition which is a good job cause when 9.04 comes out I want to do a full reinstall of Ubuntu.

Is it necessary to do a full reinstall? I've used apt to upgrade Debian installs to the new version before without any problems. Or is the system a bit old and crufty?

 

The system is very old been on since version 6 and in that time i've done all sorts of testing stuff out so it's full of loads of KDE crap that I can't  be bothered to sort through and loads of other guff so it's time for a nice clean up. Only takes about 20mins anyway so I'm not overly fussed.

 

My problem with OS X is frankly I don't fancy paying over the odds for the hardware, and then I'm stuck again with the same problem games wise. I know I know i should spend my cash and buy a console for games instead but at the minute cash doesn't let me.

Probably a good idea. It's pretty hard to unbung a Linux system. If /home is a separate partition, it's pretty damn easy, too.

 

I can totally relate to that. I um'ed and ah'ed for quite some time before dropping the megabucks for a Mac Pro. Ultimately, I didn't want to live without Spotlight and syncing with my iPhone was also quite a biggie.

 

I had planned to be moving back to Linux about now, but it just hasn't made the progress I thought it would. Perhaps in another 4 years when this computer needs replacing, but in all honest, it would surprise me.

 

In the end, I ended up paying about 3 times as much as I wanted to for the Mac (but I expect to keep it at least twice as long as I normally would). I would have gone for the iMac, but I have this ridiculous 30" monitor that only works with Macbooks and Mac Pros.

 

If I want to play games, I can always boot Windows. Well, I could if it were installed.

 

Never thought about installing Windows on to a Mac, guess I could do that. Look at you luring me over to the pale blue side lol

 

I agree Linux has kinda got itself a bit stuck. Ubuntu kinda woke alot of new people up to Linux with how it worked and I think the next update after 9.04 will do the same as apparently that is when they will focus on appearance which Ubuntu has lacked for years now. I'm looking forward to how it progresses.

[SEMTEX]

That's how I've always done it - however, I'm in two minds whether to do it again because the last time I had a problem with my drive (one physical drive with three logical ones), when Windows decided to throw its biannual conniption and wouldn't launch, I couldn't recover from it despite the partitioning.

 

In the past, overwriting grub (the Linux bootloader, for those who aren't familiar) with the standard Windows boot sector and doing a CHKDSK has always sorted it out (then, once everything is back up and running, reinstalling grub), but for some reason Windows just couldn't cope with sharing the drive with Linux-formatted partitions and I lost everything on my NTFS partitions.  Linux wouldn't mount the partitions either, so I couldn't recover them that way.  No idea what happened - I've been running a dual boot system for the last five years or so - but it's put me off the idea of dual booting.

 

End of the day, you can get a fully working internet box running from a live CD in no time at all (and if you are left without Windows for whatever reason, you can just install it then), so you have to ask yourself if the potential heartache is worth it for a secondary OS which - if you're anything like me - you'll never really use.  Ubuntu is very pretty, though, and I like the sound of Wubi.

 

** edit

 

I say three logical ones: there were probably more, because Linux likes a couple doesn't it..?  There was one NTFS system drive for Windows, one NTFS data drive for windows, one Linux-formatted system and probably a linux swap and a Linux data.

 

See I'm the opposite now, Windows is my second OS at home, I hate it and now only use it for games which don't work on Ubuntu. Use Ubuntu for everything else.

Windows was my second OS at home for a couple of years until I deleted it completely and just ran Linux. Then, about 4 years ago, I moved to OS X. UNIX under the hood (most of my Linux scripts worked without any modification), and very pretty on top. All the power of Linux plus lots and lots of polish.

 

Whenever I install Linux, I always put /home on a separate partition. That way, you can easily replace the system without messing up your user data, settings etc.

 

I must have installed 10 different Linux distros over about 5 years without changing /home.

 

Personally, I prefer Debian, but Ubuntu (which is based on Debian) is a good shout for users new to Linux.

 

Also, a FAT partition is a good idea to swap data between Linux and Windows. Writing to NTFS Windows partitions with Linux is not recommended (reading is okay), and can screw up Windows permissions.

 

Yeah I've done the same with /home on a separate partition which is a good job cause when 9.04 comes out I want to do a full reinstall of Ubuntu.

Is it necessary to do a full reinstall? I've used apt to upgrade Debian installs to the new version before without any problems. Or is the system a bit old and crufty?

 

The system is very old been on since version 6 and in that time i've done all sorts of testing stuff out so it's full of loads of KDE crap that I can't  be bothered to sort through and loads of other guff so it's time for a nice clean up. Only takes about 20mins anyway so I'm not overly fussed.

 

My problem with OS X is frankly I don't fancy paying over the odds for the hardware, and then I'm stuck again with the same problem games wise. I know I know i should spend my cash and buy a console for games instead but at the minute cash doesn't let me.

Probably a good idea. It's pretty hard to unbung a Linux system. If /home is a separate partition, it's pretty damn easy, too.

 

I can totally relate to that. I um'ed and ah'ed for quite some time before dropping the megabucks for a Mac Pro. Ultimately, I didn't want to live without Spotlight and syncing with my iPhone was also quite a biggie.

 

I had planned to be moving back to Linux about now, but it just hasn't made the progress I thought it would. Perhaps in another 4 years when this computer needs replacing, but in all honest, it would surprise me.

 

In the end, I ended up paying about 3 times as much as I wanted to for the Mac (but I expect to keep it at least twice as long as I normally would). I would have gone for the iMac, but I have this ridiculous 30" monitor that only works with Macbooks and Mac Pros.

 

If I want to play games, I can always boot Windows. Well, I could if it were installed.

 

Never thought about installing Windows on to a Mac, guess I could do that. Look at you luring me over to the pale blue side lol

 

I agree Linux has kinda got itself a bit stuck. Ubuntu kinda woke alot of new people up to Linux with how it worked and I think the next update after 9.04 will do the same as apparently that is when they will focus on appearance which Ubuntu has lacked for years now. I'm looking forward to how it progresses.

 

I installed Windows on my Macbook. After about 2 days of battling to get it to work, I booted it up, installed the one little program I wanted to run, used said program and then promptly unpartitioned my harddrive, wiping dirty Windows away forever.

 

Honestly it just felt so clunky in comparison, I couldn't deal with it, made me feel dirty.

 

I DO however give my monies to Microsoft via the means of an Xbox 360 which is so much handier than gaming on my PC ever was.

 

The will I once had to spend hours troubleshooting and upgrading my PC has well and truely dissipated, I'm alot more about spending a little more monies for a significantly more peaceful and enjoyable technological life.

[ToonTastic]

Oh I know believe me that's why I'm running Linux now so much easier and with alot less hassles. I just can't justify the costs of moving to Linux and buying a console at the minute

[wacko]

Oh I know believe me that's why I'm running Linux now so much easier and with alot less hassles. I just can't justify the costs of moving to Linux and buying a console at the minute

You can always dual-boot Windows and Linux. I did that for years, just booting Windows on the odd occasions I needed some Windows-only proggie, and I never had any problems with the MBR etc. I never changed the partitions though.

 

I use VM Ware to boot Windows as a guest OS on OS X when I want to watch footie streams, or test a website in IE. VirtualBox does the same on Linux, but I think that's no good for games as you can't get full 3D acceleration in a guest OS.

That's how I've always done it - however, I'm in two minds whether to do it again because the last time I had a problem with my drive (one physical drive with three logical ones), when Windows decided to throw its biannual conniption and wouldn't launch, I couldn't recover from it despite the partitioning.

 

In the past, overwriting grub (the Linux bootloader, for those who aren't familiar) with the standard Windows boot sector and doing a CHKDSK has always sorted it out (then, once everything is back up and running, reinstalling grub), but for some reason Windows just couldn't cope with sharing the drive with Linux-formatted partitions and I lost everything on my NTFS partitions.  Linux wouldn't mount the partitions either, so I couldn't recover them that way.  No idea what happened - I've been running a dual boot system for the last five years or so - but it's put me off the idea of dual booting.

 

End of the day, you can get a fully working internet box running from a live CD in no time at all (and if you are left without Windows for whatever reason, you can just install it then), so you have to ask yourself if the potential heartache is worth it for a secondary OS which - if you're anything like me - you'll never really use.  Ubuntu is very pretty, though, and I like the sound of Wubi.

 

** edit

 

I say three logical ones: there were probably more, because Linux likes a couple doesn't it..?  There was one NTFS system drive for Windows, one NTFS data drive for windows, one Linux-formatted system and probably a linux swap and a Linux data.

 

See I'm the opposite now, Windows is my second OS at home, I hate it and now only use it for games which don't work on Ubuntu. Use Ubuntu for everything else.

Windows was my second OS at home for a couple of years until I deleted it completely and just ran Linux. Then, about 4 years ago, I moved to OS X. UNIX under the hood (most of my Linux scripts worked without any modification), and very pretty on top. All the power of Linux plus lots and lots of polish.

 

Whenever I install Linux, I always put /home on a separate partition. That way, you can easily replace the system without messing up your user data, settings etc.

 

I must have installed 10 different Linux distros over about 5 years without changing /home.

 

Personally, I prefer Debian, but Ubuntu (which is based on Debian) is a good shout for users new to Linux.

 

Also, a FAT partition is a good idea to swap data between Linux and Windows. Writing to NTFS Windows partitions with Linux is not recommended (reading is okay), and can screw up Windows permissions.

 

Yeah I've done the same with /home on a separate partition which is a good job cause when 9.04 comes out I want to do a full reinstall of Ubuntu.

Is it necessary to do a full reinstall? I've used apt to upgrade Debian installs to the new version before without any problems. Or is the system a bit old and crufty?

 

The system is very old been on since version 6 and in that time i've done all sorts of testing stuff out so it's full of loads of KDE crap that I can't  be bothered to sort through and loads of other guff so it's time for a nice clean up. Only takes about 20mins anyway so I'm not overly fussed.

 

My problem with OS X is frankly I don't fancy paying over the odds for the hardware, and then I'm stuck again with the same problem games wise. I know I know i should spend my cash and buy a console for games instead but at the minute cash doesn't let me.

Probably a good idea. It's pretty hard to unbung a Linux system. If /home is a separate partition, it's pretty damn easy, too.

 

I can totally relate to that. I um'ed and ah'ed for quite some time before dropping the megabucks for a Mac Pro. Ultimately, I didn't want to live without Spotlight and syncing with my iPhone was also quite a biggie.

 

I had planned to be moving back to Linux about now, but it just hasn't made the progress I thought it would. Perhaps in another 4 years when this computer needs replacing, but in all honest, it would surprise me.

 

In the end, I ended up paying about 3 times as much as I wanted to for the Mac (but I expect to keep it at least twice as long as I normally would). I would have gone for the iMac, but I have this ridiculous 30" monitor that only works with Macbooks and Mac Pros.

 

If I want to play games, I can always boot Windows. Well, I could if it were installed.

 

Never thought about installing Windows on to a Mac, guess I could do that. Look at you luring me over to the pale blue side lol

 

I agree Linux has kinda got itself a bit stuck. Ubuntu kinda woke alot of new people up to Linux with how it worked and I think the next update after 9.04 will do the same as apparently that is when they will focus on appearance which Ubuntu has lacked for years now. I'm looking forward to how it progresses.

Canonical have done a fantastic job promoting Ubuntu. Personally, I've never really understood the difference between Ubuntu (which I've only dabbled with) and Debian (which I used for years). I know they really tone down Debian's hardcore copyleft model and have great support forums. Is that it?

 

What would you like to see improved in Linux?

[wacko]

Totally agree with that. I think the roughness and the lack of standardisation are both due to the nature of open-source development in general. There's not really anyone who can direct development and resources, stop the duplication of effort or concentrate on the bits that need work. Every programmer does more or less what he wants because he's the boss. Also, when you have to use the shell to do stuff in Linux anyway, why bother writing a GUI for your program? For the little programs that I write, it would take twice as long to add a GUI using the dev tools available on Linux as well, so I just don't bother.

 

[ToonTastic]

Yeah thats what i do now, I dual boot Windows. I can't run it through anything like virtual box cause the games would die under it lol

 

Basically I think Debian releases everything to the public as soon as it's released, Ubuntu doesn't do this hence you might have more problems when running debian than Ubuntu. At times when a big release comes out from Debian your advised to wait a good while for the next version else you could kill everything. I believe this is the major difference.

 

There is a problem stopping duplication as this I believe is the major problem with Open Source. Basically if something doesn't do what you want you create your own, that's how the community works.

 

I think the whole issue of installs is fantasic now, it's so easy and if you wanted to you would never need to use console at all now.

 

In my eyes everything needs to be made to look nicer, your problem then is that most of the distros are made by people who like you say prefer console to a GUI interface and so don't put design at the top of their lists. This is why I believe Ubuntu will get it right. They want everyone to use their distro and so far they are going the right way and the numbers have increased massivly without many design changes. The design changes will encourage more people to join them and thats when they can start making money through training courses etc.

 

[wacko]

That's a point. Ubuntu is based on Debian testing and/or unstable, isn't it? Debian stable is usually years behind.

 

Yeah, it could definitely do to be prettier. There are some really, really badly designed GUIs out there, and the fonts still look shit. That might be because I'm using OS X now, though: it has the most beautiful font rendering.

 

Personally, I just got fed up having to jump through so many hoops to get even fairly simple stuff to work, like connecting an iPod. I mean, why on earth do Linux users still have to compile their own kernel modules and drivers in this day and age? Or at least, why isn't there a proper GUI-based framework for doing so?

 

Who will Canonical sell training to, though? I can't really see Linux adoption on the desktop getting all that far. Governments, perhaps, but not many companies (at least, not the ones I know).

[ToonTastic]

That's a point. Ubuntu is based on Debian testing and/or unstable, isn't it? Debian stable is usually years behind.

 

Yeah, it could definitely do to be prettier. There are some really, really badly designed GUIs out there, and the fonts still look s***. That might be because I'm using OS X now, though: it has the most beautiful font rendering.

 

Personally, I just got fed up having to jump through so many hoops to get even fairly simple stuff to work, like connecting an iPod. I mean, why on earth do Linux users still have to compile their own kernel modules and drivers in this day and age? Or at least, why isn't there a proper GUI-based framework for doing so?

 

Who will Canonical sell training to, though? I can't really see Linux adoption on the desktop getting all that far. Governments, perhaps, but not many companies (at least, not the ones I know).

 

Governments pay out an awful lot in training, believe me I work for one lol and remember it's not just in the uk. I've heard that I think it was the french police force have now moved over to ubuntu totally now. All of these people need training in how to use it so Canonical will make cash from that. I'm sure they have other ways to make cash as well.

 

I'm guessing it was a while ago since you last used linux since you moved to your Mac ? I simply plugged my ipod into my computer and it was picked up straight away and opened a program to use. It wasn't the program I wanted but that was easily changed. Didn't have to compile anything. It could just be Ubuntu I don't know, but it picked up everything, even my Virgin broadband which took me aggggeeesss to get working in Windows because iI couldn't get the drivers working in Windows. In ubuntu I didn't have to do anything at all it just worked.

 

Whilst I say the current GUIs are awful for Linux, the great thing is you can do what you want to them. I'll post mine up here which I'm pretty happy with the look of.

 

I believe Ubuntu has finally started making complex tasks easy, in some cases easier than Windows and that's a giant step forward. I remember the pain it used to be to get grahpics cards working and MP3s. Now it just says, your not supporting MP3 do you want to. Yes ? Ok there you go done. And your graphics card isn't supported by us but some guy we know has created a driver that works. Do you want it ? yes ? There you go one working grahpics  card lol

[ToonTastic]

My current desktop. http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/3733/screenshotmzh.th.png

 

I can also have a nice dock along the bottom like on the Mac if I fancy it. In fact it's very easy to make Gnome look exactly like a Mac now. This is linux:

 

http://images.howtoforge.com/images/mac4lin/Mac4Lin%20Documentation_html_6890eb3f.jpg

 

 

[wacko]

My current desktop. http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/3733/screenshotmzh.th.png

 

I can also have a nice dock along the bottom like on the Mac if I fancy it. In fact it's very easy to make Gnome look exactly like a Mac now. This is linux:

 

http://images.howtoforge.com/images/mac4lin/Mac4Lin%20Documentation_html_6890eb3f.jpg

 

 

That looks pretty good, but it's still a cheap knock-off ;-) I'm really not a fan of Gnome at all. Much preferred it to KDE in version 1, but KDE has been ahead since version 2, and I think Gnome is going backwards these days. In fact, I used to use WindowMaker most of the time, myself, so I guess it's not surprising I ended up with a Mac:

 

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1589/earldesktop.th.jpg

 

 

[ToonTastic]

By cheap you mean free open source solution

[wacko]

By cheap you mean free open source solution

Touché.

 

I meant the linked Mac skinning, not your desktop, by the way. Always thought it a little odd trying to make one OS look like another one. I love the look of your start bar (or whatever it's called).