Help Installing Linux?

[Username]

I'm thinking of trying out Ubuntu on my home computer, but I don't want to get rid of Windows and have to reinstall that, so I'm thinking of trying to install it on a 4GB usb drive I have. As I said in the topic title, I have no idea of what I'm doing. Any good guides out there (I seem to only find boot from usb guides, as a replacement for bootable CDs). Also, does anyone think that I should try out a different Linux OS instead of Ubuntu?

 

[(naw)mcx]

I'm not great with Linux, but I recommend Linux Mint. It's Ubuntu, plus more.

And if you want to install to a pendrive of some sort, you can just choose when installing!

 

[Klepto]

Personally I'd go with Kubuntu, it's just Ubuntu but with KDE instead of Gnome. KDE is apparently more similar to Windows than Gnome is (and I prefer it, although I don't want to start a heated debate).

I'd suggest shrinking your existing Windows partition to make space for Linux rather than messing about with a small USB drive. You are learning something new so perhaps it's not a good idea to make it more complex than it needs to be. (K)Ubuntu installation CDs are also live CDs so you can play with the OS without actually installing it, but it will be very slow and not particularly feature filled.

I hope it goes well, I'm sure there are many here and elsewhere who will be happy to answer any questions you have.

 

[Ravnos]

I wouldn't recommend Kubuntu until KDE 4 gets better. I've heard so many horror stories about it at this point, and I know that there are still tons of things that worked in KDE 3.5 but don't in KDE 4. I used to prefer KDE to Gnome, but right now, if you want things to "just work", vanilla Ubuntu is the best bet. Maybe try Kubuntu when 9.04 comes out. KDE 4.2 is supposed to fix a ton of the KDE 4.x problems/broken stuff, so when that comes out it will probably be worth a look. I also don't want to start a heated debate, I'm just saying. If you install either one, you can install the packages for the other without reinstalling the whole OS, so it's not a big deal either way (I have KDE 3.5 and Gnome installed on this laptop, even though I don't really use KDE on this machine.) Just select a different DE when you log in. Might take up a bit too much space on a 4GB USB drive, but it's an option.

 

[norm]

use ubuntu, its a good starting point. instead of messing around with partitions or making a bootable flash drive, you can just install ubuntu on to your windows partition without getting rid of windows. if you pop the ubuntu live cd in to your disk drive while in windows, an autorun should popup if not start it manually and from there it gives you several installation choices and you want "install inside windows"

hope thats of some use

 

[senquack]

Your best bet is probably to install Linux into a virtual machine running on your Windows host. Virtualbox is a free virtualization suite and you can download the Windows version here: http://www.virtualbox.org/

On the same site is lots of documentation and stuff you can read, probably would only take an hour max to look it over and understand what's going on. You don't have to worry about hosing your windows install accidentally, the performance suffers only a little (unless you're depending on Linux to do heavy graphical work, I guess), and it's like literally having a little PC inside your big PC. It even shows its own branded BIOS boot screen and status info when "booting up".

If you've never heard of virtualization on Intel CPUs, read the wikipedia entry.

 

[Sphinxter]

I recommend the abbreviated approach aka "kicked off the pier", and, "scorched earth";
1) Install ubuntu or fedora new fs'ing the entire drive.
2) Start swimming or drown.

Take the pain, if it doesn't kill you it will make you stronger.

 

[Username]

Alright, thanks. I will try as many of these as I can.

 

[Klepto]

I wouldn't recommend Kubuntu until KDE 4 gets better.

You're probably right, I'm still on 3.5 here. KDE isn't usually sorted until .2 or .3 releases

 

[(naw)mcx]

I'm actually impartial to XFCE.

Nice and light.

 

[aaron11193]

I'm actually impartial to XFCE.

Nice and light.



+1
Right now I'm running Xubuntu + Compiz + Emerald + XGL(?), very pretty

Pain in the ass to set up on a Toshiba convertible tablet PC lol but it was worth it
Even Winblows Viruses.Intruders.Spyware.Trojans.Adware looks boring now :rolleyes:

 

[lizard808uk]

I would go with Linux Mint as a first timer.. it has everything and even I got the recommendation from here mint4win allows it to co-exist on a Windows partition too - so nothing invasive as such.

If you want a more Windows-y look then KDE is ok - but a more mature setup in something like Opensuse would be better than Kubuntu - not sure what support is like for Kubuntu, but there's always help with Opensuse.

 

[Username]

Thank you all. After much pain and suffering, I've finally got it working and am using it as I post.

 

[Klepto]

Glad to hear it's working, what distro did you decide on? As a pro-Linux zealot I'd be interested to hear your opinion of the OS once you've had a chance to use it a bit.

not sure what support is like for Kubuntu, but there's always help with Opensuse.
Kubuntu is just Ubuntu configured to use KDE and friends instead of Gnome, so it's pretty much the same community as Ubuntu, no lack of support there. My (somewhat outdated) experience is that Suse is non-standard, it puts it's files in funny places and is full of non-standard scripts and the like. It's always worked well, just not like I expect Linux to work.

 

[Username]

I decided on plain Ubuntu. It seems easy enough to use, runs much faster than my Vista boot. I wasn't sure but will I need an antivirus program for it?

 

[Nova]

I decided on plain Ubuntu. It seems easy enough to use, runs much faster than my Vista boot. I wasn't sure but will I need an antivirus program for it?

Nope

 

[(naw)mcx]

I decided on plain Ubuntu. It seems easy enough to use, runs much faster than my Vista boot. I wasn't sure but will I need an antivirus program for it?

Nope

You should be safe

 

[fiveseven]

Well, there *are* virii/other malware that infect linux, but they're incredibly rare at the moment. Still, as long as you don't go downloading that looks suspicious, you should be fine. Some form of firewall is probably a good idea though.

 

[Ravnos]

There's ClamAV or F-Prot if you really feel the need, and both are free, but I've only ever used them to scan my Windows drives so I don't have to rely on the tools of a potentially compromised system.

 

[Tag5]

I really need to learn Linux, the Microsoft Virtual PC does not seem to like the Linux system even though there is an option for it but other Microsoft OS seems to run fine. Hmmmm, bit of a coincidence that they do not want to let you out of there grasp. <_<