Linux Which Linux Distro Sor Shis System Setup/Installation And General Help

H

HoliC

Disciple
Hi..

Please suggest a distro for the following system..

AMD Athlon 64x2 5600+, 2GB of RAM , 8600GT GFX Card.. 1TB storage Drive..

Now I have 250GB HDD for Operating Systems...im going to format it soon and then repartition it..

So please let me know suitable partitions for linux distro n win7..[70-80-80gb for the 250gb hdd ??]

Now I want to Dual Boot Linux with Windows 7 Ultimate..

I read the dual boot sticky thread and also other ones... but it was a little hard/complex to understand never having encountered linux... Once i get used to it ill try experimenting.. :)

Im a total Linux noob[and a windows pro.. :P] but a quick quick learner so i just need the right direction

Im not sure which distro to install but by looking at the screenshots i liked the foll..

Mandriva,OpenSUSE,Fedora,PCLinuxOS [I guess the good looking ones with transparent taskbar effect]..

And in addition to that i checked out the linux mint and ubuntu homepage.. and i found even more confusing options like KDE, XFCE, LXDE etc etc - What are these exactly.. ???

And then there is 32 bit 64 bit i386 , i586 etc etc.. ??

My major usage will be for Internet/Downloading/Movies/Music and little office/docs stuff.

So it will be better if codecs n apps are pre loaded... but im ready to DIY if not pre installed, just need instructions.

So at this point after selecting Which distro and its version[kde , xfce etc etc]..

Please provide me the downloads links... some torrents show 700mb while on some it is around 4gb-5gb.. :confused:

Next i can burn it on dvd or pendrive.. i need installation instructions after that..

i can choose a single drive but i dont know what this / and swap is.. ??

And finally drivers.. are they easily available ??? I havent searched yet but if they are easily available ill download them else please provide me with links for those too...

I guess these all questions should be enough for Dual boot win 7 with linux..

Waiting for your precious Advice and knowledge...

Thnks..
 
HoliC said:
Please suggest a distro for the following system..
AMD Athlon 64x2 5600+, 2GB of RAM , 8600GT GFX Card.. 1TB storage Drive..
Now I have 250GB HDD for Operating Systems...im going to format it soon and then repartition it..
Click to expand...
As I had said in some thread that there are many flavors of Linux and picking one is very important. I think the first thing you should do before installing a particular distribution is to try out its Live CD.

Ubuntu is the best-known and most popular distribution of Linux. It is well designed, nice interface, easy-to-use and user-friendly.
Linux Mint is also gaining in popularity and basically upgrades Ubuntu to be more multimedia friendly.

Try out both of these with Live CD, and use the one that suits you best. Personally, I suggest you to install Ubuntu.
HoliC said:
Now I want to Dual Boot Linux with Windows 7 Ultimate..
I read the dual boot sticky thread and also other ones... but it was a little hard/complex to understand never having encountered linux...
i can choose a single drive but i dont know what this / and swap is.. ??
Click to expand...
Dual-Boot Windows 7 and Ubuntu | Lifehacker
Step by step instructions. :)
HoliC said:
i found even more confusing options like KDE, XFCE, LXDE etc etc - What are these exactly.. ???
And then there is 32 bit 64 bit i386 , i586 etc etc.. ??
Click to expand...
KDE and Gnome are complete desktop environments. I prefer Gnome to KDE.
HoliC said:
My major usage will be for Internet/Downloading/Movies/Music and little office/docs stuff.
So it will be better if codecs n apps are pre loaded... but im ready to DIY if not pre installed, just need instructions.
Click to expand...
After installing Ubuntu type sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras in Terminal. One stop solution to all problems like No Flash player, missing media plugins, etc. It will install everything. ;)
HoliC said:
Please provide me the downloads links... some torrents show 700mb while on some it is around 4gb-5gb.. :confused:
Click to expand...
Torrent file for you to download from:
For i386: http://releases.ubuntu.com/10.04/ubuntu-10.04-desktop-i386.iso.torrent

Hope it helps.. :)
 
If you are a totally new to linux, perhaps trying ubuntu with wubi be better. Just install it as software and could remove it later on if you don't like it. :) No need to create any partitions,
 
Thnks for the quick response..

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---
XTechManiac said:
As I had said in some thread that there are many flavors of Linux and picking one is very important. I think the first thing you should do before installing a particular distribution is to try out its Live CD.

Ubuntu is the best-known and most popular distribution of Linux. It is well designed, nice interface, easy-to-use and user-friendly.

Linux Mint is also gaining in popularity and basically upgrades Ubuntu to be more multimedia friendly.

Try out both of these with Live CD, and use the one that suits you best. Personally, I suggest you to install Ubuntu.

Dual-Boot Windows 7 and Ubuntu | Lifehacker

Step by step instructions. :)

KDE and Gnome are complete desktop environments. I prefer Gnome to KDE.

After installing Ubuntu type sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras in Terminal. One stop solution to all problems like No Flash player, missing media plugins, etc. It will install everything. ;)

Torrent file for you to download from:

For i386: http://releases.ubuntu.com/10.04/ubuntu-10.04-desktop-i386.iso.torrent

Hope it helps.. :)
Click to expand...

Now which one exactly do u suggest i386 or i586 ???

Would Fedora or Mandriva be way more complex to understand or just a little hard ????

Also that link gives 404 not found error..

And what about the partitions ??? im gonna do 80-80-70gb for the 250gb hdd and install win 7 on one of them first..

So is it possible to do a Fresh install Of linux on a completely clean 80gb drive ?? or is 80 too much ??? should i split it 80[win] - 50[linux] - 100 [ extra storage..] ???

BTW I keep all my Data on the 1 TB storage drive.. and none on the OS drive.. Would i be able to read all that data from linux ???? my music and movies /??? I think linux doesnt read from ntfs drives is it true ??

Thnks..

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---
haraakiri said:
If you are a totally new to linux, perhaps trying ubuntu with wubi be better. Just install it as software and could remove it later on if you don't like it. :) No need to create any partitions,
Click to expand...
So Wubi would jusy install the linux on my existing win 7 C: drive ??? then that means ill have to make a larger c drive... wouldnt a fresh install on a clean drive be a much better option ??
 
HoliC said:
Now which one exactly do u suggest i386 or i586 ???
Click to expand...

Even I don't know what is i386 and i586. :ashamed: I'm using i386.. I am awaiting for other members to point out the difference between these two..

HoliC said:
Would Fedora or Mandriva be way more complex to understand or just a little hard ????
Click to expand...

If you are newbie to this linux world then Ubuntu is the best choice. :) You will not regret it. Believe me.

HoliC said:
Also that link gives 404 not found error..
Click to expand...

Err.. :P

http://releases.ubuntu.com/10.04.1/ubuntu-10.04.1-desktop-i386.iso.torrent

HoliC said:
And what about the partitions ??? im gonna do 80-80-70gb for the 250gb hdd and install win 7 on one of them first..

So is it possible to do a Fresh install Of linux on a completely clean 80gb drive ?? or is 80 too much ??? should i split it 80[win] - 50[linux] - 100 [ extra storage..] ???
Click to expand...

Create a partition of 80 GB for your Win7.

For Ubuntu you have to create 3 partitions:-

1. Root partition denoted by / -- 9 GB

2. Home partition denoted by /home -- 7 GB

3. Swap partition -- 4 GB.

Rest 150 GB as extra storage.. :)

HoliC said:
BTW I keep all my Data on the 1 TB storage drive.. and none on the OS drive.. Would i be able to read all that data from linux ???? my music and movies /??? I think linux doesnt read from ntfs drives is it true ??
Click to expand...

Err.. Linux reads ntfs drives.. :) You will face no problem whatsoever.

P.S. Even, I'm new to this linux world.. :P
 
After some reading i have decided to go with Fedora 13... or may be LinuxMint 9 Isadora...really cant make up my mind..

Is it possible to tripple boot ??? win 7 and fedora and isadora ????

But before that can anyone tell what is the difference between cd and dvd versions ???????????//

cd versions/live are 700MB and dvd versions/distribution dvd image are 4gb whats the difference between a live cd and distribution dvd ??? which one should i download ??

EDIT - Just found out that dvd version has extra softwares[or packages i guess in linux is what they call it..].. so downloading dvds for both.

but the Isadora mint dvd is just 800mb whereas fedora dvd is 3gb.... why such a huge difference ????
 
^ you can install unlimited no. of linux distros without any problems. Fedora is an old distribution .even when it was red hat 9 it came in 3cds
 
1. Go through this http://www.techenclave.com/guides-and-tutorials/things-to-know-before-using-linux-117029.html

2. Fedora is just not the distro for a newbie. Considering how bleeding edge it is, a crash or two might turn your interest off. Better go with Mandriva, Ubuntu or Linux Mint .

3. in86 (n is the number say 3,5,6) is the X86 enhancement numbers which debuted with generation of processors. The newer the better, i586 has all the intructions of old and comes with more enhanced technology while the lower doesn't and vice versa.

but the Isadora mint dvd is just 800mb whereas fedora dvd is 3gb.... why such a huge difference ????
Click to expand...

Software base. Fedora comes in Live Cd (~700Mb) ISO as well, the DVD allows you to choose over plethora of development tools and software, in addition to multiple desktop environments. While Mint team release environment specific release.

For the rest of the question the link i posted should suffice your needs.
 
Dark Star said:
Fedora is just not the distro for a newbie. Considering how bleeding edge it is, a crash or two might turn your interest off. Better go with Mandriva, Ubuntu or Linux Mint .
Click to expand...

+1 I've been using Ubuntu for around 2-3 months now and is quite impressed with it.

Dark Star said:
in86 (n is the number say 3,5,6) is the X86 enhancement numbers which debuted with generation of processors. The newer the better, i586 has all the intructions of old and comes with more enhanced technology while the lower doesn't and vice versa.
Click to expand...

Hmm Thanks.
 
@haider By googling i found that fedora is the best for everyday use.. and mint is very easy for migration to linux..

@darkstar already read and repped that thread before i started this one.. but as i said earlier various google searches point to that fedora is the best for everyday use... and mandriva is best suited for coders/programmers...

I for one have no idea.. so im just gonna install them one by one.. starting now with isadora.. then fedora mandriva and ubuntu..

I consider myself as a power user.. so i guess i can get used to it pretty quickly..

right then im going to install mint 9 now...

Edit - Damn had a really hard time understanding all of it..

Firstly i had spared an 70gb partition for linux only..

now when installation started i was like with totally no ideas how to proceed from the partition part..

somehow i managed making those partitions..

Now i made 5gb for /home and 8b for / and 2 gb for swap.

now can i use the 5gb home for all distros of linux for dual /tripple booting ?? or do i have to make a new one each time ??

rest network connections n all was a little tricky but i managed it..

but something had to wrong... :(

i donwloaded the latest version of firefox and it was a .bz2 and all it did was extract.. cudnt find any way to proceed...

next i downloaded gfx drivers from nvidia.... it was a '.run' file and again i wasnt able to install it..

then after googling i pressed alt+ctrl+f1 then a full black screen console came up... and i could not go back to desktop...

so i restarted from the cpu restat button... and then after booting it just kept hanging at the loading screen..

it gave error - could not load / home... keep waiting or press s or m for manual... and no matter what i pressed it was still stuck on the load screen..

what to do now ??

i guess ill re install the entire thing tommorow morning.. damn..

Plzz also tell me about the partitons thingy.. do i have to make a new /home or / or swap for every distro??

Also at the main boot screen it shows this grub window which has linux mint , mint recover mode, memtest , and windows 7 loader at the bottom...

How do i make the windows 7 first along with the normal black screen and not the green one of the mint.. ?????

PS - desktop of linuxmint is not that great.. but i could see a notable difference in speed...
 
@haider By googling i found that fedora is the best for everyday use.. and mint is very easy for migration to linux..
Click to expand...

Ubuntu is undoubtedly the best for soemone trying out Linux. So i would still suggest to try it out.

now can i use the 5gb home for all distros of linux for dual /tripple booting ?? or do i have to make a new one each time ??
Click to expand...

You can use the same /home.

i donwloaded the latest version of firefox and it was a .bz2 and all it did was extract.. cudnt find any way to proceed...
Click to expand...

.bz2 files are generally compressed source files meaning that you'll have to compile them

To do so. Goto the Uncompressed folder

./configure

make

make install
Click to expand...

Better way to install would be a package manager. Just search and install

Plzz also tell me about the partitons thingy.. do i have to make a new /home or / or swap for every distro??
Click to expand...

You only need a separate "/" partition. No point in making separate swap. Creating a separate /home is also not necessary.

How do i make the windows 7 first along with the normal black screen and not the green one of the mint.. ?????
Click to expand...

Go and edit /etc/grub/grub.conf (Not sure of location. different in diff distro)

change the "default 0" line to whatever corresponds to your windows like "default 3" if its the 4th option

I would still strongly recomend you to try ubuntu
 
+1 for ubuntu

trust me u wont regret it...

get the 700 mb version... u can download whatever tools and packages u want later... no use of getting them all in one go (the 4gb version)

ubuntu detects the video card and prompts to the current driver... its that simple !!

no need for seperate partitions for swap and home... a single partition would do...
 
Ok here is what i did so far... and the doubts that follow...

First i have 3 partitions on my 250gb drive - 80 -70 -80..........of which the entire 70gb is for linux only..

Now firstly i started out with Mint... installation was easy... made 10gb for home 3gb swap and 10 more for /.

Then i downloaded mandriva dvd from their site... now no matter what i do, this thing wont install via USB..

I tried the mandriva seed tool... which does not detect the pendrive at all.. and then usb universal installer which worked in making the bootable usb.. but the boot screen the usb booted and showd some error and there is got hang..

next i tried unetbootin which wasnt able to boot the live desktop.. but i was able to start the installation process.. and it went fine..

Now the main boot screen i got many options... mint 9 , mint 9 recovery , win 7 loader and 'linux on dev/sda7'[which i know was mandriva]... but on selecting it again mandriva did not boot up at all.. gave some error and hung.

Nest i installed ubuntu.. which installed fine.. and i was able to use it easily.. but i dont think it installed with me as the administrator..

i wasnt able to modify the GRUB.cfg file in ubuntu.. even on right clicking there is no "open as admin' option... how do i take administrator rights even though i have set myself as admin user.. :(

so i booted from mint and modified it so that win 7 came first... plus was also able to edit the title.. :)

BTW there was no default 0 or default 1 in the grub.cfg file... i just changed the position of the menu entries... seems to work..

Now what i want to know is i want to remove the memtest and recover modes... from the boot .... can i just erase the menuentry from grub.cfg.... is it safe ??? or are those options absolutely necessary ????

And what do i do about the mandriva dvd ??? how do re install it properly so that it works ??????

And in the movie player... how do i keep the video on top of other windows ???

TIA
 
IMHO forget Mandriva - its dead.

For "Administrator" on Ubuntu, if you are in console then you type "sudo" before the actual command, so if you want to edit a file you type:

Code: 
sudo vim blah.txt

If you are in the GUI then it normally prompts you for your own password (not Admin/root password) when it needs root/admin permissions.

BTW, you should not modify grub.cfg as it may be overwritten by scripts in case there is a GRUB software update. The scripts are in /etc/grub.d named XX_blah where XX is a number (order in which the scripts are executed).

If you want to remove/hide memtest cd to /etc/grub.d and do

Code: 
sudo chmod -x 20_memtest86+

or (whatever is the correct memtest file name) to mark it non-executable.

For preventing the recovery edit the /etc/default/grub file and uncomment the line by removing the hash in front of it:

Code: 
#GRUB_DISABLE_LINUX_RECOVERY="true"

Then run

Code: 
sudo update-grub

and reboot to check it out...

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

Movie player has plugin in Edit->Plugins menu called "always on top" maybe that will work... (I use VLC player though) :)
 
arre i dont know whats wrong with ubuntu... But its not even letting me open the hard disk drives now..

It doesnt even restart or shut down or anything on when click it... its like i have no permission to do anything.... is there any way i can boot via administrator..

and please can someone guide to the command list... or how to get things done in linux... im completely used to just the graphical ways..

And what about the installation of mandriva ??? how do i proceed with it ????????
 
hmmm maybe there's some compatibility problems with your hardware (mobo)... since you have win7 - why not install virtualbox.org and play with various distros inside windows, then when you get comfortable and figure out which one you like, you can return to trying to install it for real...
 
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