Newbee to linux

edperks · May 29, 2003, 03:03 AM

Just got a copy of mandrake 8.0 today at a auction was wondering if it will install ok with XP home I have a 5 gig partion made an was wondering if it has some kind of boot loader that will modify XP boot.ini or will I have to modify it manually.

EDIT: I was told that mandrake 8.0 is upgradeable to 9.x is this true

Thanks

UberLord · May 29, 2003, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by edperks
Just got a copy of mandrake 8.0 today at a auction was wondering if it will install ok with XP home I have a 5 gig partion made an was wondering if it has some kind of boot loader that will modify XP boot.ini or will I have to modify it manually.

Actually it will install it's own boot loader into the MBR by default, leaving your boot.ini intact. It will also give you the choice of which OS to load. Windows NT/XP's boot loader via boot.ini isn't all that great for non windows stuff (suprise, suprise)

Quote:

EDIT: I was told that mandrake 8.0 is upgradeable to 9.x is this true

Haven't tried it myself, but as a general rule of thumb I always clean format and install refresh for any new OS. It's a long winded approach as Linux releases are generally more frequent than Windows, but you always end up with a nice clean environment for customising. I like this as I generally swap out some RedHat packages with different ones I prefer - when I install a newer RedHat I have a look at their defaults and then if I still don't like em then I swap em out again.

This means that I'm constantly finding new software which I previously would have overlooked as I was happy with my existing stuff.

But then, some peeps (like my Dad) just like to use the same old software from circa 1995 in Windows XP (ie he still uses Office 95 !!!)

edperks · May 29, 2003, 07:29 PM

Thanks!! When I get home from work today I will install and let you know how everything went.

Thanks Again!!

UberLord · May 29, 2003, 08:58 PM

Good luck and welcome to the Wonderful World Of Linux

~~craig588~~ · May 29, 2003, 09:01 PM

Wait, Lunix costs money now?

UberLord · May 29, 2003, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by craig588
Wait, Lunix costs money now?

No, you can freely download it.

However, some companies do sell versions of Linux with various levels of support - which costs money.
Also, there's the burn-to-cd costs, P&P costs, etc.

I assume ed is getting a boxed linux

~~craig588~~ · May 29, 2003, 09:09 PM

Oh, I get it now. I have seen those distributions of lunix in stores, for some reason I thought they were also free.

EvilTypeGuy · May 29, 2003, 09:15 PM

Don't confuse Linux with Lunix they are two different opreating systems

This is Lunix:

http://lng.sourceforge.net/

An operating system for Commodore computers

~~craig588~~ · May 29, 2003, 09:20 PM

Opps, I didn't notice I was spelling it that way.

edperks · May 29, 2003, 10:44 PM

The version I got a the auction has 2 disks they have Linux central on them the first disks say install disk and second is extension It is version 8.0 X86. I just got home from work so I going to give it a try I will post soon as I get it up and running.

Wish me luck!!

edperks · May 29, 2003, 11:03 PM

Well It looks like Im going to have to put another drive in to get it ti install My boot drive is NTFS and I dont think it can mount it. I treid but it said something about type 2 EXT. I have some other drives around here somewhereI will use one of them.

UberLord · May 30, 2003, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by edperks
Well It looks like Im going to have to put another drive in to get it ti install My boot drive is NTFS and I dont think it can mount it.

Mandrake 8 supports NTFS out of the box - well, read only that is.

Whats the problem exactly?

edperks · May 30, 2003, 02:34 AM

Well I tried, I did get it installed on the new drive but when the interface comes up asking for username and password it says invalid everytime. I know exactly what I told it my username and password was, I use the same for everything. But it just tells me Invalid. That enough for tonight have some work to do. I will work on it this weekend.

Thanks for your concerns UberLord !!

UberLord · May 30, 2003, 09:44 AM

Did you have caps lock on by any chance?

edperks · May 30, 2003, 05:54 PM

Actually I tried it both ways thinking maybe it was case sensitive.

UberLord · May 31, 2003, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by edperks
Actually I tried it both ways thinking maybe it was case sensitive.

Both username and password ARE case sensitive - unlike windows where only the password is case sensitive

DocterDee · Jul 14, 2003, 05:15 PM

Wanna install Linux as a second OS (WinXP) Can somebody explain me "Version(?) is the best for me Newbie (: and where can i load it.

bld155 · Jul 22, 2003, 04:05 AM

use the numbers/letter and not the number pad to type in user name and pass

UberLord · Jul 22, 2003, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DocterDee
Wanna install Linux as a second OS (WinXP) Can somebody explain me "Version(?) is the best for me Newbie (: and where can i load it.

I would try RedHat 9 as it's very simple to install and imo the best all round distro imo
You can download it from http://www.redhat.com

The_Neon_Cowboy · Jul 22, 2003, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by edperks
Just got a copy of mandrake 8.0 today at a auction was wondering if it will install ok with XP home I have a 5 gig partion made an was wondering if it has some kind of boot loader that will modify XP boot.ini or will I have to modify it manually.

EDIT: I was told that mandrake 8.0 is upgradeable to 9.x is this true

Thanks

mandrake 8.0 is upgradeable to 9.x

yea linux is free .. it was developed under a gnu its "freeware" ... you can downlaad it / share it with out paying 1 cent lol

lol what you pay for at the store box models is for support and for etra programs

look on your installion cd ... there sould be something for booting into linux from windows...ther is also bootmagic 8.0 it works to

Dakine · Sep 5, 2003, 11:50 AM

I just installed mandrake 9.1 . My quick review:

pros (compared to windows XP)
- lots of software like divx, mp3 player, office suite, ftp client, e-mail client, web browser, some games with crappy grafics, ... (all i need)
- almost all hardware was installed fine altough my radeon lacked 3d capabilities in the beginning (havent tried the new linux driver which were released yesterday)

cons (compared to windows XP)
- slow it takes a second or to to start the smallest apps and even longer for open office
- driver installation was a bitch until i found the proper drivers for my radeon 9700 for x 4.3. which are custom made by some fan (i think)
- 3D performance is worse then XPs UT2003 is unplayable

I didnt have any problem with internet setup because i have a router. I read at linuxquestions.org that lots of people have problems setting up the internet connection.

I picked mandrake because it`s supposed to be one of the easiest distros red hat i heard does not have as much software coming with it and suse isnt that multimedia capable as mandrake all other distros are more complicated i heard.

as a first step you migth try one of those linux versions that boot from cd i used the slackware version and was quite impressed.

Dakine · Sep 5, 2003, 11:52 AM

download links:

Mandrake 9.1

Slackware live CD

UberLord · Sep 5, 2003, 12:20 PM

Nice review

You can add all the missing multimedida bits to RH9 at FreshRPMS The guy there does a fantastic job maintaining packages that should be in RH

May 29, 2003, 03:03 AM	#1
edperks HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 780 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Newbee to linux Just got a copy of mandrake 8.0 today at a auction was wondering if it will install ok with XP home I have a 5 gig partion made an was wondering if it has some kind of boot loader that will modify XP boot.ini or will I have to modify it manually. EDIT: I was told that mandrake 8.0 is upgradeable to 9.x is this true Thanks

May 29, 2003, 08:58 PM	#4
UberLord A Legend in Underwear Join Date: May 2002 Location: Unknown Posts: 5,255 Rep Power: 0	Good luck and welcome to the Wonderful World Of Linux __________________ Gentoo Linux - Developer (baselayout) Read my blog "I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." Stephen Roberts

May 29, 2003, 09:15 PM	#8
EvilTypeGuy DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 23 Rep Power: 0	Don't confuse Linux with Lunix Don't confuse Linux with Lunix they are two different opreating systems This is Lunix: http://lng.sourceforge.net/ An operating system for Commodore computers

May 30, 2003, 09:44 AM	#14
UberLord A Legend in Underwear Join Date: May 2002 Location: Unknown Posts: 5,255 Rep Power: 0	Did you have caps lock on by any chance? __________________ Gentoo Linux - Developer (baselayout) Read my blog "I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." Stephen Roberts

Jul 22, 2003, 04:05 AM	#18
bld155 lost Alaskan in the lower 48 Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 31 Rep Power: 0	use the numbers/letter and not the number pad to type in user name and pass __________________ OS:Windows xp home edition sp1 cpufsb software settings: celeron 667mhz@725mhz fsb:72.5mhz;ram:108.7mhz Asus cuw-am 12x/40x DVD;56x cd-rom, 40gig WD hard drive 7200rpm

May 29, 2003, 07:29 PM	Thread Starter #3
edperks HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 780 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Thanks!! When I get home from work today I will install and let you know how everything went. Thanks Again!!

May 29, 2003, 09:01 PM	#5
~~craig588~~ Banned Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: In clothing Posts: 3,510 Rep Power: 0	Wait, Lunix costs money now?

May 29, 2003, 09:09 PM	#7
~~craig588~~ Banned Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: In clothing Posts: 3,510 Rep Power: 0	Oh, I get it now. I have seen those distributions of lunix in stores, for some reason I thought they were also free.

May 29, 2003, 09:20 PM	#9
~~craig588~~ Banned Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: In clothing Posts: 3,510 Rep Power: 0	Opps, I didn't notice I was spelling it that way.

May 29, 2003, 10:44 PM	Thread Starter #10
edperks HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 780 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	The version I got a the auction has 2 disks they have Linux central on them the first disks say install disk and second is extension It is version 8.0 X86. I just got home from work so I going to give it a try I will post soon as I get it up and running. Wish me luck!!

May 29, 2003, 11:03 PM	Thread Starter #11
edperks HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 780 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Well It looks like Im going to have to put another drive in to get it ti install My boot drive is NTFS and I dont think it can mount it. I treid but it said something about type 2 EXT. I have some other drives around here somewhereI will use one of them.

May 30, 2003, 02:34 AM	Thread Starter #13
edperks HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 780 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Well I tried, I did get it installed on the new drive but when the interface comes up asking for username and password it says invalid everytime. I know exactly what I told it my username and password was, I use the same for everything. But it just tells me Invalid. That enough for tonight have some work to do. I will work on it this weekend. Thanks for your concerns UberLord !!

May 30, 2003, 05:54 PM	Thread Starter #15
edperks HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 780 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Actually I tried it both ways thinking maybe it was case sensitive.

Jul 14, 2003, 05:15 PM	#17
DocterDee DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Germany Posts: 99 Rep Power: 0	Wanna install Linux as a second OS (WinXP) Can somebody explain me "Version(?) is the best for me Newbie (: and where can i load it.

Sep 5, 2003, 11:50 AM	#21
Dakine DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 20 Rep Power: 0	I just installed mandrake 9.1 . My quick review: pros (compared to windows XP) - lots of software like divx, mp3 player, office suite, ftp client, e-mail client, web browser, some games with crappy grafics, ... (all i need) - almost all hardware was installed fine altough my radeon lacked 3d capabilities in the beginning (havent tried the new linux driver which were released yesterday) cons (compared to windows XP) - slow it takes a second or to to start the smallest apps and even longer for open office - driver installation was a bitch until i found the proper drivers for my radeon 9700 for x 4.3. which are custom made by some fan (i think) - 3D performance is worse then XPs UT2003 is unplayable I didnt have any problem with internet setup because i have a router. I read at linuxquestions.org that lots of people have problems setting up the internet connection. I picked mandrake because it`s supposed to be one of the easiest distros red hat i heard does not have as much software coming with it and suse isnt that multimedia capable as mandrake all other distros are more complicated i heard. as a first step you migth try one of those linux versions that boot from cd i used the slackware version and was quite impressed. __________________ P4 2.55 R9700TX 512DDR 200gig onboard sound DVD+RW

Sep 5, 2003, 11:52 AM	#22
Dakine DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 20 Rep Power: 0	download links: Mandrake 9.1 Slackware live CD __________________ P4 2.55 R9700TX 512DDR 200gig onboard sound DVD+RW

Sep 5, 2003, 12:20 PM	#23
UberLord A Legend in Underwear Join Date: May 2002 Location: Unknown Posts: 5,255 Rep Power: 0	Nice review You can add all the missing multimedida bits to RH9 at FreshRPMS The guy there does a fantastic job maintaining packages that should be in RH __________________ Gentoo Linux - Developer (baselayout) Read my blog "I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." Stephen Roberts