How do you install Linux?

[deathbow2134]

Hello!

I want to try using Linux. I currently have Windows, can it be installed in a way so that I can choose between using Windows and Linux each time I start my computer? Any good online guides?

Thanks!

[TerranceN]

I would recommend Ubuntu (it's a popular version of linux, one of the easiest to use, imo). That has the instructions to install it, and you can even try it before you install it. It comes with a bootloader called GRUB (its installed when you install Ubuntu) so you can choose what OS you want to run when you start your computer.

[Kharybdis]

i would recommend Ubuntu too, just to try it out. Find out how to get a live Cd, burn it to a CD-R or CD-RW, put it inside your computer, and u can just try out ubuntu from the live cd without installing it.

And yes, there's a way to get linux + windows working at the same time, although with pentium 3 systems if you do anything to mess up one of the operating systems, the grub loader gets messed up and likewise for the windows loader.

But if its not messed up, you'll automatically get the option to choose which OS you'd like to start up in the boot options.

[bfh]

deathbow2134 @ Sun Aug 01, 2010 6:28 pm wrote:

Hello!

I want to try using Linux. I currently have Windows, can it be installed in a way so that I can choose between using Windows and Linux each time I start my computer? Any good online guides?

Thanks!

Hey your gonna have to partition your hard drive.

-google partitions, i did this before, make sure u don't overwrite your windows partition (write linux onto the new partition)

helps if u name the new partition, and yes ubuntu is a good version of linux.

ps; sometimes ull need to install drivers so before you install linux make sure u make a copy of your windows.

oh one more thing, if u overwrite your "RECOVERY" partition well, then you lose that memory space forever untill you use
the recovery disc that came with your computer, SO BE CAREFULL

[TheGuardian001]

bfh wrote:

Hey your gonna have to partition your hard drive.

-google partitions, i did this before, make sure u don't overwrite your windows partition (write linux onto the new partition)

helps if u name the new partition, and yes ubuntu is a good version of linux.

ps; sometimes ull need to install drivers so before you install linux make sure u make a copy of your windows.

oh one more thing, if u overwrite your "RECOVERY" partition well, then you lose that memory space forever untill you use
the recovery disc that came with your computer, SO BE CAREFULL

No real knowledge of partitioning is required if they're using Ubuntu (Although a good guide can be found here.) The installer will provide the option to both Automatically partition the remaining hard drive space, and to manually partition the space (And to wipe the drive, although that doesn't apply here.)

Automatic will choose for itself what sizes to make the resulting partitions, while Manual allows you to resize existing partitions, and allows you to define the size of the new partition, as well as the Swap partition.

Although accidentally destroying part of your Windows partition is extremely unlikely when let Ubuntu do the risizing, I would still recommend having a backup of all your important files on Windows.

[yoursecretninja]

If you're just looking to try it out and get your feet wet I'd recommend using a live cd or installing on a virtual machine. Most distros have a live cd option now. A virtual machine is a good longer term solution as 1) your installation will be sandboxed so you won't mess up the rest of your system if you do something wrong and 2) you can have it use a minimal amount of disk space and consume more disk space as required.

[DtY]

You should get a pretty good idea of what you want to do before you start, otherwise there's a good chance you'll boot up, find out that none of the programs you currently use run on Linux, and then decide that you don't like Linux.

There's nothing particularly interesting about Linux for someone who doesn't know anything about it, using Ubuntu wont be a great learning experience, unless you make it one. I suggest learning Bash (the command line on Linux*). Amongst Windows users, the command line is often seen as some weak tool, but that's only because Batch is a load of shit. I also suggest learning to use vi, it's a text based text editor. You can find resources for these both all over online.

* There is no single command line on Linux, when you boot into a graphical environment, you would launch a terminal emulator, which would start in it another program, the login shell. Bash is the default login shell nearly everywhere in Linux, but it can be changed, it's just a program (contrast this with Windows where it's part of the operating system and you're locked into a single frontend to it).

If you want to post the programs you commonly use on Windows, we can help you find suitable alternatives that will run on Linux (and these are often (subjectively) way better than their Windows' counterparts).

[DemonWasp]

DtY: Batch is no longer a core part of the Windows operating system (that died after the 9x days); it is now just a program in the same way that bash is, except that it's called 'cmd.exe'. I agree that it's mostly useless, but Microsoft has created something called PowerShell that may be of interest to you.

[DtY]

DemonWasp @ Tue Aug 03, 2010 8:50 am wrote:

DtY: Batch is no longer a core part of the Windows operating system (that died after the 9x days); it is now just a program in the same way that bash is, except that it's called 'cmd.exe'. I agree that it's mostly useless, but Microsoft has created something called PowerShell that may be of interest to you.

cmd.exe is both batch and the terminal emulator, you can't separate them.

I've heard of powershell, and it might have interested me if it came out when I still had a computer with windows on it.

[rdrake]

1. Download Wubi.
   
2. Follow installer instructions.
   
3. Wait a while.
   
4. Reboot and choose Ubuntu.
   

[andrew.]

^ What rdrake said.

If you want to uninstall Linux, just boot into Windows, and go to Add/Remove Programs and uninstall it.

[DemonWasp]

DtY @ Tue Aug 03, 2010 2:58 pm wrote:

cmd.exe is both batch and the terminal emulator, you can't separate them.

I agree, but it's still worth knowing that the CMD executable is no longer a part of the operating system in Windows. It's a userland application just like everything else.

[liisaa]

Ok, you can be in the same block disk operating system installed two!