Any people using Ubuntu around here?

[gingerj]

I've got a few q's if anyone actually uses it...

[Ish]

Yeah I do. Fire away....

(tho to be honest I'm quite a basic user... but I'll try!)

[gingerj]

How do I setup this O/S to dual boot with my windows setup and have it to I tell it when to boot up into Ubuntu so my parents can use the machine like normal without having to touch anything?

[Ish]

If you install it after Windows then it will do that for you.

If you install it before Windows then want to put Windows on it will involve a little pratting round and setting up of the boot loaders.

[kernow]

http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Dual_boot

this will help you, its for gentoo, but grub is grub

if its another windows on another drive its just a case of adding

"chainloader +1"

to the grub config, I believe, I havent used grub in a while.

http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Dual_Boot_from_Windows_Bootloader_%28NTLDR%29_and_why

that will let you use the NTLDR on the MBR, you just need to strip off your boot sector for the linux root partition, and place it in the root of c:\ then point your bootloader config to it, many people think its neater, and don't like grub, but some aren't fussed

[gingerj]

it'll know even if i plan to install it on a sep. partition?

[Ish]

My's on a seperate drive to my Windows installation and it did when I installed it.

If it doesn't then you can just change grub as kernow explained above.

[gingerj]

I've just tried installing it. But I'm lost during the installation setup, at the partition phase.

I've already split my HDD so it can be installed. On my new drive E:, and I get a list of all my partitions, and when I highlight the partition and press enter, I get to another screen with all this next stuff like "Do Nothing" etc...

This is manually editing it btw, the only other option I get its formatting all of the drives into one losing everything.

Could you explain to me how the hell I get it to install on e: without touching so I've still got my C: and D: drives, there and fully working with my stuff.

[kernow]

e: would be /dev/hda3

you want to install there, you might want to install use hda3 as '/' and hda4 as '/home' so next time you reinstall you dont lose your homedir, well its up to you

/dev/hda = first ide channel master
/dev/hda1 = first partition
/dev/hda2 = 2nd
/dev/hdX = partition X

/dev/hdb = first ide channel slave
/dev/hdb1 = first partition

/dev/hdc = cdrom on secondary master
no partitions

/dev/hdd{1,2,3} hard disk on secondary slave with 3 partitions


hope this helps

[gingerj]

Err how the hell do I get to any of that stuff, from this Archaic DOS based installer

[Ish]

Linux doesn't really work like windows with drive letters. Any partition tools don't really too! I'm not too comfortable advising you how to do that in case I screw up your system! How your e: drive will appear depends on if its a logical or physical drive. I can't remember the specifics I'm afraid.

But when I got to that point when I installed it I had to refresh my own memory about partitioning and I googled for it and found what I was looking for.

[Cobertizo]

The easiest thing in my opinion is just to delete the empty partition which you have set aside for Linux (most likely at the end of the disk, hence the last one mentioned in the list, but it's always a good idea to check...), then tell Ubuntu to install to the largest area of contiguous free space. If you get it to automatically set itself up in there it will deal with the swap partition and all the gubbins by itself.

[kernow]

just choose to install to /dev/hda3 (probably your E: drive)

and theres loads of distros with graphical installers out there.

You could always partition with partition magic first.

[Insom]

I would suggest googling for set up guides for linux. Or possible installing it on an older system first.

The first system I installed Linux on was an old IBM PS1. It was the first time I had ever looked at a Linux Distro and it was a steep learning curve. I had to set up the hdd specifics and lots of other bits and bobs. Not the easiest of things but once I did it I was chuffed.

I would recommend starting with a graphical installer (SuSE or Mandriva would be a good bet) just to get you used to the terminology and access to the help they have onscreen. If you still get stuck, the guys over at the Linux Format forum will be able to help. Nice friendly bunch of people!