Dual Boot Linux

[ruffilb]

I would really like to install a flavour of linux on my empty 20 gig D: partition. I know NOTHING about linux, however.

I'm not aiming for a windows replacement. I do lots of gaming, and I don't want to try to make my SLI rig run WoW and CS:S in linux. I do want to see what linux is like and get some experience with it because it sounds "way cool".

So, anything you can add would be awesome, which flavour I should try out, how I install, what programs I should get, etc. I'm on an AMD64, btw, so mb a 64 bit version would be nice

My specs:

• CORE HARDWARE
  • Power supply OCZ 600W
  • Motherboard DFI nForce 4 SLI-DR
    • Revision ?
    • BIOS ?
  • CPU Athlon64 3500+
    • Core 90nm Winchester
  • Memory (2) 512MB OCZ Platinum 3200 modules
    • Voltage Dunno, whatever default is (2.6?)
    • Timings AUTO, I assume results in 2-3-2-5 @ 200MHz
• CARDS
  • Primary video card BFG 6800GT OC, PCI-e x16
  • Secondary video card (Same as above)
  • PCI slot #1 (top) empty / na
  • PCI slot #2 empty / na
  • PCI slot #3 empty / na
  • PCI slot #4 empty / na
  • PCI slot #5 empty / na
  • PCI slot #6 empty / na
• DRIVES
  • Boot drive 200GB Seagate 7200.7
    • Interface Serial ATA
    • Controller hosting this drive nForce4 SATA controller
    • Jumper setting not applicable (SATA)
  • Optical drive #1 NEC 3500A DVD burner
    • Interface Parallel ATA
    • Controller hosting this drive nForce standard ATA controller, secondary channel
    • Jumper settingMaster

[*]OS AND SECURITY

• Operating System WindowsXP Professional
• Service Pack SP2
• Internet connection DSL
• Hardware firewall Netgear WGT624 v2 router
• Software firewall Nvidia Firewall
• Antivirus None (I know I need some, but I'm afraid norton will eat my system resources!)

[/quote]

 

[n0cmonkey]

1 thread is enough. They're all the same. nForce still sucks. And you still haven't mentioned your ethernet chipset.

 

[thegorx]

you might want to try a live CD

then before you do install you might want to get drive image software just to be safe.

http://distrowatch.com/

Popular Distributions

 

[LBmtb]

Fedora has a 64 bit version. Pick up a book on ebay or read up @ http://linux.ucla.edu/LDP/ or at any good linux forum for help and such.

 

[appledelhi]

I'll just reiterate what I said in your other thread:

If you want to set up linux fairly quickly you should probably try Red Hat , Mandrake, or Suse Linux. Using any of these, you will be able to use a partially automated setup program which will allow you to set up your partitions, choose the software packages you wish to install, and also , choose your preferences for other settings, eg. time, keyboard settings etc. Also , Fedora Core is a completely free distribution created and maintained by Red Hat. It can be downloaded from fedora.redhat.com, and the ISO images can be burned to discs. Make sure any distribution you use is up to date and has a current version of the linux kernel, otherwise, you might have driver problems with your SATA controller.Nvidia , as you may already know, has mature videocard and nforce linux drivers available at their website, along with instructions on how to install them. Soundcard support under Linux is still limited; depending on what soundcard you are using , you might have difficulty finding driver support. I'm not sure if the nforce driver package has the nvidia firewall wizard or not. Also, you should learn how to build your own kernel to support your Athlon 64 and choose what other features you want in the kernel (It's not as hard as it sounds). Here is a good How To:Kernel Rebuild Guide. To dual boot , you will most likely be using GRUB or LiLo as the bootloader. Most distro's will have documentation on how to use either one. Once you get up and running , with most distro's , your initial environment will be the window manager you chose to use (chosen in the setup). Although this is fine for many, and even most tasks, to gain maximum flexibility and control over linux, you will need to learn to use the command line.Tuxfiles is a good place to start learning about the basics of linux usage. A good forum is linuxquestions.org . Another thing is that installing and uninstalling linux programs can be a real pain in the ass. Some programs have specific documentation on how to do both; others have none. Sometimes you'll find yourself searching a lot online for information. One thing you have to keep in mind, is that using linux is a learning experience. Many times, there won't be pretty dialogs and wizards like in windows, and you'll be editing config files directly. If you get frustrated with anything, just take a break. Use one of the online forums if you simply can't figure out how something works. All in all though, I think you might enjoy the experience. I'll list more URL's below.

Kernel.org Linux installation How to

The Linux Documentation Project[/quote]

 

[imported_Stew]

I'll suggest Knoppix if you just want to try Linux for some fun. No install needed.

If you do want to install, you should check out Red Hat Linux.

http://www.linuxiso.org has all the CD image downloads for every flavor of Linux, so you can get them there if you're gonna try it.