[mphenterprises]

Hey everyone,I have been very intrigued about creating a dual system with Windows XP and either Linux [Removed - No talk about putting Mac operating systems on a PC architecture of any kind]. Does anyone know how difficult (or easy) it would be to create a Windows/Linux System? What do I need to begin? Is it something that I can setup directly through Windows or do I have to reinstall the current Windows version that I have?This is one area that I am not afraid to admit I am a novice. Hopefully, I can gain some more confidence with this project.Thanks.

[TheNameless]

Please do not talk about having Mac OS X on a PC. It's illegal, and though I'm not going to report you or anything, I do have the authority to delete any comment/query that infringes Apple's EULA, or any other OS rules for that matter.As for your question about Linux/Windows, it's quite simple.It would be helpful if you could tell us what distribution of Linux you will be running, as it can mean the difference between a dual-boot and a crashed computer.

[mphenterprises]

First, I do apologize. I had no idea that was illegal. I have heard so much talk about it that I figured I would like to learn more. Thank you for clarifying that for me.As to the distribution of Linux, I have absolutely no idea. I am new to Linux and any information that I learn here I would use to create my dual boot system. How many versions are there? If I need to learn about Linux first, can you point me into the right direction? I downloaded a .pdf file, "Teach Yourself Linux in 24 Hours." I am not too keen on crash courses but would you recommend that I read this first and then post what I have learned from it?Thanks for your advice.

[TheNameless]

[quote name='mphenterprises']First, I do apologize. I had no idea that was illegal. I have heard so much talk about it that I figured I would like to learn more. Thank you for clarifying that for me.No problem, most people don't realize some of these minor details, but some people's jobs are to make sure that someone does know these things.quote:ddb48fe280]As to the distribution of Linux, I have absolutely no idea. I am new to Linux and any information that I learn here I would use to create my dual boot system. How many versions are there? If I need to learn about Linux first, can you point me into the right direction? I downloaded a .pdf file, "Teach Yourself Linux in 24 Hours." I am not too keen on crash courses but would you recommend that I read this first and then post what I have learned from it?[/quote:ddb48fe280]There are more Linux distributions than you can imagine.As for teaching yourself Linux, it's more of a crash-course. Any guide you'll find on the net will either be outdated, or just be inaccurate for most purposes.However, there are distributions out there that are making Linux so easy, you won't even need to use a command prompt for most things, such as [Mandriva, which I highly recommend for newbies to Linux. Others include SimplyMepis, Ubuntu, and OpenSuSe.The distributions to stay away from for sure are: Slackware, Debian, Gentoo, and Fedora Core.This is just a brief summary from my own experience.I welcome any questions.

[mphenterprises]

Thank you very much. I will do some research on Mandriva and post again when I am ready to make that leap. In the meantime, I think I may have posed this question in this post or another post but I have a dual monitor setup. Is it possible, after I get Linux on my system, to run Linux on one screen and Windows on the other? I know it might be a stretch but I figure I would ask :D

[TheNameless]

I've never tried it, but Xgl and Beryl have a nice 3D flip feature in which you can run multiple operating systems in separate windows.

[k46428]

I have a dual boot system with Windows XP and SuSE 10.0.I downloaded the Gparted Live CD, partitioned off a small section of my hard drive, then installed SuSE there. I didn't create a swap partition, which is considered dangerous.

[mphenterprises]

k46428, I already have Partition Magic. Can I use that to partition a section of one of my hard drives or do I have to use Gparted? Can you explain what a swap partition is and why not creating one is considered dangerous?

[TheNameless]

Partition Magic is fine, unless I'm on crack.A swap partition is a partition where the operating system can handle memory from. I haven't heard anyone call this "dangerous" before now, as the kernel can swap as well, but swap partitions are always recommended.

[mphenterprises]

Cool, thanks nameless. I haven't had a chance to check on the differnt Linux versions per our last chat but this helps.

[Cosmo]

[quote name='TheNameless']Partition Magic is fine, unless I'm on crack.> > Well, with your avatar, it does look like you're on crack :P

[TheNameless]

[quote name='Cosmo']> {quote:title=TheNameless wrote:}{quote}Partition Magic is fine, unless I'm on crack.> > > > > > > > Well, with your avatar, it does look like you're on crack :PLet this be our little secret.

[k46428]

A swap partition is pretty much an extension of the ram, except on your hard drive. It's considered dangerous not to create one, because if your computer runs out of RAM, I've heard you can run into errors of sorts. I've got 1GB of RAM, so I don't feel like it's too dangerous as long as you have at least, say 512 MB.Partition Magic is fine, it's probably better and easier to use anyway.I just chose Gparted because it was free.

[mphenterprises]

[quote name='k46428'] It's considered dangerous not to create one, because if your computer runs out of RAM, I've heard you can run into errors of sorts...as long as you have at least, say 512 MB.> > > > Wow. If I tried to run a dual system with less than 512 of RAM I should be shot. :P I have 1.5G now and I expect to push upwards of 3G by the end of this month. Thank you for the clarification though. :D

[k46428]

More RAM the better, always. I'm planning on upping to 2GB in a bit anyway...I believe an earlier question was asked by mphenterprises[quote:581b63d03b]Is it something that I can setup directly through Windows or do I have to reinstall the current Windows version that I have? [/quote:581b63d03b]Neither; as long as you have a partition for Linux, you can install without changing Windows. One caution before you partition: partitioning is considered risky, and you will want to make sure to back up your data. Don't let the partitioning process get interrupted no matter what! Personally, I recommend using a Uninterpretable Power Supply, so if your power goes out, you can at least cancel the partitioning process until the power company becomes more reliable.Also, if you are on dial-up, you may have trouble getting your modem to work, just as a heads up. If your on some sort of broadband, you'll be OK.A 3D acceleration driver may be needed as well, depending on your graphics card.Anyway, you don't need to worry about this until you actually get Linux. Sorry to jump ahead a bit.

[mphenterprises]

Hi k46428. Thank you for all the information. I am taking it all in and as soon as I pick up a version of Linux, I will use the info that all of you have given me to build a solid dual system. I think I am going to wait until I get that third monitor. I have found a way to integrate three monitors and I figure building a great system with dual boot capability will really make me proud. :D