[HiteshMurkute]

Hi,

I am a Windows user since I got my hands on computer but I admired Linux always. I just want to switch to Linux but always turn back to windows for GAMES. I can't do without games. I know there are tools like WineHQ, PlayOnLinux & so on for windows compatibility but are not reliable enough to bet on them.
I really wanted to switch to Ubuntu since it was 8.04, its now 12.04 with more features & great look & feel. I need a permanent solution for my dilemma.
I would appreciate any suggestions & sharing of users alike me.

Best Regards

[Rommel]

HiteshMurkute, on 28 May 2012 - 10:33 PM, said:

Hi,

I am a Windows user since I got my hands on computer but I admired Linux always. I just want to switch to Linux but always turn back to windows for GAMES. I can't do without games. I know there are tools like WineHQ, PlayOnLinux & so on for windows compatibility but are not reliable enough to bet on them.
I really wanted to switch to Ubuntu since it was 8.04, its now 12.04 with more features & great look & feel. I need a permanent solution for my dilemma.
I would appreciate any suggestions & sharing of users alike me.

Best Regards

One option would be to allow linux to partion the drive during install to create a dual boot.

[Dellinsp531]

You can setup dual boot. Basically what that means is that you have your hard drive split for Windows and Linux and can start whichever system you want or need at that time. I have my system setup to boot into linux by default but if I need windows, I can select it and boot into it.

[Evildave]

You could always use the 'wubi' version of Ubuntu.
http://www.ubuntu.co...ndows-installer

You don't have to partition the drive. If you decide you don't like Linux, you can 'uninstall' it like any other app.

It dual boots into native Linux.

[Evildave]

You could also try 'VirtualBox'.
https://www.virtualbox.org/

Then you can run however many Linux VMs, versions of windoze, etc. you like. These run in virtual machines, so it's best if you have at bare minimum 4GB of RAM (8+GB recommended), a dual core CPU (quad or greater recommended). On the nice side, a Linux VM will run quite happily in 512MB of RAM.

It's a nice baby step, and lets you try out everything pretty conveniently.

VirtualBox also runs under Linux, so when you go fulltime Linux, you can run a Windoze VM for those one or two things you can't live without.

[LiveBrianD]

Note: If you want Windows for games, don't put it in a VM - VMs are enough to run office programs, for instance, but not enough for gaming.

[Evildave]

Actually Parallels (for OS X) runs the windoze-only games on Steam just fine.

[LiveBrianD]

Interesting... on my machine, I've found that the graphics performance in vmware workstation is very limited. I can play NFS Hot Pursuit 3 in there just fine, but that's from '97 or 98. (it even has a 16-bit installer!) Most newer things I've tried don't work well.

[Evildave]

Parallels has a much narrower range of drivers to make 'work', on OS X, and that may have an impact. They do a very, very good job making sure all hardware accelerated things ARE accelerated by hardware. I never ran it on a windoze machine, though, so your mileage may vary if you run a version of it on there.

Another thing that Parallels does exceptionally is the drive shares. There were things on VMWare & VirtualBox that literally froze dead because the file sharing with the OS was such a horribly slow emulation of network shares. But everything's full speed for those in Parallels. But I haven't used either VirtualBox or VMWare in years. I know I wrote up the slow drive shares as a bug for VMWare years earlier than I stopped using it, and they never fixed that.

I did finally get my Lion VM up and running in it, though. There seemed to be a few bugs with that, and the long, long 'recovery' download it needs. So now I can run OSX in OSX, which is a lot handier than it sounds, as I have a desktop and notebook, and keeping the development software 'in sync' can be a hassle. Now I can just back it up and copy it over to the other one, and run it in 'full screen' mode, on one monitor or another.

[LiveBrianD]

I think Parallels is Mac only though. Granted, on the mac, you don't have as much hardware to support, I'll admit to that. I've never had an issue with drive shares though, in vmware or virtualbox.

Say, I thought you can only run OS X Server on an OS X machine. How'd you manage to do it? I have a OS X Lion VM, though I have a few issues (Chrome won't cooperate in it, for instance).

[Evildave]

Works with Lion (which has 'server' in it, apparently), and uses the computer's signature and restore image to bootstrap the VM.

Parallels Workstation (PC/Linux)
http://www.parallels...ad/workstation/

[brainout]

HiteshMurkute, on 28 May 2012 - 10:33 PM, said:

Hi,

I am a Windows user since I got my hands on computer but I admired Linux always. I just want to switch to Linux but always turn back to windows for GAMES. I can't do without games. I know there are tools like WineHQ, PlayOnLinux & so on for windows compatibility but are not reliable enough to bet on them.
I really wanted to switch to Ubuntu since it was 8.04, its now 12.04 with more features & great look & feel. I need a permanent solution for my dilemma.
I would appreciate any suggestions & sharing of users alike me.

Best Regards

Did you go to LinuxQuestions.org to say all this too? Here's a thread you might want to use: click here.

[brainout]

Dellinsp531, on 29 May 2012 - 12:34 PM, said:

You can setup dual boot. Basically what that means is that you have your hard drive split for Windows and Linux and can start whichever system you want or need at that time. I have my system setup to boot into linux by default but if I need windows, I can select it and boot into it.

Okay, I'm setting up my Vista machine for dual-boot with Linux. I have Debian full-boat and Live, Zorin Ultimate; but am wondering if I should start maybe with Ubuntu. GParted is the only linux I 'know', and that barely, for file management. Saved my other computer's innards in May, while my computer guy instead did a clean Windows install (without giving me the disks!) so I wonder how long my other machine will last.

Wish you were my computer guy, instead. How much free advice on which distro and dual-boot configuration, are you willing to give? I'm willing to pay, too. Thank you for your time!

This machine's specs: 4 GB RAMM (2 chips) upgradable to 16GB, Core 2 Duo (L1 cache 128kb L2 cache 6 MB), 3.33 GHz, Dell Optiplex 760 (mini-tower), VMM hardware support (but I didn't turn it on), BIOS A13, Intel Chipset 4500 (I forget the cache), Intel Graphics Media Driver, SoundMAX 6.6 Integrated sound card, 300 GB HDD, Vista Business with all updates, 32-bit; capable of 64-bit but my DOS programs won't work with 64-bit unless I do VM or Taos Computing DOS emulator or XP Mode in Win7 Prof, and I don't want to do all that.

Am willing to change to Win7, as I can't even get permissions to share My Documents, but will miss the Vista Classic Menu I easily put on this machine. Machine is compatible with Win8, but I don't want it. UEFI is off.

Was thinking of eventual triple-boot with Win8 as a last partition I can later wipe. Have plenty of external HDD for data and programs. I clone and backup with Macrium Reflect 5 Pro. I also have Clonezilla. Both can back up and manage, Linux files, but Macrium will only handle ext-like partitions.

Mission-critical programs are DOS, so I need 16-bit environment: Lotus 1-2-3 version 2.x, Multimate Advantage II, and of course MS Office Professional 2003 and prior (needed, since all law firms use those older programs not the new); Corel Office X4 and prior. I do actuarial and pension consulting, if that matters. Email will be Thunderbird, on this machine. I make a TON of HD videos, but won't be using this machine for that. Photo editing: old MS Works, and I have Acrobat 9, SmartPDF Creator Pro (which is better, sometimes). Video Editing, AVS4YOU Various HP and Brother MFC printers (latter are compatible with Linux and have Linux drivers).

Finally, I have Acronis and everything EASEUS sells, but don't use any of it. Next, I've nothing particular against Apple, but I don't like its programs nor its penchant for suing everyone at the drop of a hat. So don't want to go that route, either.

Again, thank you for your time! Hope to return the favor, and yes you can charge me!

This post has been edited by brainout: 22 November 2012 - 01:54 PM

[brainout]

brainout, on 22 November 2012 - 01:20 PM, said:

Dellinsp531, on 29 May 2012 - 12:34 PM, said:

You can setup dual boot. Basically what that means is that you have your hard drive split for Windows and Linux and can start whichever system you want or need at that time. I have my system setup to boot into linux by default but if I need windows, I can select it and boot into it.

Okay, I'm setting up my Vista machine for dual-boot with Linux. I have Debian full-boat and Live, Zorin Ultimate; but am wondering if I should start maybe with Ubuntu. GParted is the only linux I 'know', and that barely, for file management. Saved my other computer's innards in May, while my computer guy instead did a clean Windows install (without giving me the disks!) so I wonder how long my other machine will last.

UPDATE: will not be setting up machines in dual-boot. Linux is as annoying about permissions as Vista and Windows 7. I've spent the last 24 hours just trying to figure out how to access certain basic file management options any Windows user finds essential, but oh Linux won't allow that! Have to learn the bleeping code first, and do it via the command line. It's far easier to screw up via the command line, than via GUI.

Yeah, can have Linux on a stick, but all that stick is good for is websurfing and minor junk like writing docs. So what? KDE lets you configure colors etc. similar to XP. Well I already have XP. It works. And for all its problems, it has more options for USER CONTROL. So you can actually get work done.

To even download and set up on a stick, you have to jump through many hoops, because the installers aren't configured to accept a full 32 GB stick, but only a 'persistence' (meaning your files can be saved ON the stick) of 4 GB. The workaround to get past that, allegedly a casper-rw made by Linux programs you download as installers (img converters) to the USB; they also don't work as advertised. Amateurish software. Good only for a few things a business person doesn't need.

Can't even add fonts. Have to learn the unintuitive lingo for everything. I really wish these software makers would let the USERS decide how much protection they needed, instead of imposing. The very reason I wanted to leave MS, was due to the overzealous 'file permissions'. Well, Linux makes MS look positively laissez faire! Sigh: now I have to learn Windows 8, instead. Just wrestle with that horrid 'metro' thingy long enough to remove all the icons except 'Desktop'. Then, set it aside until I can't use XP anymore.

So for the Windows user, Linux GUI is only good for file and disk management on the WINDOWS disks, because those aren't locked. Or for surfing, maybe, depending on how hitlerian Linux is THERE, too. What a huge disappointment. I guess the silver lining in this sad cloud is that one needn't worry about anyone being able to gain access to the Windows stuff. All you have to do is unmount the Windows disk, when surfing. The Linux stuff will never have anything important, as it's too dang difficult to work with!

This post has been edited by brainout: 08 February 2013 - 04:58 AM

[LinuxBrandon]

Have you tried running WineX? It can run a variety of games on Linux that I couldn't get standard wine to play correctly. Also, steam is now available for Ubuntu, and most steam games will play just fine. Games are definitely coming to Linux, slowly but surely! Even the new steamboxes are running on Linux.