Excerpts from netnews.comp.os.linux.setup: 6-Aug-99 I am a complete
Quote:> I'm interested in gettinhg my comp to run both windows and linux. Right
> now my comp. is a win95 machine 100 mhz, 2 gigs, 16 megs of ram. i want
> to install a linux that is free that i can dl on the net whatever it
Be warned. Most distributions that aren't explicitly designed to fit on
floppy disks (and those don't tend to be full-fledged general-purpose
distros...) are commonly found on CDs for a reason. It can take a *long*
time to download a CD-full of data.
The other good thing 'bout a CD (which can typically be obtained very,
*very* cheaply -- say, $1.99+shipping or so, sometimes) is that you
probably won't be able to accidentally damage it even if you completely
botch the installation.
I'll point you to http://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/, which holds a
lot of documents ('natch). You'll want to look at least at the FAQs,
the Hardware Compatibility HOWTO, and the Distribution HOWTO in deciding
whether to make the jump, and to what. For a complete and utter novice,
various would suggest Red Hat (or derivatives), or SuSE, or perhaps
Slackware if you feel like compelling yourself to learn (as the last
traditionally makes the least effort to dissuade you from learning how
to configure the whole system with, say, a text editor).
Regarding hardware, if you're considering running XFree86 (the most
common (on Linux) implementation of the X Window System, the most common
GUI setup for *nix), be sure your video is supported by them (xfree86.org).
If you have sound, check that -- having a classic SB16 will work, but,
say, Vortex/Vortex II-based cards tend to be bad news. And so forth.
Quote:> maybe i was hoping you could suggest something for me. i know this will
> involve partioning my hard drive so how would i go about doing that? and
See the generic installation guide from the LDP (Linux Documentation
Project), also at that site. Various distros tend also to have their own
installation guides, many of which are freely available on their web
pages.
Quote:> is that risky? i don't have a zip drive or anything big enough that xcould
Depends. If your Win95 partition(s) occupy the entire disk, you'll need
to shrink them -- either with a tool called fips, or with something
friendlier like PartitionMagic. It's highly recommended that you back up.
I've never lost any data when using fips, nor when installing Linux, but
if you're careless you might (for example) choose Red Hat, not read the
installation guide, and choose a 'Server installation': not a good move
in your case. Read, and pay attention to detail; if you're willing to
do that and learn, you'll probably be quite safe.
Well, as much as anybody is without a backup of their data...
Quote:> be able to back up my current system so if its that risky then im not
> going to bother. i have been to a few linux sites but i'd rather hear
> straight from the people their opinions. and anything else i should know
> before attempting this would be appreciated.thank you.
Make *sure* that all your important hardware is supported, and that
whatever you intend to do with Linux, you actually *can* do. That could
mean finding equivalent programs to fill whatever usage you intend.
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