Dual boot Linux / Windows 7 recommendations

[Skiz]

I've been Googling around about Linux and have answered most of my own questions, though I do have a few left:

Basic info before I start:

My specs:

DesktopPC
Windows 7
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 (Allendale) 2.13GHz
Two NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX's
2 GB DDR RAM
Plenty of HDD space
*4 monitors. I must be able to run them all.


1.

I'm looking for a free, desktop release that will allow me to utilize my computer using Linux as the primary OS. (read - I'm trying to move towards more Linux, less Windows). It should be a graphical installer and Linux-rookie-friendly as I have not used Linux much at all. My only experiences with Linux is the little testing that I've done with a "live" version of OpenSuse.

My frequent tasks include Internet Browsing, Usenet usage, OpenOffice, listening to music, playing movies in 1080, occasional game (Call of Duty 4 is all I own - this is a bonus, not a necessity).

2.

I've taken the Linux Chooser quiz and it recommended a couple of distros, but I wanted to run them by some regular users and see if any one stood out for my purposes. The quiz suggested:

OpenSuse
Linux Mint
Kubuntu
Ubuntu
Mandriva

So given the above info/uses, are there any recommendations based off of those choices or otherwise?

3.

If after installing one release, I decide to go with another, will I be able to install the new distro on top of the old one in the same way that Windows would do? Are there any complications installing a different distro on top of an old one?

Thanks...

[bigtomrodney]

I use Ubuntu and I'd recommend that for you.

Basically it is currently one of the most popular distros (or at least has the most vocal users) it has a lot of online documentation. I've found that between the huge amount of information around it online and any potential problems you also have great hardware support and tools to make proprietary driver and codec installs easy. That said, for what you're looking for you should get that from almost any mainstream distro such as Mandriva, openSUSE or Fedora.

Whatever you go with, just make sure it's the latest release to benefit from up to date drivers and technology. If you want to install a different distro, just use the same partitions again but do format them during the newer install. Different package managers and choice of system layout make it unwise to try and patch two systems together. Even moreso when you consider an Ubuntu install only takes 15-20 minutes

[meton_magis]

I say gentoo ................................... no dont, anyone who uses gentoo is insane (that being said, I use gentoo, and I LOVE IT ........)

Before I lost all my sanity though, I used fedora. They tend to be about equal with Ubuntu, but are a little more cutting edge (read, sometimes has more bugs .. I mean features ... eh whatever)

[oz]

2.

I've taken the Linux Chooser quiz and it recommended a couple of distros, but I wanted to run them by some regular users and see if any one stood out for my purposes. The quiz suggested:

OpenSuse
Linux Mint
Kubuntu
Ubuntu
Mandriva

So given the above info/uses, are there any recommendations based off of those choices or otherwise?

3.

If after installing one release, I decide to go with another, will I be able to install the new distro on top of the old one in the same way that Windows would do? Are there any complications installing a different distro on top of an old one?

Thanks...

Welcome to the forums!

The distribution quizzes are usually pretty accurate when it comes to guessing what a person might like in a Linux distribution, so I'd recommend trying those that were suggested by the quiz one at a time, until you find the one that best suits your personal tastes and your computer hardware.

Yes, you can install one distro right over the other. The installer will format the partitions containing the prior distro and install the new Linux on those same partitions if you direct the installer to do that during the installation routine.

Best of luck with it and hope you have fun with Linux.

[jayd512]

Hello and Welcome!

Since the quiz mentioned Mint for you, I'd suggest that one as it is Ubuntu-based, but comes with a few of the little extras that you would expect already installed. It should make for a slightly easier transition for you.
Either way, once you get the hang of Linux, start hopping around and eventually you'll find the one distro that just feels right for you!
Let us know what you decide!

[uhcafigdc]

DesktopPC
Windows 7
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 (Allendale) 2.13GHz
Two NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX's
2 GB DDR RAM
Plenty of HDD space
*4 monitors. I must be able to run them all.


1.

I'm looking for a free, desktop release that will allow me to utilize my computer using Linux as the primary OS. (read - I'm trying to move towards more Linux, less Windows). It should be a graphical installer and Linux-rookie-friendly as I have not used Linux much at all. My only experiences with Linux is the little testing that I've done with a "live" version of OpenSuse.

My frequent tasks include Internet Browsing, Usenet usage, OpenOffice, listening to music, playing movies in 1080, occasional game (Call of Duty 4 is all I own - this is a bonus, not a necessity).

Install the latest version of Ubuntu, and then experiment different desktop environments, window managers, and other GUI-related parts. You can install many of these very easily using Ubuntu's package manager.

[Skiz]

I installed Linux Mint as it seemed the best fit. I installed it using the instruction in the Linux Mint Users Guide from the *official website. I created two partitions exactly as described **here.

I have run into some definite issues however.

1.

I noticed in the bottom right corner by the clock, there a message which showed that 66 updates needed to be installed. I ran and installed all of them along with one NVidia update. It was suggested that I do a restart so the updated changes would take effect. When I attempted to restart, the computer just hangs at this:

h t t p://i40.tinypic.com/2954cx3.jpg

It never shuts down or restarts, just hangs there until I force the computer to turn off by holding the power button. Why is that happening?

2.

When attempting to power the computer back up and into LinuxMint, I recieve the following:

h t t p://i43.tinypic.com/2qw37yu.jpg

That screen just sits forever until I, again, press the power button. The very instant I press the power button, a new line of text shows up saying "Stopping GNOME display manager" and then it appears that the computer/Linux properly shuts down. What is this happening?

I tried to post links to the pertinent information but the board won't let me post a link until I've had 15 posts. I'll assume this is an anti-spam service so I'll post the links below.

* - w w w.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=38
** - h t t p://forums.govteen.com/showpost.php?p=4830084&postcount=2

[uhcafigdc]

Try booting with kernel option acpi=off

[Skiz]

I don't have any idea what that means.

[oz]

If you want to try what he suggested, add acpi=off to the end of the kernel line in your GRUB configuration file.