Newb looking to dual boot Linux

[JeezyisBACK]

So I'm sure most of these questions have been answered here already, and after a bunch of searching I'm just a little overwhelmed and thought I'd just post here to try and get some answers to some of my questions. I hope that's ok.

So to start, I've only ever used Windows and I'm not exactly computer Savvy, but I'd like to dual boot with Linux because, well I've never used it and just want to check it out. Some initial things I'd like to know before I get started:

1. What distro is most recommended to users with no Linux experience? I've taken the quizes, got totally different results for each one. I'm more than willing to learn something completely new and different, but once again I'm not exactly a computer programmer. I just don't know where I should start there.

2. I want to install Linux on a 2TB Seagate. Can I partition most of that drive to continue as Windows storage, and dedicate 50BGB or so to Linux? If so, is there anything I should know beforehand to make my transition less problematic? And also, will I need to backup everything I already have stored on that drive before I start?

3. My external drive has an incredibly slow write speed (10-20 MB/s) but read speed seems fast enough. Will that be a problem during installation?

4. Will I run in to any problems with compatibility with my Laptop?
Asus G60Vx
Intel Centrino
EAX Advanced HD
Nvidia GeForce
DDR2

Thanks for any help I can receive.

[oz]

Hello and welcome to the forums!

Ubuntu and Mint are popular choices for new Linux users and they are currently the top two distros in the page hits chart at DistroWatch.com

Yes, 50GB is more than enough space on your drive for a Linux installation and you can use any extra space for storage purposes to be used between Windows and Linux. During the Linux installation procedure, the installer should give you the option to setup a dual boot machine.

My hardware is not the same as yours but nothing in your hardware list jumps out at me as a potential problem. Maybe someone with the same hardware will respond if they had any problems.

Have fun with it and good luck with the install.

[JeezyisBACK]

Thanks ozar!

I think I'm going to go with 64bit Ubuntu. I've read about a few issues there but it won't be my primary OS at least not for a while so I have plenty of time to work out the kinks, or switch to 32bit if I need to.

Some articles I've read say I should remove my internal HDD before I install... and then I've read the contrary. How exactly does that work? All I know is something about the MBR but I don't really get it.

And lastly, I've read that one should install Windows first and Linux second. If I plan to format and reinstall Windows in the near future does that mean I'll have to reinstall Ubuntu also? Or maybe I'll just expedite my fresh Windows install to tonight...

[oz]

When you install GRUB (the Linux bootloader) to the Master Boot Record (MBR), that's where the system will look at boot time and give you the boot menu option to boot into Windows or Linux. The installer will give you the option to install GRUB during the installation. Depending on whether you install GRUB Legacy or GRUB2, you can check here for a couple of good tutorials:

GRUB bootloader - Full tutorial

GRUB 2 bootloader - Full tutorial

The latest versions of Ubuntu use GRUB2 and they have a nice article on working with and using GRUB on their distro:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2

Yes, it's far better/easier to install Windows, then Linux, although it is possible but more problematic to install Linux first.

[JeezyisBACK]

Cool, that makes me feel quite a bit more confident about the install proccess. I installed a frsh copy of Windows last night and I'll be diving in to Linux as soon as I finish backing up my drive.

Thanks for your help.