New to Linux

[xCampxKillxYourselfx]

Hey,

Sorry, but I have quite a few questions about Linux.

I was given a disk of 'Ubuntu' today at college, and I've heard some things about Linux, and would like to install it.

First of all, what is special about Ubuntu? All I know is that it's an OS, and nothing else. :P

How do I create an extra partition? I have a rough idea, but I need a bit of help, also - will it delete my current partition?

Any other information that you could provide would be great!

Thanks for the help.

[techieMoe]

Hey,

Sorry, but I have quite a few questions about Linux.

No need to apologize. Most people aren't born with Linux knowledge.

I was given a disk of 'Ubuntu' today at college, and I've heard some things about Linux, and would like to install it.

First of all, what is special about Ubuntu? All I know is that it's an OS, and nothing else. :P

Ubuntu is a Linux operating system. What this means is that it uses the Linux kernel (the main program, the "brain" of the OS) and a bunch of other open-source software. There are literally thousands of different Linux-based operating systems, each with their own particular niche.

How do I create an extra partition? I have a rough idea, but I need a bit of help, also - will it delete my current partition?

If you have a spare harddrive lying around, I'd use that first before trying to repartition your existing drive. Before you do anything, however, make backups of all your important data. Even the most skilled Linux guru will occasionally make mistakes that can hose a harddrive install.

If you don't have a spare harddrive, you'll first want to defragment your existing MS Windows drive. This puts all the data in one place on the drive and minimizes the chance of you accidentally deleting it when you make a new partition.

Next you'll need to resize your existing NTFS partition (this is where XP is installed) using either the tools provided with the Ubuntu disc (if they have the option to shrink your partition) or with something like Paritition Magic. Stay tuned for other folks on the forum as I'm sure they have other programs they like that can be used for the same purpose.

Once you've resized your NTFS partition, you should have some free space on the drive. You'll need somewhere around 5-10 GB minimum for a reasonable Linux install, so size your free space accordingly. Don't format it; let the Ubuntu installer use the free space and it will format it for you.

Ubuntu should install its own bootloader that will let you choose between Ubuntu and MS Windows at boot. If you only see an option for Ubuntu, don't panic. The option for MS Windows can be added later.

I've been purposefully vague on the details here, so if you have any questions or need more clarification on a step, feel free to ask away.

[xCampxKillxYourselfx]

Thanks very much for the help!

When I install Linux, how would I install my router, etc. Will it just accept the CD-ROMS like Windows?

[techieMoe]

Thanks very much for the help!

When I install Linux, how would I install my router, etc. Will it just accept the CD-ROMS like Windows?

Installing devices depends on the device. Some gadgets don't need drivers at all, since Linux-based operating systems (called distributions or distros) generally ship with a lot of drivers built-in, such as network cards, sound cards, and mice/keyboards.

Some other gadgets need special software to work, such as a lot of wireless network cards and any type of 3D-accelerated video card. In the case of video cards, Nvidia and ATI both offer official drivers for Linux, downloadable off their websites. In the case of wireless cards, it depends on who manufactured it.

Your MS Windows driver/software CD-ROMs will not work in Linux, but depending on the gadget you want to get working, you may not even need them.

[IsaacKuo]

Oh comeon, TechieMoe, you can tell him what you REALLY think is "special" about Ubuntu...

(No, no, I know. No need to scare off a newbie with distribution-specific annoyances.)

xCampxKillxYourselfx, there are two basic ways for a newbie to get stuff to work with Linux:

1. The Linux distribution auto-detects all hardware and the network and configures everything for you. No install discs necessary! Ubuntu is actually one of the better linux distos at this.

or

2. Try a different Linux distro that successfully auto-detects everything. If Ubuntu doesn't do it, Mepis is also pretty good.

There are actually a lot of important differences between different distributions of Linux, but when you're just getting started it's more important for the stuff to just plain work, rather than immediately getting into the ugly details of making this work manually.

When everything is auto-detected, getting things to work in Linux is far easier than getting things to work in Windows.

[aysiu]

I've got three links for you:

Is Ubuntu for You?
Ubuntu PDF User Guide
Best dual-boot guide for Ubuntu--includes screenshots

Read a lot (starting with those three links). Do not install it unless you know what you're doing. Play around with the live CD for at least two weeks before installing Ubuntu on your hard drive.

For the best help on Ubuntu, go to http://www.ubuntuforums.org

[xCampxKillxYourselfx]

Thanks for those links!

Also, when I used the Live CD, the screen was off to the side.. I didn't want to use my moniter controls to change it, as I'd have to do it again when I went back to Windows.. any way to fix this?

[IsaacKuo]

You're using a CRT monitor, right (the kind with a big glass tube)?

Most likely, the reason the screen is lined up differently is because the screen refresh rate and/or resolution is different. The easiest solution for you is to configure Windows to match the same resolution and refresh rate as that used by Linux. (The opposite will work also--changing the Linux resolution and refresh rate to match Windows--but I assume you're already familiar with how to change resolution/refresh rate in Windows.)

[janrocks]

Just a FYI... The DSL live cd http://www.damnsmalllinux.org has a full range of partitioning tools at runlevel 2

At the prompt just type DSL 2 and at the prompt hit <tab> for a menu..

Useful?

[xCampxKillxYourselfx]

You're using a CRT monitor, right (the kind with a big glass tube)?

Most likely, the reason the screen is lined up differently is because the screen refresh rate and/or resolution is different. The easiest solution for you is to configure Windows to match the same resolution and refresh rate as that used by Linux. (The opposite will work also--changing the Linux resolution and refresh rate to match Windows--but I assume you're already familiar with how to change resolution/refresh rate in Windows.)

Yeah, thing is.. I'm running 85Hz on Windows atm, but on Ubuntu, the only option is 60Hz, on 1024x768 (which is also the resolution I'm currently using with Windows.)