linux

I have a spare pc, it has windows home already preinstalled on it.
I would like to add an additional operating system (Linux) to this pc.
I know you need to partition the hdd and use (Grub?) but I do not know where to start.
Please help.

Thank you.

 

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=108021

 

I'm by no means an expert on Linux but maybe I can help you get started.

Since you say you have a spare PC you can go about it the same way I did. First, pick a distro that sounds interesting to you. There are descriptions and links to downloads for tons of them at www.distrowatch.com . Some of them are a little more new user friendly than others. I started with Ubuntu which isn't a bad choice because the community and forums are pretty descriptive for people that are just starting out. PCLinuxOS is also a good place to start as well. I've tried openSUSE, Debian, Puppy, Linspire, Pioneer and Sabayon.

Let's say you choose Ubuntu... download the ISO (most likely the x86 version since you are using an old computer) and burn it to a cd using Nero, Roxio, Isorecorder or whatever burning software that will let you accomplish this task. There may be newer ones but it's been over a year since I've used a Microsoft OS so I'm kinda out of touch with what's available.

Once you have this CD just pop it in your old computer and boot it up. This is what's called a 'Live CD' which means that you can test drive the operating system without installing it. It will allow you to click around and experiment and you don't have to worry about messing anything up because the thing is running from the cdrom.

If you like what you see there is an icon on the the desktop that will begin the installation if you decide to do that. It's menu driven and walks you through the process pretty painlessly. When it gets to the point where it wants to partition your harddrive you can decide to just let it do it for you or if you want to do it manually. Since this is a spare pc just let it take over but MAKE SURE YOU HAVE GOTTEN ANYTHING OFF THAT HARDDRIVE THAT YOU DON"T WANT TO LOSE BEFORE YOU DO THIS. It will reformat your hard drive to it's liking which means you will lose everything on it. Linux uses a different filesystem than Windows.

If you want to retain that Windows installation then the easiest way to go about it is to install a second hd. During the partitioning step you would be able to choose to install Ubuntu onto that second drive. The installer will finish things off and also install GRUB which will give you the choice of booting windows or linux when you fire up your computer. The thing about this is that it's important that you have windows installed before you add linux. Windows needs to think that it's the only operating system on the computer.

There are other ways to go about installing but I'm just trying to describe the easiest way. There is a sticky in this forum that does a much better job of describing what I have just attempted to do but hopefully this will help you out.

Congrats on your interest in alternatives to Windows. The Linux people have really come a long way in improving the installation process. Most hardware is recognized by it without any input by the user now. For me, the most remarkable thing was that I never had to sweat out getting the internet connection. I always had trouble with that step when I installed XP.

Hope this makes sense.