A Neowin Guide to Linux Distributions


Recommended Posts

I already have Windows XP installed, my question is if i install linux, ubuntu in particular, will a boot manager be provided, or do i first have to install linux, then Windows XP... thanks

586013456[/snapback]

If you have Win XP installed then go to install Ubuntu, you should be prompted if you want to install Ubuntu to another partition or drive. After you choose, then you will be asked about a boot loader. It should detect Win XP and then add it to the GRUB menu so that when you reboot your PC, you will get a menu to choose Win XP or Ubuntu...or whatever other OS's you have installed.

I haven't installed Ubuntu for a long time, but there is a way to dual-boot.

If you have Win XP installed then go to install Ubuntu, you should be prompted if you want to install Ubuntu to another partition or drive.  After you choose, then you will be asked about a boot loader.  It should detect Win XP and then add it to the GRUB menu so that when you reboot your PC, you will get a menu to choose Win XP or Ubuntu...or whatever other OS's you have installed.

I haven't installed Ubuntu for a long time, but there is a way to dual-boot.

586013477[/snapback]

sweet... thanks :D

i've decided to just skip knoppix and go right to Fedora. i have a blank partition im going to instal it on tomorrow. i was wondering what should i exept when i book up for the first time?

586013447[/snapback]

The installation process is documented here: http://anyweb.kicks-ass.net/computers/os/l...berg/index.html

Should give you an idea of what will be asked and performed during the install.

Make sure your 'blank' partition is unpartitioned and unused, then tell the installer to use the "unused" space. (Y)

Well i can't keep my story strait. I just tried installing Ubuntu and it all installed corectly, including GRGUB, which found Windows XP. but when i booted next time without the CD, i get an error message that says

Grub loading..

Error 16

then it just stops and i can't get back into windows XP. Google did no help, should i just uninstall everything from the partition and try reinstalling it?

---

EDIT: I just reinstalled and now i get Grub Error 17..

AGAIN: I've done a little research and i found some information on this one. I think i might know what to do. Thank god i have a backup of my PC...

Edited by Dallas

Well, first thing to do would be to put in your XP CD and go to recovery console and perform a fixmbr and/or fdisk /mbr to restore your Windows boot ability.

Then, since GRUB seems unhappy, we can try using the Microsoft NT Boot Loader:

http://www.geocities.com/epark/linux/grub-w2k-HOWTO.html

(yes, the GRUB thing probably has a good reason it isn't working - drive geometry/paritioning issue or something - but it could take a while to diagnose and resolve. I'll recommend a different method to get around GRUB)

Hmmm... x86 should be the right choice. I am not sure about Gentoo specifics, but when it came time to determining processor type, did you specify something wrong? :unsure:

I use an x86 version of Fedora on my AthlonXP 1600+ (1200MHz), and there aren't any compatibility issues there.

ArchLinux is an i686 optimized distro. Arch is sort of like Slackware and Gentoo in some ways. There is nice and easy text based interface installer. During the install process the installer lets you format the hard drive with cfdisk or it can do it automatically. Then it will install the basic packages and kernel. If you download the bigger iso (full) you can also install xorg, and other app. Once the installer gets done installing the packages then you need to edit /etc/rc.conf /etc/fstab /grub/menu.lst /etc/lilo.conf, etc... You have a choice between lilo and grub as your boot loader. Grub is better supported. Then you install grub / lilo to the HD and reboot. Once you reboot you setup the Internet and run 'pacman -Syu' pacman is a packages manager. The S in the command download and install software. The y sync the data base of apps/programs and the u looks for updates of already installed packages. Once done you can go install all you other programs that you want by doing 'Pacman -S programname'

**Features**

Pacman file Manager

Pacman automatically detects which dependencies are needed

Install only what you want

Configure you system and make it the way you want to make

Extremely Easy + Fast to install

This distro is not for New comers you need to have some knowledge of linux

Altough they say its not for newcomers anyone with half a brain could install it. I didnt know pretty much anything before i installed it and now i know quite a bit (from my point of view :p). :D

586039698[/snapback]

Good Point but you need have guides etc...

I enjoyed using something easier at first than advancing

I know someone who didn't use any other distro and went staight to arch so it basically up to the person and how much they want to drive in at first

The install docs are fairly good. No one should have trouble installing if they just read that and/or print it out.

This article was also quite nice as to what to do after the install and such.

http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=9540&page=1

Anyways, back i go to experimenting with stuff. ;)

I've read through but I'm still not sure. I currently have LBA - Linux Business Association, installed as my secondary OS but I can't install anything and it has bad driver support from ATi. I'm looking for a distro that will have a GUI, be pretty simple to get up and running and to maintain, play my games (just doom3 and americas army, possibly also HL2 and CS : S) .

I just need something simple, but fairly powerful, I can't get my head around the command type box thing and whenever I download the ATi driver's they come as a .run which my distro doesn't know what to do with, and nor do I.

Can anyone suggest anything? I was looking at getting the latest version of Redhat?

I can't get my head around the command type box thing and whenever I download the ATi driver's they come as a .run which my distro doesn't know what to do with, and nor do I.

586052774[/snapback]

I am gussing here, but if it was a 'normal' file download, then the execute permission will be stripped, meaning that your .run won't run.

I know that you said you aren't tuned-into the commandline thing, but you would have to chmod a+x filename to add the execute attribute to 'all' ("a+x") for that file. Then you would be able to run it.

But, I agree with Lord Death. I think you would be better off with something a bit more mainstream than LBA.

I just installed SuSE and due to all the updates it took ages but It doesn't work. It gets to the boot selection it selects linux it loads everything then I get a black screen and some music and it sits there.

I was hoping to not to have to download another distro, but I suppose I will.

I'll try Ubuntu, thanks for the help.

  • 4 weeks later...
Lycoris seems really cool and also looks good. Anyone here try it out? It looks like its not free though :(

586169258[/snapback]

According to Distrowatch.com

Lycoris ceased to be an independent distribution after it was acquired by Mandriva in June 2005.

Not sure what the future holds from Mandriva/Lycoris..

I tried Arch Linux and don't reccomend it.  It did NOT install any package but it did install the kernel.

586188866[/snapback]

It did not install any package? C'mon - you must have worked that out somehow, so I'm guesing you had a command line at least - thats the bash package right there, plus that depends on a whole bunch of other packages. I'm going to assume that it installed what's known as a "base system", which is the very bare minimum required to have a working linux box. By working I don't mean able to browse the web and check email and play silly little games, by working I mean "able to execute programs".

That is what arch does - it gives you a base system only, and if you want anything else added on top of that you have to add it manually. You also have to know what you're doing in terms of what packages you'll require to be able to turn a base system install into a fully working desktop box. There are plenty of other distros that do the same - gentoo, crux, even debian to a certain extent.

Unless you mean the install just died on you and failed to install anything, in which case I apologise for my somewhat caustic post.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • You can't remove Safari though. Or almost any other bundled app for that matter, and pretty much all of them are useless to me (and there are is a heap of them compared to Windows). I'll much rather take Edge than Safari, at least it can be highly customized vs. Safari. I'll take a PC with ten Edges over a Mac any day though as I can't stand all the limitation and painfully frustrationg restriction that make me dislike their stuff with a burning passion, iOS included (especially iOS).
    • DVD only? What kind of self-respecting optical disk backup/ripping tool doesn't support Blu-ray these days? I burned all my DVDs like 15+ years ago...
    • ...but you're Johnny, from Australia?    
    • Glow 26.9 by Razvan Serea Glow provides detailed reporting on every hardware component in your computer, saving you valuable time typically spent searching for CPU, motherboard, RAM, graphics card, and other stats. With Glow, all the information is conveniently presented in one clean interface, allowing you to easily access and review the comprehensive hardware details of your system. Glow provides detailed information on various system aspects, including OS, motherboard, processor, memory, graphics card, storage, network, battery, drivers, and services. The well-organized format ensures easy access to the required information. You can export all the gathered data to a plain text file, facilitating sharing with others for troubleshooting purposes. No installation needed. Just decompress the archive, launch the executable, and access computer-related information. Glow runs on Windows 11 and Windows 10 64-bit versions. Glow 26.9 changelog: New Features The processor hardware detection engine has been significantly enhanced beyond traditional Intel and AMD architectures. Native support is now available for modern platforms such as Apple Silicon (M-Series) and the newly introduced NVIDIA Spark. In addition, all ARM-based processors can now be accurately distinguished between ARM32 and ARM64 architectures, providing precise hardware reporting. This marks a major milestone for Glow's hardware detection capabilities. The RAM manufacturer identification algorithm has been expanded. JEDEC vendor codes for popular brands such as Patriot, PNY, Team Group, GeIL, Lexar (Longsys), and Asgard/Gloway have been integrated into the database. This significantly reduces the likelihood of incorrect or "Unknown Manufacturer" results and improves overall hardware detection accuracy. New Public IP Address and Internet Service Provider (ISP) features have been added to the Network section. To ensure reliability, this information is retrieved from the trusted service ipwho.is. When Hiding Mode is enabled, no requests are sent and these features remain hidden, as they may expose sensitive information. The search engine used in the Installed Drivers, Installed Services, and Installed Applications sections has been enhanced. You can now perform more flexible and accurate searches using initials, partial matches, and loosely arranged character sequences. The TS Preloader loading bar has been rebuilt using our modern TS Custom Controls graphics library, developed entirely in-house. As a result of this infrastructure upgrade, the loading bar now features smooth rendering and rounded corners that align with the visual style of Windows 11. [TS Updater] A new validation algorithm has been added to check whether the target application is currently running before the update process begins. Bug Fixes Resolved a condition that could prevent TS Preloader from shutting down safely during rare application crash scenarios. Fixed a text alignment issue in the Network section affecting the display of DNS addresses. Alignment is now rendered correctly. [TS Updater] Fixed an issue that could prevent the updated application's executable "*.exe" file from being located after the update process. [TS Updater] Fixed a bug that could leave outdated "*.sha256" files in the application directory after an update. [TS Updater] Fixed a rare issue that could cause subfolders to be moved into the root directory after an update. [TS Updater] Fixed an issue during the first launch that could cause flickering and a temporary white window appearance due to Windows Defender interactions. Changes A small improvement has been made to the internet connectivity detection algorithm. Connectivity checks are now performed in the background with minimal impact on the user interface thread. The keyboard shortcuts in the top menu have been reorganized and simplified to provide a consistent experience across all Türkaysoft applications and to avoid potential conflicts with standard Windows shortcuts. The TS Preloader splash image has been updated with a Türkiye-themed stadium design to celebrate Türkiye's qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup—its first appearance in 24 years. Congratulations, Türkiye! The TS Custom Controls module has been updated to version 26.6, delivering improved stability and a more polished visual appearance. [TS Updater] The application icon has been redesigned to provide a more modern and refined look. Note: Always unzip the program before using it. Otherwise you may get an error. Download: Glow 26.9 | 1.8 MB (Open Source) Links: Glow Homepage | Screenshot | Github Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      lamborghiniv10 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      lamborghiniv10 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Reacting Well
      X-No-file earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • One Month Later
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      504
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      270
    3. 3
      +Edouard
      75
    4. 4
      Skyfrog
      74
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      71
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!