Dual-Boot XP/Ubuntu


Recommended Posts

Hey all!

I've just found an interest in Linux and all this open-source stuff and would like to try it out. The distro of my choice is Ubuntu. I know how to install it and that for dual-boot but I have questions before I think about doing it.

- Do you need to install drivers for all your hardware? (I used the Live CD and everything seemed to work fine without).

- Is there a list somewhere on these forums about Linux apps?

- With Windows emulations etc, is it actually possible to play all my PC games in Linux, with the same performance as in Windows?

Thanks in advance for any help given! Much appreciated!

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/662380-dual-boot-xpubuntu/
Share on other sites

- Do you need to install drivers for all your hardware? (I used the Live CD and everything seemed to work fine without).

- Is there a list somewhere on these forums about Linux apps?

- With Windows emulations etc, is it actually possible to play all my PC games in Linux, with the same performance as in Windows?

- The installed version is identical to the LiveCD. If it works there, then you won't need anything else :)

- Not sure..

- Some games will run fine, some will take a performance hit, and some would flat-out refuse to work whatever you do.

Have a look around at http://appdb.winehq.org/. That page only shows the top 10 of each category, but if you click on the category name (Platinum, Gold, etc) you will be able to browse the complete list of supported applications.

Hey all!

I've just found an interest in Linux and all this open-source stuff and would like to try it out. The distro of my choice is Ubuntu. I know how to install it and that for dual-boot but I have questions before I think about doing it.

- Do you need to install drivers for all your hardware? (I used the Live CD and everything seemed to work fine without).

- Is there a list somewhere on these forums about Linux apps?

- With Windows emulations etc, is it actually possible to play all my PC games in Linux, with the same performance as in Windows?

Thanks in advance for any help given! Much appreciated!

Ubuntu comes with most drivers that you'll need. And if you need others, there are "restricted drivers" repositories that Ubuntu uses..... just enable them with a checkmark........ but if your computer works with the Live CD, then all will probably be ok.

Linux apps? https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=198343 although I would use Ubuntu's Synaptic to get your apps. It is simple to use and the chances of errors are much less.

Running games are as as described above.

Good advice and info in the above two posts.

As for games, might I remind you that you are dual-booting Linux & Windows. Games designed for Windows will work better on Windows (with a few exceptions, like UT and Doom which are natively supported in Linux). For ease of install, configuration and use (at least at this time) keep the games in Windows. Many will work in wine and such, but I think that the additional headaches are a deal-breaker. I like my computing to be hassle-free. :p

Thanks for the replies all! I've been trying to setup the dual-boot for a few hours now. I'm trying to find a good disk partition app as the one on the live CD isn't working properly and the other Linux live CD ones, gparted and parted magic, don't seem to get me anywhere.

I'll get there in the end!

My wireless seems to work just fine without any drivers installed. Also, the reason I asked about games was to see if there was any point in removing Windows and using just Ubuntu but I've come to my senses and realised it's just uneeded hassle. An XP/Linux laptop seems to be really cool! I'll use Linux mostly for everything but gaming, then switch to XP to play my games. Win/win?

Install as wubi, which doesn't partition anything, and creates a large virtual filesystem on your NTFS partition.

Or, if your partitioning tools aren't working, maybe you have a filesystem issue? :whistle:

Might be advisable to do a chkdsk /r in Windows, and do a defrag. Then, after that, you may find the Ubuntu partitioner lets you move the slider to make room for the install.

Haha. I couldn't have read your replied before I installed it as I was spending ages organizing my partitions, which I needed to do anyways, not just for this.

I just chose to install it in my free space, which I made sure was about 15GB. As I've just loaded up, there's this wee 'Filesystem' thing. How do I install stuff on this? Like with Windows there's like C:\, D:\ etc but there's just this Filesystem thing.

Anyways, Ubuntu looks like it'll be fun to use, and now I get to customize it. Yay!

DOS designations of C:, D:, E: and so forth are nondescriptive and arbitrary. Is D: another partition on the same drive? Or is it a separate drive? Or even an optical or USB device? Does any of it really matter? :no:

The answer is "no". It doesn't matter if it is D: or E: (except if you change them in Windows, and important data was in one or the other for an app to run). What matters is the data in it. :yes:

Linux puts all in relative order from where the root (or / ) of the filesystem is defined. Everything is found from there. You can set your Creative MP3 player to mount at /media/creative_mp3. All your system executables put by the installer are in /sbin/. System configurations are in /etc/.

I have a little writeup I put into the FAQ section here at Neowin several years ago that covers some of the shock of a new filesystem organization. Find it here.

Hope that helps.

Boot Ubuntu.

Post the output of a sudo fdisk -l command (that is a lowercase letter "L", not the number one)

That will tell us exactly what partition is where.

Then also post the file /boot/grub/menu.lst (or the contents of the file)

That will show how GRUB is set up, and what it points to boot.

this is what I got for sudo fdisk -l, the /boot/grub/menu.lst command won't work

Disk /dev/sda: 300.0 GB, 300069052416 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 36481 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Disk identifier: 0x00000001

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System

/dev/sda1 * 1 31126 250019563+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

/dev/sda2 31127 36481 43014037+ 5 Extended

/dev/sda5 31127 36256 41206693+ 83 Linux

/dev/sda6 36257 36481 1807281 82 Linux swap / Solaris

# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)

# grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),

# grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub

# and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num

# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and

# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.

#

# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry

# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.

# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not use 'savedefault' or your

# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.

default 0

## timeout sec

# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry

# (normally the first entry defined).

timeout 10

## hiddenmenu

# Hides the menu by default (press ESC to see the menu)

#hiddenmenu

# Pretty colours

#color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd

# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing

# control (menu entry editor and command-line) and entries protected by the

# command 'lock'

# e.g. password topsecret

# password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/

# password topsecret

#

# examples

#

# title Windows 95/98/NT/2000

# root (hd0,0)

# makeactive

# chainloader +1

#

# title Linux

# root (hd0,1)

# kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro

#

#

# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified

## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##

## default kernel options

## default kernel options for automagic boot options

## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z

## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.

## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro

## kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro

## kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro

# kopt=root=UUID=af34c6a6-35f3-4d58-b460-7f9ceffacd24 ro

## Setup crashdump menu entries

## e.g. crashdump=1

# crashdump=0

## default grub root device

## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)

# groot=(hd0,4)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options

## e.g. alternative=true

## alternative=false

# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options

## e.g. lockalternative=true

## lockalternative=false

# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the

## alternatives

## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5

# defoptions=quiet splash

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options

## e.g. lockold=false

## lockold=true

# lockold=false

## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option

# xenhopt=

## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option

# xenkopt=console=tty0

## altoption boot targets option

## multiple altoptions lines are allowed

## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options

## altoptions=(recovery) single

# altoptions=(recovery mode) single

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst

## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the

## alternative kernel options

## e.g. howmany=all

## howmany=7

# howmany=all

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option

## e.g. memtest86=true

## memtest86=false

# memtest86=true

## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system

## can be true or false

# updatedefaultentry=false

## should update-grub add savedefault to the default options

## can be true or false

# savedefault=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title Ubuntu 8.04.1, kernel 2.6.24-19-generic

root (hd0,4)

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24-19-generic root=UUID=af34c6a6-35f3-4d58-b460-7f9ceffacd24 ro quiet splash

initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-19-generic

quiet

title Ubuntu 8.04.1, kernel 2.6.24-19-generic (recovery mode)

root (hd0,4)

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24-19-generic root=UUID=af34c6a6-35f3-4d58-b460-7f9ceffacd24 ro single

initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-19-generic

title Ubuntu 8.04.1, memtest86+

root (hd0,4)

kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin

quiet

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian

# ones.

title Other operating systems:

root

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS

# on /dev/sda1

title Windows NT/2000/XP (loader)

root (hd0,0)/dev/sda1

savedefault

chainloader +1

It appears to be in there. You might need to use your arrow key to scroll down to it to see it.

The entry

title Windows NT/2000/XP (loader)

root (hd0,0)/dev/sda1

savedefault

chainloader +1

is pretty much it. Though the line root (hd0,0)/dev/sda1 is highly suspect. Did you add in the "/dev/sda1" part, because I am not sure it is correct.

Using sudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst (very carefully, since you are making system changes)

change that line to just

root (hd0,0)
then reboot to see if your XP entry works ok now.

Well, let's boot the XP CD, and go to its "recovery console", which will allow you to type the special command

fixmbr

This will make it a Windows-boot-only PC again (for the time being). Make sure Windows is OK after the partition resizing that happened.

Once you get XP booting fine, we can worry about booting the UbuntuCD again and doing a grub-install to get dual-booting back.

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

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Google is opening the world's first AI museum in Los Angeles by Ivan Jenic Image via: Google Ever since AI image generators went mainstream, the debate over whether AI-generated art is real art hasn't let up. Those who don’t consider AI to be art say that if a machine does the creating and anyone can prompt it, there’s no skill involved, and therefore no art is produced. The counter-argument is equally persistent, as defenders of AI-generated artworks often claim that AI is just a tool, and that every major technological breakthrough, like the camera or the computer, was met with the same skepticism before eventually being accepted as a legitimate creative medium. Google’s position in this debate is clear. Which is no surprise, as the company is investing billions in AI infrastructure. And now, in efforts to encourage people to use its AI even more, Google is opening Dataland on June 20, which it's calling the world's first AI arts museum. Located inside The Grand LA, a Frank Gehry-designed building in Los Angeles, the museum spans 25,000 square feet. The museum is built around a collaboration with media artist Refik Anadol, who has worked with Google since 2016. The inaugural exhibition is called Machine Dreams: Rainforest, and is powered by an AI model trained on “an extensive dataset of the natural world.” It generates 1.2 billion pixels of visuals in real time and reacts to visitors dynamically. The space also generates soundscapes, real-time emotion sensing, and algorithmically produced scents. Image via: Refik Anadol Studio / Google Google says that the museum is powered by its Gemini models, which run on Google Cloud. So, everything is generated inside one of Google’s AI data centers and is streamed to the museum. Alongside the museum opening, Google Arts & Culture is funding an AI Artist Residency, giving four artists $25,000 grants each, along with mentorship from Refik Anadol Studio and access to Google's machine learning tools. Their work will be shown at Dataland and on the Google Arts & Culture website later this year. Google’s AI museum will undoubtedly initiate a fired-up debate on social media, and we can’t wait to see the first reactions. Via: Smithsonian Magazine
    • Calling GTA 6 overhyped crap doesn’t make you edgy, it just makes you sound like someone who hasn’t enjoyed anything since the PS2 era.
    • I’m not arguing whether Rockstar likes money. Obviously, they do, they’re a business. I’m saying this isn’t new. They’ve always launched console first. This is just how Rockstar operates.
    • I'm not sure how old the school is, but they've been doing this since GTA 3. Back in those days we'd be lucky for game companies to release on the PC at all. And with the current state of Sony (or Microsoft) their gaming wing won't be getting a penny from me.
    • We now know when and how the Universe may truly end by Sayan Sen Image by Marek Pavlík via Pexels| Not representative A study by physicist Henry Tye of Cornell University suggests that the universe may not expand forever. Instead, it could eventually stop expanding, begin contracting and end in a "Big Crunch" roughly 20 billion years from now. The research, published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, was conducted by Tye, Horace White Professor of Physics Emeritus at Cornell University. Using recent observations from major dark-energy surveys, Tye and his collaborators developed a cosmological model that predicts the universe could have a total lifespan of about 33 billion years. Since the universe is currently estimated to be 13.8 billion years old, the model places it near the midpoint of its existence. According to Cornell University's summary of the research, the study centers on the cosmological constant, a term introduced by Albert Einstein in his theory of general relativity. In modern cosmology, the cosmological constant is commonly used to describe the simplest form of dark energy, the unknown phenomenon believed to be driving the accelerating expansion of the universe. "For the last 20 years, people believed that the cosmological constant is positive, and the universe will expand forever," Tye said in a Cornell University news release. "The new data seem to indicate that the cosmological constant is negative, and that the universe will end in a big crunch." The study draws on data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), two major projects designed to investigate the nature of dark energy. According to Tye, recent observations suggest that dark energy may not behave exactly like a simple cosmological constant. To account for those observations, Tye and his collaborators proposed a model involving an extremely light hypothetical particle that evolves over time. In their calculations, this produces a negative cosmological constant and leads to a future collapse of the universe. The model predicts that cosmic expansion would continue for approximately another 11 billion years before reaching a maximum size, after which the universe would begin contracting and eventually collapse. Scientists have long debated how the universe might end. As explained in an article published in The Conversation by Stephen DiKerby of Michigan State University, several possibilities have been proposed. If dark energy remains constant and positive, the universe could continue expanding indefinitely, gradually becoming colder, darker and more diffuse in a scenario often called the "heat death" of the universe. Other theoretical possibilities include a Big Rip, in which cosmic expansion accelerates so dramatically that galaxies, stars and even atoms are torn apart, or a Big Crunch, in which expansion reverses and the universe collapses back into an extremely dense state. DiKerby notes that the Big Crunch idea itself is not new. What distinguishes Tye's work is that it attempts to use current observational data to estimate when such a collapse might occur and how it could unfold. Much of the universe's long-term evolution remains uncertain. According to current astrophysical understanding, stars will continue to form and die for billions of years. The Sun, for example, is about halfway through its expected lifespan. Galaxies are also expected to continue merging; the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies are projected to collide several billion years from now. At the same time, the nature of dark energy remains one of the biggest unanswered questions in cosmology. While observations indicate that the universe's expansion is accelerating, scientists still do not know what is causing that acceleration. Future observations may therefore alter current predictions about the cosmos's ultimate fate. Tye emphasized that additional evidence will be needed before firm conclusions can be drawn. DESI continues to collect data, while upcoming observations from missions and observatories including Euclid, SPHEREx and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory are expected to provide more precise measurements of dark energy. "People have said before that if the cosmological constant is negative, then the universe will collapse eventually. That's not new," Tye said. "However, here the model tells you when the universe collapses and how it collapses." For now, the study presents one possible future for the cosmos rather than a settled prediction. Whether the universe ultimately ends in a Big Crunch, expands forever, or follows another path entirely remains an open question that future observations will help answer. Source: Cornell University, The Conversation This article was generated with some help from AI and reviewed by an editor. Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, this material is used for the purpose of news reporting. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
  • Recent Achievements

    • First Post
      AndreaB earned a badge
      First Post
    • Week One Done
      Huge Trailer earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      Classifyskilleducation earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      eurospharma62 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      With What earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      570
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      175
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      73
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      68
    5. 5
      neufuse
      64
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!