I'm becoming increasingly frustrated with Win 98's instability, lack of security and even their business ethics (or lack of), and finally decided to do something other than just bitch about it.
But just in case I find Linux to be less useful (and the learning curve worse) than I figured, I intend to set up a dual-boot Windows 2000 / Linux system.
This will not be my primary computer. It will sit on the same desk as the one I use most (a P-III overclocked to 950 MHz, 512k, a Matrox g-400 dual head and an old ATI Xpert 98 PCI video card for a 3 monitor set-up). I'll use a keyboard / monitor switch to connect the keyboard and 3rd monitor to the new system when I need to access it.
Either Win-2000 or Linux will wind-up being my Network Server and primary connection to the Internet through a 56k modem. (Aside from DirecPC that won't work with Linux or Win 2000, there's no chance of any kind of broadband where I live.)
Right off the bat, I'm not going to put a lot of software on the new computer. I'll install a web browser (Netscape, Opera and ? but not IE), e-mail (Netscape, Eudora and ?, but not Outlook) Word Perfect and Star Office (I hate Word, I'm a die-hard WordPerfect user), Quanta Plus (Linux, but I don't know if it will work with SuSE Linux) and Hot Dog (Win-2000).
The computer I plan to use has a Soyo SY-BA6+III board with a Celeron 566 overclocked to 850 MHz, with 256k of PC-133 memory, a Matrox g-400 vodeo card, and either the 30 gb 7200 rpm Western Digital drive (that I bought today) or the 20 gb drive that's already in the computer (that I'd planned to set aside just in case), with an ATA-66 promise card that I may have to remove if I can't find a Linux driver (and I also have a couple of old 5400 rpm 6 gb drives that are not being used).
I'll keep the Yamaha sound card in it (if I can find a Linux driver), or switch to a Creative Sound card. It also has a Linksys 10/100 Network card. I already have an internal US Robotics 56K PCI "Internet Call Modem" (it has a processor, it's not a win-modem), but I'm willing to buy an external modem (and/or even a router/firewall) if I have to (and/or if that'll make the 4 computer network more secure)?
I have a copy of Caldera Open Linux 2.2 that I never installed, a brand new copy of SuSE Linux 7.2 that I bought today (instead of the Mandrake Linux I was planning to buy - it had a nicer box and their support phone numbers were printed on the outside of the box). Which one should I install? Should I go back and buy Mandrake or a different distribution?
I'm thinking about partitioning 1/3 of the drive for Win-2000, 1/3 for Linux and 1/3 for data that I back-up frequently. Or should I use the 6 gb drive for data and occasionally use Drive-2-drive to back it up to the other 6gb data drive in the primary computer? Or should I just let the Linux install disk partition and let the Linux install program take care of any additional partitioning and dual booting? How should I partition the drive?
Any advice anyone can offer will be appreciated. Thanks, Rick
😕
But just in case I find Linux to be less useful (and the learning curve worse) than I figured, I intend to set up a dual-boot Windows 2000 / Linux system.
This will not be my primary computer. It will sit on the same desk as the one I use most (a P-III overclocked to 950 MHz, 512k, a Matrox g-400 dual head and an old ATI Xpert 98 PCI video card for a 3 monitor set-up). I'll use a keyboard / monitor switch to connect the keyboard and 3rd monitor to the new system when I need to access it.
Either Win-2000 or Linux will wind-up being my Network Server and primary connection to the Internet through a 56k modem. (Aside from DirecPC that won't work with Linux or Win 2000, there's no chance of any kind of broadband where I live.)
Right off the bat, I'm not going to put a lot of software on the new computer. I'll install a web browser (Netscape, Opera and ? but not IE), e-mail (Netscape, Eudora and ?, but not Outlook) Word Perfect and Star Office (I hate Word, I'm a die-hard WordPerfect user), Quanta Plus (Linux, but I don't know if it will work with SuSE Linux) and Hot Dog (Win-2000).
The computer I plan to use has a Soyo SY-BA6+III board with a Celeron 566 overclocked to 850 MHz, with 256k of PC-133 memory, a Matrox g-400 vodeo card, and either the 30 gb 7200 rpm Western Digital drive (that I bought today) or the 20 gb drive that's already in the computer (that I'd planned to set aside just in case), with an ATA-66 promise card that I may have to remove if I can't find a Linux driver (and I also have a couple of old 5400 rpm 6 gb drives that are not being used).
I'll keep the Yamaha sound card in it (if I can find a Linux driver), or switch to a Creative Sound card. It also has a Linksys 10/100 Network card. I already have an internal US Robotics 56K PCI "Internet Call Modem" (it has a processor, it's not a win-modem), but I'm willing to buy an external modem (and/or even a router/firewall) if I have to (and/or if that'll make the 4 computer network more secure)?
I have a copy of Caldera Open Linux 2.2 that I never installed, a brand new copy of SuSE Linux 7.2 that I bought today (instead of the Mandrake Linux I was planning to buy - it had a nicer box and their support phone numbers were printed on the outside of the box). Which one should I install? Should I go back and buy Mandrake or a different distribution?
I'm thinking about partitioning 1/3 of the drive for Win-2000, 1/3 for Linux and 1/3 for data that I back-up frequently. Or should I use the 6 gb drive for data and occasionally use Drive-2-drive to back it up to the other 6gb data drive in the primary computer? Or should I just let the Linux install disk partition and let the Linux install program take care of any additional partitioning and dual booting? How should I partition the drive?
Any advice anyone can offer will be appreciated. Thanks, Rick
😕
