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Linux Plung

K

KarmaPolice

Diamond Member
Ok so i am gonna try Linux as a dual boot system...I have xp at the moment...

2 questions...

1. Whats the best way to go about doing a dual boot..
2. I am doing Ubuntu cause that seems like the most used....Is the 64bit version any good? Or should i just stick with the regular.
 
Originally posted by: KarmaPolice
Ok so i am gonna try Linux as a dual boot system...I have xp at the moment...

2 questions...

1. Whats the best way to go about doing a dual boot..
Click to expand...

Plan out the partitions.. You generally want:
1. Windows partition -ntfs
2. Fat32 partition for transfering files between systems
3. Linux root partition
4. linux swap partition

Optionally you can create a /home partition for Linux so that you can uninstall and reformat the root partition if you want to try out different distros without loosing your user's files.

Install Windows.
Make sure you know how to use recovery cdrom and use fixmbr to recover the Windows bootloader incase you want to uninstall Linux or something goes wrong.

Then install your Linux distro of choice and let the installer setup the boot system. Make sure that during the repartitioning stage you don't accidently reformat the Windows partition.

Then finish setting up your operating systems and enjoy.

2. I am doing Ubuntu cause that seems like the most used....Is the 64bit version any good? Or should i just stick with the regular.
Click to expand...

Stick with the 32bit system unless you have the need for more-then-4gig of ram. You can upgrade later by reinstalling it, but there isn't much advantage currently for 64bit over 32bit and it introduces certain (relatively minor) issues.
 
Actually, it was pretty good instructions, giving you some things to think about before installing. With Suse (which I use) you don't need to do a fresh install since the Suse installer will nondestructively repartition your drive. I don't know, though, if Ubuntu will do the same.


unmerited
 
hehe. You asked the 'best' way. Not nesicarially what people actually do.

If you have a existing Windows installation you can dual boot with that. You just need enough unpartitioned space on your harddrive for at least 2 linux partitions. If you need to you can use a partition management program (like partition magic or qparted on a knoppix cdrom) to resize partitions, but I dont' like using those.

Then you boot up and run the installation cdrom for Ubuntu or whatever and it _should_ work out fine and it'll do all the work for you. Maybe with Suse and possibly others you can resize the partitions from inside the installation program, but I don't know anything about that.
 
Originally posted by: unmerited
Actually, it was pretty good instructions, giving you some things to think about before installing. With Suse (which I use) you don't need to do a fresh install since the Suse installer will nondestructively repartition your drive. I don't know, though, if Ubuntu will do the same.


unmerited
Click to expand...

hrmmm that sounds better
 
Originally posted by: drag
hehe. You asked the 'best' way. Not nesicarially what people actually do.

If you have a existing Windows installation you can dual boot with that. You just need enough unpartitioned space on your harddrive for at least 2 linux partitions. If you need to you can use a partition management program to resize partitions, but I dont' like using those.

Then you boot up and run the installation cdrom for Ubuntu or whatever and it _should_ work out fine and it'll do all the work for you. Maybe with Suse and possibly others you can resize the partitions from inside the installation program, but I don't know anything about that.
Click to expand...

I dont follow why I need two partitions...with a total of 3..for linux.
 
Originally posted by: KarmaPolice
Originally posted by: drag
hehe. You asked the 'best' way. Not nesicarially what people actually do.

If you have a existing Windows installation you can dual boot with that. You just need enough unpartitioned space on your harddrive for at least 2 linux partitions. If you need to you can use a partition management program to resize partitions, but I dont' like using those.

Then you boot up and run the installation cdrom for Ubuntu or whatever and it _should_ work out fine and it'll do all the work for you. Maybe with Suse and possibly others you can resize the partitions from inside the installation program, but I don't know anything about that.
Click to expand...

I dont follow why I need two partitions...with a total of 3..for linux.
Click to expand...

Well Windows and Linux handle things in a different way.

In the Windows world you would normally install one ntfs partition and in that ntfs partition there would be a place (file) that Windows would swap space with for when you don't have any more room in the ram. You might've heard of this being called Virtual Memory.

In the Linux world the same thing is done, but instead of doing it to a file it does it in its own partition.

I'm not sure of all the benefits of this. I'm guessing if something happens in the swap it won't go and corrupt anything in the main partition. Maybe as a precaution? /shrugs
 
Having a seperate swap parition offers better performance. Also has side effect benifits like being able to setup a encrypted swap easily or like if your booted up from a cdrom, network share, or flash drive to have the swap on local drive. So it's more flexible and more secure.

Linux has the ability to run swap file like it is done in Windows, but it's discouraged to do this. I don't know how to set it up to use a swap file. A swap partition is better.

If you have enough RAM you can easily get away with having NO swap partition. Like if you have a gig or whatnot. I ran that way for a few months before I noticed that I forgot to setup a swap partition.

Keep in mind that if your doing something big or there is a bug in a program and it starts eating up RAM then when you run out of physical RAM without having a swap partition that your system WILL start killing off programs in a attempt to avoid crashing and locking up. If you have something important open you can loose information. (rendering yafray scenes is how I noticed I didn't have a swap)

Also the kernel is designed to use a swap and I beleive you loose some system efficiency by not having one.

edit:

Also you use the swap partition for enabling features like suspend-to-disk.

About the maximum size you need for a swap partition is about 2 gigs. Unless you want to do suspend to ram and have 2 gigs of RAM then you'd probably want 3 or 4 gigs of swap space just to be safe. That sort of thing.
 
Having a seperate swap parition offers better performance
Click to expand...

Not anymore. It was true in the 2.4 kernel, but today a swap file is just as fast as a partition. The installers just haven't been changed because people are used to using seperate partitions.

Also has side effect benifits like being able to setup a encrypted swap easily
Click to expand...

I haven't messed with encrypted swap but I can't see how it would be any easier. Worst case, you have to use losetup to associate the swap file with a loop device.

I don't know how to set it up to use a swap file.
Click to expand...

Exactly the same as you would a partition, mkswap/swapon.

Also you use the swap partition for enabling features like suspend-to-disk.
Click to expand...

With suspend2 you can use a regular file, although I haven't done it. With the in-kernel swsusp, yes you need a swap partition.

About the maximum size you need for a swap partition is about 2 gigs. Unless you want to do suspend to ram and have 2 gigs of RAM then you'd probably want 3 or 4 gigs of swap space just to be safe. That sort of thing.
Click to expand...

You shouldn't need double the swap space for just hibernation, and with suspend2 you can use lzf compression on the image to get between 40%-60% compression. It'll save you swap space and as long as your CPU is fast enough (or disk is slow enough) it'll speed up suspend/resume cycles.
 
Its never given me any problems, always been stable. I can only speak for myself though.

I was able to resize my ntfs partiton just fine. 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Nothinman
I haven't messed with encrypted swap but I can't see how it would be any easier. Worst case, you have to use losetup to associate the swap file with a loop device.
Click to expand...

A lot easier, all modern OSes should be setting this up by default.
 
I am confused..in the guide it says when he made a New partition he called it ext3..whats that..I thought I had to pick some kind of linux partition format.
 
Ok I am in ubunto running off of the cd and using thi partion program.

I write click on the unallocated space..clicked new....should I make select Primary Partion, or Extended Partition? And there are so many diffrnet types of formats to choose from...which one should I choose?
 
Originally posted by: KarmaPolice
Ok I am in ubunto running off of the cd and using thi partion program.

I write click on the unallocated space..clicked new....should I make select Primary Partion, or Extended Partition? And there are so many diffrnet types of formats to choose from...which one should I choose?
Click to expand...

The extended vs primary partition refers to a legacy limitation built into all BIOSes of x86 computers.

The maximum amount of 'real' partitions your allowed is 4. IF you want more then 4 partitions then you have to make the 4th partition a 'extended' partition. From that 'extended' partition you carve it up to make 'logical' partitions.

This is due to limitations built into your hardware.
 
I am confused..in the guide it says when he made a New partition he called it ext3..whats that..I thought I had to pick some kind of linux partition format.
Click to expand...

ext3 is a filesystem like NTFS, FAT, ISO9660, etc. Even though Linux supports more, ext3 is the standard on most Linux distributions and is the safe choice.
 
I would use EXT3 and do

1)NTFS for windows
2) swap for linux
3) ext3 linux /
4) ext3 linux /home

Then I would use the windows ext3 drivers to make my /home folder a drive in windows. I did that for my wife and it worked great.
 
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