Ready to jump into Linux

[JechtShot]

1. Hey guys and gals. I am ready to jump into the Linux world. I have downloaded 3 different
distros (I'm just going to burn the ISO to a blank DVD). What is the best Linux to use for a beginner? It is between Linux Mint 13 (Maya), Linux Mint Debian Edition, or Ubuntu 12.04?

2. I currently have 2 hard drives in my desktop. One has Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit which I plan to keep on one. The other has Windows XP SP3 which I plan on retiring. Do I need to do anything special or can I just wipe the one with XP and put Linux on there. I don't want it to mess with the MBR. Currently when my computer boots up, i have the option to select which OS to use.

3. How do I get the internet to work on Linux if I am using a Wi-Fi adapter to connect to the internet. The make and model is Belkin Play N600 Dual Band Wi-Fi adapter (USB). I searched for drivers from their site but they don't have a linux driver?

Thanks in advance for the help!

P.S. I consider myself an expert in Windows and I have been on Windows since the days of DOS and inputting command lines.

 

[tomt4535]

Rather than dual booting, you should use some sort of virtualization such as VirtualBox or VMware Player(or Workstation but that is $$$). It wont mess with the MBR. If you screw up anything in the guest OS, you can wipe it away and no harm is done to the host OS. Drivers are much easier to deal with too. You can keep the Windows XP SP3, or even make that into a VM itself if you wanted.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

1. I'd use Mint 13 Maya, cinnamon specifically.
2. You can use mint4win to install from Windows and not have to worry about formating or partitions. Or use Virtualbox which is handy to know how to use too.
3. Can't help here, but with Virtualbox you can get net access for sure.

You could go with Ubuntu (and use wubi for the install) but IMO Unity is pretty terrible. Then you can install cinnamon, and this might not be a bad way to go if the goal is to learn your way around linux. But cinnamon needs hardware acceleration and it doesn't quite work right under VirtualBox.

 

[Gs dewd]

I use Ubuntu with Cinnamon and it's great. I myself didn't like unity very well.

You can boot from the dvd's and try it out with the live cd (runs a little slower then the actual install) and maybe get a feel before you commit to one or the other.

 

[JechtShot]

I would like one of my hard drives to be dedicated to just Linux. I haven't used my Windows XP in so long so I do want to get rid of it. Here is what I was planning to do if my research is correct :

1. Disconnect hard drive that has Windows 7 on it from motherboard
2. Go ahead and install Linux on the 2nd vacant hard drive
3. Re-connect the hard drive with Windows 7 already on it.
4. Make sure to get into the BIOS and change the boot order to allow the Linux hard drive to load up first. Does GRUB automatically load up to allow me to select which OS to use?

I don't know if this has changed. Thanks again for any help!

 

[Red Squirrel]

I recently tried to dual boot 7 and Linux and it's not as trivial as it used to be so yeah just stick to two separate drives. I figured it was as easy as repartitioning to make more room, installing Linux, and Linux would pickup Windows and give the option at boot but it's not. Linux does it's part, and will detect windows and give you the option, but Windows will say FU and fail to boot. There are ways to get it to work though, just a pain in the butt.

With two drives, I would imagine if you make the Linux one primary, then in grub you should be able to configure it to give an option to boot to the other drive too. Failing that, you can always just select it in the bios when you boot up. So hit tab or whatever your key is, then select the drive. But I'm pretty sure Linux will do it. Just make sure when you install an OS all the other drives are out.

 

[lxskllr]

I would like one of my hard drives to be dedicated to just Linux. I haven't used my Windows XP in so long so I do want to get rid of it. Here is what I was planning to do if my research is correct :

1. Disconnect hard drive that has Windows 7 on it from motherboard
2. Go ahead and install Linux on the 2nd vacant hard drive
3. Re-connect the hard drive with Windows 7 already on it.
4. Make sure to get into the BIOS and change the boot order to allow the Linux hard drive to load up first. Does GRUB automatically load up to allow me to select which OS to use?

I don't know if this has changed. Thanks again for any help!

That should work. After installing, and re-enabling Win7, in GNU/Linux, run "update-grub" as root. It should find your Win7 install, and add it as an option.

Edit:
This is what it looks like...

The only difference is you'll likely run "sudo update-grub" instead of using a root console. *buntus don't give direct access to root by default.

 

[JechtShot]

Thanks for that! I will try it just as soon as I get the chance (won't be for a while). I am settling on Linux Mint 13 (Maya) with Cinnamon.

 

[Randybob01]

3. How do I get the internet to work on Linux if I am using a Wi-Fi adapter to connect to the internet. The make and model is Belkin Play N600 Dual Band Wi-Fi adapter (USB). I searched for drivers from their site but they don't have a linux driver?

WiFi can be a sticky spot for Linux hardware support, at least for the 2.6 kernel (which is on its way out). This is part of why live CDs are so beneficial, you can see if the distro you are trying will support your hardware out of the box. Additional drivers can generally be found in the software repositories, and once you have Linux installed, it's just a matter of checking the right box and clicking the OK button.

Rather than dual booting, you should use some sort of virtualization such as VirtualBox or VMware Player(or Workstation but that is $$$). It wont mess with the MBR. If you screw up anything in the guest OS, you can wipe it away and no harm is done to the host OS. Drivers are much easier to deal with too. You can keep the Windows XP SP3, or even make that into a VM itself if you wanted.

This is another solid suggestion. It's a good way to try several distros at once, you just need to keep them lightweight if you don't have gobs of RAM. I like going command-line only when I do this myself.

 

[Hugo Drax]

Get ready to learn how to compile and do lots of editing of files with VI or nano.

 

[Jodell88]

Get ready to learn how to compile and do lots of editing of files with VI or nano.

Not true at all.

 

[mv2devnull]

Not true at all.

Indeed. Most distros ought to have decent package repositories or third parties do.

As for vi ... I prefer sed oneliners in an installer's kickstart script.

 

[Nothinman]

Get ready to learn how to compile and do lots of editing of files with VI or nano.

I'm guessing the last time you looked at Linux desktop distros was somewhere in the late 90s?

 

[stevech]

Get ready to learn how to compile and do lots of editing of files with VI or nano.

hogwash.

 

[MooseNSquirrel]

Be nice, it's not complete hogwash. But to be fair Linux hs come a long way. Installing and configuring most things is pretty straight forward.

I second the recommendation of using a live cd first to see how compatible things will be.