Is there any reason to do that? Can I uninstall Linux without reformatting my HDD if I decide that I don't want it once its installed? Also, which version should I download (must be free)?
Should I dual-boot Linux on my WinXP system?
- Thread starter dude8604
- Start date
Linux is free. Period.
The version you might want depends on your tastes and what you are looking for. Mandrake seems to be one of the easiest for newbies that dont like getting away from a gui. Redhat seems to have better stability and is quite userfriendly for the gui-people. SuSE is considered a great distro and I would not hesitate installing that. Debian is for hardcore freaks. Its not meant for newbies, and unless you want to read documentation and actually learn the system in depth. Same for Slackware, but it seems to be a little easier for newbies (set up most of my hardware for me without problems). Do a search to get anymore information.
Personally I wouldnt dualboot. Installing it on a smaller system is the best way to go. Especially if you are a newbie. Newbie or not you will screw things up. I know I do. This way you dont mess up your XP system when you do mess up the linux system.
The version you might want depends on your tastes and what you are looking for. Mandrake seems to be one of the easiest for newbies that dont like getting away from a gui. Redhat seems to have better stability and is quite userfriendly for the gui-people. SuSE is considered a great distro and I would not hesitate installing that. Debian is for hardcore freaks. Its not meant for newbies, and unless you want to read documentation and actually learn the system in depth. Same for Slackware, but it seems to be a little easier for newbies (set up most of my hardware for me without problems). Do a search to get anymore information.
Personally I wouldnt dualboot. Installing it on a smaller system is the best way to go. Especially if you are a newbie. Newbie or not you will screw things up. I know I do. This way you dont mess up your XP system when you do mess up the linux system.
<< I thought that you have to buy the Redhat version. Am I wrong? >>
Yes. You can download any version of linux, even the distributions for them. Some may not offer an iso, but they do offer ftp installs, which is a nice way to help promote sales to keep these companies going without violating the GPL. The small distros that do not offer this only use free software that you can install seperately, so they do not break the GPL. But you are probably looking at the bigger name distros.
<< I'm downloading Mandrake Linux 8.1. >>
Should be decent, although there have been a few bugs floating around. But they dont affect everyone, and I dont keep up with the distro/OS, so make sure you check for updates.
Its going to take about 1 day to download it...on cable! I guess I'll just have to leave my computer on all night.
<< Its going to take about 1 day to download it...on cable! I guess I'll just have to leave my computer on all night. >>
Sounds like the perfect time to stop by the Distributed Computing forum and helping out
Why not?
You can uninstall Linux any time you want by simply claiming back the partition it uses.
AFAIK, all Linux distros are free.
You can uninstall Linux any time you want by simply claiming back the partition it uses.
AFAIK, all Linux distros are free.
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