Hey Zach you should have installed VMWare Workstationon your Windows PC and installed Ubuntu on it. That way you wouldn't have lost your stuff. Simplex should have told you that since you're a noob to Linux.

Actually all you would have had to do was download and install the free VM player they have a free Ubuntu Virtual Appliance that you can use.

ANYONE WHO WANTS TO TRY LINUX SHOULD USE VMWARE AND TRY IT OUT FIRST BEFORE YOU GO SCREWING WITH YOUR PC.


http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/appliances/ubuntu.html

Ubuntu Virtual Appliance
Ubuntu


Virtual Appliance

Ubuntu is a free, open source operating system that starts with the breadth of Debian and adds regular releases (every six months), a clear focus on the user and usability (it should "Just Work", TM) and a commitment to security updates with 18 months of support for every release.
Instructions

1. Download your pre-built Ubuntu 5.10 "The Breezy Badger" Linux Virtual Development Environment.

2. To run this pre-built virtual machine, please choose from the following:
* Download VMware Player. VMware Player is free software that enables PC users to easily run any virtual machine on a Windows or Linux PC.
* Evaluate VMware Workstation, GSX Server, or ESX Server.

You mean the VMWare that costs $189? Didn't seem very practical to recommend that so he could test drive Linux.

I did recommend they use a LiveCD version which wouldn't have to be installed and wouldn't cost him anything.

Im interested in Trying a Dual boot Solution but I dont think I have enough harddrive space to run an SUSE installation

We already have a thread for this circular argument bulls**t. It's here:

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=137919

The VMplayer is free. You can also demo VMWare workstation for 30 days free.

People I implore to use the VMPlayer and try it out before you go dicking with your PC. The best way to try new OS's out is VMWARE.

You can install and operate very nicely in less than 5G of space. How much do you have?

You can do the LiveCD and never install anything, download any trials, etc. It will also validate your hardware for that distro. Obviously a far inferior solution to yours.

It sounds good and they should use it. They need to use something to demo it out before going and screwing up their PC. That is all that I am saying.

The one thing that I like about VMWare Workstation is that you can practice installing it and configuring without messing up your PC. Unless you have an extra PC at your house that you don't care about I would recommend it.

Just my .02 cents.

I have about 8 Gigs Free on my Desktop and 4 gigs free on my Laptop

I need a constant 8-10gigs free on my Desktop to use when I edit my home movies and xfer them to DVD- on a tanget what program would emulate NERO VISION or WINDOWS MOVIE MAKER on linux-


I cant download any ISO's til Monday im On Dial up until then

The downside to VMWare "install training", so to speak, is that it leaves out getting the partitioning right (Zach's problem), and driver and dual boot issues (kcciefsguru's problem).

You're pretty much out of luck for the desktop. You could potentially use the laptop but you'd be pretty pressed for space. I'd say check out the Mepis LiveCD.

http://www.mepis.org/

Good point.

I am going to try it out Suse and I am downloading it now. It looks promising.

I may just wait another week


I get paid on friday and a new HDD for the Desktop is in order anyway..

Any suggestions on where to get a good one for under $100


EDIT: I dont think my MainBoard supports SATA I need an EIDE

Microcenter has several under $100.
http://www.microcenter.com/search_re...3327416386986c

Got this

linux:/home/rmstewart # kate /etc/fstab
Session management error: Authentication Rejected, reason : None of the authentication protocols specified are supported and host-based authentication failed
kbuildsycoca running...
Session management error: Authentication Rejected, reason : None of the authentication protocols specified are supported and host-based authentication failed
ASSERT: "m_currentContainer==container" in ./kate/app/kateviewmanager.cpp (196)
linux:/home/rmstewart # QObject::connect: No such signal KListView::doubleclicked(QListViewItem*)
QObject::connect: (sender name: 'unnamed')
QObject::connect: (receiver name: 'KateSaveModifiedDialog')
Session management error: Authentication Rejected, reason : None of the authentication protocols specified are supported and host-based authentication failed

linux:/home/rmstewart # mkdir -p /windows/d
linux:/home/rmstewart # ICE default IO error handler doing an exit(), pid = 6852, errno = 0
mount /windows/d
mount: can't find /windows/d in /etc/fstab or /etc/mtab

Ok, first I think you're still using the LiveCD, right? We can't add drivers or mount points to the LiveCD because it's a read only device. If that's not the case let me know.

Second, Linux is case-sensitive. "d" is not the same thing as "D". That takes some time for most Windows users to get used to.

Im Leary to buy an Refurbished HDD

id buy an Refurbished anything else but a HDD seems iffy to me Refurbed

NOt using the live cd at all.
Also, I am cutting and pasting exactly what you type.

hmm now my status bar at the bottom will not display anything.

Run this for me:

total 9
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 96 2006-03-26 11:48 .
drwxr-xr-x 22 root root 512 2006-03-26 06:06 ..
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 48 2006-03-26 11:48 d
dr-xr-xr-x 1 root users 8192 2006-03-25 22:31 D

Ok, we're in good shape. Run this as root:
Also, did you get the NVidia driver running?

mount: /dev/hda5 already mounted or /windows/D busy
mount: according to mtab, /dev/hda5 is already mounted on /windows/D


yes, Nvidia is up and running.

my status bar at the bottom of my Gnome screen is bare and will not display anything though now.

Ah, you're in Gnome? Ok, that explains why media:/ didn't work. ROFL

Ok, so show me this:
I'm not a Gnome guy, I'm not sure what the deal with the panel is.

Is there an open source alternative for Quickbooks? I'm not keen on running native under WiNE, as every forum I've researched indicates that Quickbooks isn't 100% functional.

Also, can any of the recent Linux distros detect a Pentium D or Athlon X2 and use both procs?

I can access my D drive through Konqueror now at least. How can I switch from Gnome to the other desktop. I am really not liking Gnome anyway. Looks too much like Apple.

I haven't used a good Quickbooks substitute. There are several free business accounting packages, though they are really geared to be used by accountants. CrossOver Office claims to run QuickBooks on Windows though I've never used it personally.

I haven't tried any of them personally, but here's a nice start:
http://sourceforge.net/search/?type_...&Search=Search

Hyperthreading and SMP support are native in the Linux 2.6 kernel which nearly all modern distros use.

1. YaST->Software->Software Management
2. Under "Filter", select "Selections"
3. Check "KDE Desktop Environment"
4. Click "Accept"

When it's finished you'll have to log out. When you get back to the login screen click "Session Type" in the lower left corner and choose KDE. Then log in. It will remember your last session type when you log in, so you won't have to do that again.

LOL Now I have KDE but I lost access to my NTFS drive again.

ROFL

Nobody said this was perfect every time.

Do the "mount /windows/D" thing again.

[edit] Or you can reboot. [/edit]

Hmm, says it is mounted but I cannot locate it anywhere. Have tried using konquorer too.

You can always type "/windows/D" in the Location box of Konq and get right there. Then bookmark that location if you go there often.

I think typically there is a desktop icon as well, though I'm not sure about that. I have desktop icons turned off.

So my big plan was to fool around with ubuntu until I got suse loaded up but then I forgot to get the torrent d\l before I went to bed last night. I have spent a lot of time forming ub into what I like...its working out pretty well for me so far...finding different aps to do everything I need.

Gnucash is one of the better known accounting packages. It's a true double ledger accounting system and geared a bit more towards accountants than business users who want a something with lots of wizards to step them through everything. Last I check into it they were working on adding some quickbooks style wizards and making it simpler for small businesses to use.

It's all about finding something you like and making it your own.

There are so many apps, the hard part isn't finding something. The hard part is deciding on one. A nice place to start your search would be SourceForge:

http://www.sf.net/

You'll find thousands of free apps there. There's something for everyone.

Another quick note on Linux:

All these settings can be ported from one machine to another and frequently from one distro to another. There is no registry for s**t to be strewn around in, all over hell and high water. All of your settings will be somewhere in your home directory. For instance, if you make a copy of your ".kde" directory and copy that to another computer you will have KDE looking identical, and any KDE-compliant apps will also have all of your settings. Gnome has a similar directory called ".gconf".

I love the multiple work place space thingy. WIth all the multi tasking I do its nice to have CP in spot music in another and something actully productive in a 3rd place.

I am still having trouble figuring out how programs go. Most the stuff I have added has been through the automatic "add application" feature. Other than that its hit and miss...after extracting a new program how do you usually go about it? There are not install executables are there?

Software typically comes one of three ways:

1. Source code: You can almost always get this. It does require compiling it yourself and is the least friendly method.

2. Scripted apps: These require no compiling, so generally they're just copied to a location and run.

3. Binary distributions: Typically called "rpms", "debs", "packages", etc. depending on your distro. These are pre-compiled binary versions of an application like you're used to with Windows. The package is an installer and will copy the files where they need to go. What they don't do on occasion is create a menu item in the launcher menu.

Nearly every app will come with a README file that explains how to get it set up and running.

Newbie-friendly distros...
 

Do you think the SuSE Disto will run good on a Pentium III 500MHz with 128 Meg Ram and a 3 gig HDD?

I wouldn't install a GUI on that, but if you need one, try Xfce. You'll also need to seriously minimize your installed packages.

For something like that, your best bet is really something small, but at the same time you'll have to understand what you are doing to make things work. Personally, I'd go with Slack and no GUI in that instance (or Xfce if I had too).

Been using SUSE for a few months now (customer requirement), and found it's really not too bad. In order to actually use it as a desktop though (and stay within their package management), you really have to add better sources. Couldn't believe that they only ran Thunderbird 1.0.x?!?! Almost no extensions work with that versions any more.

what about an AMD k6-2 400mhz with 256MB RAM and an 10GIG HDD

It all depends on what the person is looking for. If you're trying to replace Windows the Xandos and Lindows are both excellent distros.

However, if you're looking to learn about Linux IMO both of those will be disappointing to you. Much like Windows, they remove flexibility to lower the barrier to entry.

Now you're talking. That should do just fine as an intro Linux machine.

Be amazed at how small a machine can run unix os.
really points at all the bloat in windoz.

The PentiumIII 500 with 128 is my wifes machine running Winblows98 right now.- She complains that it hangs all the time

I can switch it out with the K6 Box and Let er rip.

I will start Downloading the ISO when I get home Tonight.

I used to Run linux on my Dreamcast..

it was a fun little project

Do a web search if you are interested more

Let the Downloading COMMENCE!!

Installation Keeps Hanging at Activating USB DRIVERS.....

If I do failsafe it goes but then it only installs so far before some packages start failing

Try deactivating the USB ports in the BIOS until you get SuSE installed and patched.

Well in FailSafe it gets past the Detecting USB devices but then it locks up after I accept the EULA

Im going to stop messin with the machine that was gving me problems..


I will try it on the Pentium III 500 with 128meg ram and i was wrong about the hdd it actually has 60gigs

Ok Posting this from the Suse box... everything seems to look good... how can I improve some system performance?

Any other tips or anything anyone?

I'm not ignoring you, I'm busy. I'll get some performance tips out tonight.

Heres my Issue now, I upgraded the ram in the PC (the BIOS is giving me an start up error stating that one of the DIMM'S is Out of REV ) I also installed a Different video card in this machine, now when SUSE loads it goes to the login screen and when i type in KDE it fails- something about Xset faild or something

put the old video card back in and im back up and running, not sure if i should worry about that bios error at startup.

System Seems better with the additional 128 memory

RAM is pretty critical in a *nix system. That will make a big difference.

As for the video card, what kind of chipsets are on the two cards? If they use different driver then X will fail to start until you have it redetect the card.

One was an ATI 8mb... the one that was in the system was an Nvidia TNT 32mb. I didnt know that the TNT had more ram before I pulled it.

I could still use some performance tips for this 500mhz Pent. III with 256 Ram and 40gig HD. Vid Card has 32Meg ram on it

I have also decided to install SUSE on my Laptop, Simplex if your around i have some questions

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...splay.php?f=60

Use the search function, and I bet you answer 99.9% of any questions you ever come up with.

Not to take away from Simplex3's thread, but if you need quick answers and cannot wait, I'd pretty much guarantee any issue you have has already been discussed at LQ.O many times.

I ran accross that site over the weekend. Cleared up a lot of questions for me. Check it out Slag.

Thanks for the Suggestion and the Confirmation I will be using it more and more.. I think i am bothering the people in the #suse IRC chat

Google (yahoo, whatever) first, THEN head to #suse. As long as you're learning those guys will continue to help. I know because I'm frequently in there. Or at least WAS, I'm around in there less now because of work constraints.

I'll be around here off and on today.

This will never be the end-all be-all for Linux answers. I simply want this thread to serve as a way for people to overcome the fear of starting with Linux. One you get rolling there are far, far better sources of information.

Yeah, I backed up my Info on my laptop and i did a fresh install of Xp last night,


I will be installing suse when I get off of work today.

Looks like I may need to use ndiswraper to make my internal WirelessG work with suse

What card do you have? I thought almost all cards now had pretty good support, then again I haven't used anything other than Proxim, Orinoco, or Intel in a few years.

*grimaces thinking of wrapper*

For me, it's never about better sources, it's always about getting enough to get me started RIGHT NOW. I pretty much never post tech questions, because I'm too impatient to wait for an answer when all you have to do is now how to use a search engine.

Im using a Broadcom 802.11g Adapter and an Broadcom Internal Card as well.

sPiN in the #suse chat was drunk but suggested that the ndiswrapper would be the only way to go with the broadcom due to lack of support

I feel so excited about doing the Install on my laptop...

I cant wait to get home from work to start installing the Suse...

only 3 more hours!

Awesmome SuSe 10 Review here


http://madpenguin.org/cms/index.php/...id=5382&page=1

its looking like im going to have to use wrapper :shake: :(

I've used NDISwrapper before, it worked like a champ. Just make sure you follow the directions, it isn't really obvious how it works until you finish installing and get it working the first time.

Just got done installing it on an old box. Had lots of trouble with failed packages but just ignored them and once I got the install done it updated and installed all the packages that failed. Now I am just configuring everything the way I like it. So far I like it. Nice look to it. I am pleased so far.

I keep getting invalid driver error

Still having Trouble with this ndiswrapper, Cant seem to find a good driver i guess, cant I use the driver that windows has installed?

Unless the Driver is written for portabality between OS
In Java, C or machine assembler I would say no.
Just a recompile in new os may fix it....
(Spoken in developer terms)

Most distribute seperate drivers and software by
machine or OS depending on the driver need.

Google may help find this answer.

ugh, Broadcom...

Sorry, may be stuck with ndiswrapper.

Personally, I'd just spend the $35 and buy a new card.