2 quick linux questions...

Mark M

Mark M

Mark M

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1) Ive read you can dual boot so you have the option of XP and linux? If so is there anything I need to do to make sure this happens and windows doesnt get removed?

2) How do I set up a linux machine so that windows machines can access files on it? Similar to file sharing on XP?

Oh, and a cheeky third question. Is Linux as easy to set up access to the interent as windows is? Ie it currently is connected to a router with cat5 cable so will the internet just "work"

Thanks and appologies for my noobie questions :D
 
All of these questions are easily answered through googling, not being an arse but research is an important skill when learning a Linux Distro

1) Yes its possible, you need to make sure you don't install the distro to the same partition as windows, then you need a boot manager like lilo or GRUB, and that's normally installed to the MBR. It depends what distro you are using, most do it by default now.

2) Check out Samba, very easy and very powerful.

3) bit of a ropey question really, the distro detrmines what method you use, you can edit the text files manualyl and its very easy or use a GUI for it
 
Mark M said:
Oh, and a cheeky third question. Is Linux as easy to set up access to the interent as windows is? Ie it currently is connected to a router with cat5 cable so will the internet just "work"
Click to expand...

If you're using something like ubuntu or Mandriva etc, then yeh presuming your NIC is supported and your network has DHCP, it *should* work out of the box.
 
1/ Yeah, dual-booting is great. Defrag your drive first, re-partition it so that you've got some spare space to stick Linux on, and then install it. I recommend using the manual part during the installation when it asks you where you're going to install it so you've only got yourself to blame if it goes wrong. The automated option *could* potentially (but it's unlikely) wipe Windows.

Otherwise have a look at using Wubi, if you're planning on using Ubuntu. http://www.wubi-installer.org

2/ Do you mean accessing a partition on the same machine you're dual-booting from? If so, there are tools you can use to read ext3-formatted drives from within Windows. Ext3 is the file system you'll most likely use (as it's the default).

3/ Works great for me... never had a problem.
 
Ethics said:
All of these questions are easily answered through googling, not being an arse but research is an important skill when learning a Linux Distro

1) Yes its possible, you need to make sure you don't install the distro to the same partition as windows, then you need a boot manager like lilo or GRUB, and that's normally installed to the MBR. It depends what distro you are using, most do it by default now.

2) Check out Samba, very easy and very powerful.

3) bit of a ropey question really, the distro detrmines what method you use, you can edit the text files manualyl and its very easy or use a GUI for it
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply, I did search for "dual boot linux and windows" but it come up with so much stuff that I didnt have a clue about that it was almost like reading Chinese!! Distros, GPart, Gnomes, grubs...I could go on.

The point of my post was to first make sure its possible to do everything I wanted before I jumped in feet first into something that looks like its going to take me quite a while, based on what Ive read so far, only to find out that I might as well have not bothered.

But seeing as how it does everything I need I will look into everything further.
 
Right, another quick question.

Ive downloaded the live CentOs CD and managed to boot into it but how do I install it from there or have I downloaded the wrong file?

Thanks
 
Its for a mail server, or should I say will be for a mail server once I get to grips with it.
 
ahh right makes sense.

With a bit of googling I found: setting up centos 4.3

Not sure what the latest version of centos is (havent used it in a while) but it should pretty much be the same

Hope that helps you!:p
 
Thanks for taking the time to look. I did have a search about and found a guide for 5.1 on the same site

http://www.howtoforge.com/installation-guide-centos5.1-desktop

However, as its my furst linux install Im just wondering what files I need to download? I went with the live cd but is that the wrong one or is there a way I can install it from that cd?

Also I need to keep windows xp on there and Im getting a bit confused with the partitions but busy reading up on that.

Thanks.
 
Ethics said:
All of these questions are easily answered through googling, not being an arse but research is an important skill when learning a Linux Distro
Click to expand...

I'm also not being an arse, but I'd like to emphasise this point - You will get nowhere using Linux unless you're prepared to google your questions constantly. Due to the fantastic nature of the GNU community, you will generally find an answer very quickly.
 
The first place to look should really be the website for the distro you've chosen. They will have documentation available, and I'd strongly recommend you read through it.

The CentOS website is www.centos.org and there's a link to the online documentation - or in PDF format if you prefer - from the home page. Just click on the Information link and then select Documentation from the drop-down menu.

The documentation is very thorough and contains a whole chapter (#25) dedicated to disk partitions, which you should read before you attempt to install it because if you make a mistake then you could be waving bye-bye to your data from your Windows partition. There's also plenty of info on installing the system that I'd suggest you spend some time reading before you get going - it could save you some time, in the long run.
 
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