Really want to check out Linux

aslco

aslco

aslco

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10 Feb 2008
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Hey, so im sorry if you get questions similar to this all the time, i have checked them out but i sort of want to ask my own questions. As others have said there should be a noobs guide to Linux sticky.

Anyway, i currently have Vista 64 bit on my 450gig HD. I have about 350gig free. Anyway, would you advise i partition off some of the drive and burn Ubuntu to disc and then just install it (is it really that easy) Or do i need to know commands and special stuff to get ISO files on to the disc i'd burn to.

I remeber seeing a while ago someone linking to an Ubuntu installer that you install through windows. All i know is it wasnt Debian. It seemed to have Ubuntu Graphics and sort of had a Crane (the bird) as its logo on the website.

So im guessing my best option would be to use that in windows ubuntu install (would this actually run seperatley or just as a sort of emulation in windows)...or do you reckon im not too noobie to get Ubuntu on normally.

Thanks!
 
Just burn Ubuntu liveCD, start it up, and click install, it's installation GUI will give you options to create partitions etc.

Or wubi (windows ubuntu installer)
 
AHH excellent! I will do Wubi. I never knew you could install the CD on windows :S i thought you had to do it at startup like windows. Im gunna use Wubi anyway, and it will give me Ubuntu as normal? That pretty sweet.
 
lozzick said:
AHH excellent! I will do Wubi. I never knew you could install the CD on windows :S i thought you had to do it at startup like windows. Im gunna use Wubi anyway, and it will give me Ubuntu as normal? That pretty sweet.
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Almost. It'll basically put ubuntu in a folder inside your windows install, this is safer than the 'proper' way because you aren't fiddling with your partitions. Also if you ever decide to remove ubuntu you can simply delete it from add/remove programs. It will be slightly slower though.

I'd say go for the wubi way for now, if you decide you like it perhaps have a look at doing it properly later.
 
You say slower as in Ubuntu is slower? cool so i dont even need to worry about making drive partitions and FAT file systems ect? I should just install Wubi on my current windows partition? Id simply be mucking around with Wubi indivdually just to see what its like.
 
lozzick said:
You say slower as in Ubuntu is slower? cool so i dont even need to worry about making drive partitions and FAT file systems ect? I should just install Wubi on my current windows partition? Id simply be mucking around with Wubi indivdually just to see what its like.
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Yes, ubuntu in wubi is slower than ubuntu installed normally, it will have no impact on windows at all speed wise. Admittedly I have never tried wubi so I can't say how much slower it is, it's probably almost nothing but some people have said they could notice a difference. Yes, the whole point of wubi is that you don't have to touch the partitions at all, just download wubi on your windows install, run it and then follow the instructions. Job done :)
 
Wubi is not really noticeably slower.
I installed ubuntu on my mates lappy using wubi and it works great. Crap startup though but apparently thats something to do with detecting tv-out on mobililty graphics.

What basically happens is it start to boot ubuntu normally, then drops to a text screen and kinda gets stuck at swap for about TWO MINUTES, then carries on as normal.

Lozzie shouldn't suffer from that though as my bro-in law did the same on his desktop and has no issues.
 
Well what can i say...im in love hahah.
You guys were really helpful and im liking this...i think soon i will install Ubuntu 'properly'.

Basically, im not too clear on the distro's about. But i think it was Ubuntu beryl (is there such thing as beryl or do people just abbreviate ubuntu beryl to that) where theres really cool graphics (you can put all the windows into a cube and drag the cube around etc. [sort of a cooler alternative to vista aero] So yeah i may well do my first 'proper' linux install with that distro...is beryl not a good one for beginners? Its just i really liked the graphics it had haha.

You'll soon see me posting questions about what partitions and file systems i should be making ect :D And also noobie questions about me being a prat at burning a disc.

P.S Im posting this from Ubuntu :D. The install wasn't very good in the fact it sometimes blipped to a black screen with white text errors now and then [was a bit concerning] but it installed ok, i think it was just to do with it bypassing stuff to do with a CD.
 
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I see now, beryl is just like an add on. Anyway im really struggling to get flash player working....soo much to learn hehe
 
To get Flash working just go to the Flash website (should get redirected there after your browser finds something you can't play), choose a Linux install and follow the instructions on there. They look a little confusing, but just follow them through and they work a treat, as well as actually being quite easy. I would give you a step by step guide myself but I can't remember how to do it :)
 
The beryl project has now been merged with compiz to form compiz-fusion, so if you wish to have the spinning cube and wobbly windows then have a look for that. It is installed by default but most of the functionality cannot be accessed. I believed installing fusion-icon through synaptic will give you access to all of the features, it's been a while though since I used it so I don't know for sure.

Oh and to get flash to work go into synaptic and install flashplugin, it's much easier than doing it manually.
 
Na none of the three files it offered worked like that. It was the tar.gz file that was actually recogniseable by file archive or w/e its called. So i extracted ti and clicked install...ntohing happened, so instead ityped in a command line in terminal and it worked...maybe you have some application installed to make it easier

Oh synaptic....for furture reference do iwant tar.gz. YUM or rmp files

Anyway....now that flash plugin is finally installed youtube seems to take aaages to load a video...only 1 worked and now all the others i try seems not to work...rargh this is anoying

Edit: Right it was cos of flashblock, i disabled that...youtube works fine now...i dont really undertsnad synaptics.Looks complicated and not much of an applications installer to me :S. I think i need to add someone in msn and talk to them.
 
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Afraid I don't have MSN, but don't worry, you'll get there!

I didn't have anything easier, but tend to find that if you type what you are told to type into the terminal it seems to work!!!

You want tar.gz files for Ubuntu. They are known as tarballs, and are effectively .zip files.

Synaptic is nice and easy; unfortunately I'm on my Windows install at the mo so can't guide you through exactly what to do, but it should be pretty self explanatory. Just search for the package (program) that you want, click the tick box next to it and hit "apply". There is also a much more simple package manager, which you will find in the menu called "Add or remove programs".

Personally, I find that the easiest way to install programs is through the terminal. The command is:

sudo apt-get install xxx

(xxx being the program you want)

"sudo" logs you in as root solely for that command, allowing you to edit system files. "apt-get" is the instruction to manage packages. "install" does what it says on the tin. All you need to know then is the name of what you want installed :)
 
Yeah tbh what ive found is i google the program i want for ubuntu...some website or other gives you the terminal command line for it...i copy and paste it in and it works for me :). This is cool mucking around...i think i better get round to installing a proper partition of linux soon....anyway is there a more exciting yet still as easy linux as ubuntu...i liked how this came with the msn messenger equivalent...open office as well as firefox ect...do all linux distros have that or...
 
Absolutely not! Ubuntu is famed for its "bloatware" as some call it-I call it things that make life easier for noobs like us :) Distros like Arch or Gentoo make you compile the entire operating system, choosing the exact drivers and desktop that you need. From the sounds of it it gives you a stunningly fast and streamlined system, but I tried to install Arch once and nearly cried!

Yea, Googling commands is pretty much what I did when I started out. Eventually you learn what each bit of a command means and slowly learn to work it out for yourself :)
 
Yeah I agree with manic11 I find that now if I manage to break my ubuntu install (Normally me doing very stupid things) I can manage to fix it without having to google anything :D

As for other distro's just try them out with live CD's, I just find the ubuntu community really nice and as for arch linux - I nearly cried too, I got to the point on Gnome being installed and then got flamed on their forum for getting stuck on a how-to where my install wasn't playing fair

Anyway try stuff out, let us know if you find something you particularly like

I've recently just started using skype cos it has webcam support and for project stuff I'm hopin it will be mega useful
 
Yeah cheers. Problem is, is that my graphics card blew tonight at about 9.30. Sooo anoying...atleast pay day is coming soon. Another anoying thing is that the vga cable from my screen to PC is male to male...and when you dont have a graphics crd vga slot, but the integrated one instead, they always seem to have the wrong sockets...so im going to have to wait for my new card...roargh! Right, im off to the graphics forum for some advice haha.
 
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