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Thread ID: 59943 2005-07-17 20:17:00 Lunix Jihad (8403) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
373118 2005-07-17 20:17:00 I was told that lunix is free... if so can some one give me a link of a safe place to get it and how to install in on a pc that has XP on it all ready? Jihad (8403)
373119 2005-07-18 00:25:00 distrowatch.com vinref (6194)
373120 2005-07-18 00:38:00 distrowatch.com is very good for finding specific distros, but for someone who dosen't know much, it's not wonderfully intuative

If you're new to linux and want to see what it's about, good choice( Coming from a long time windows user ;). However, the install actually does resize hard drive partitions, which is generally risky. There's no easy wy of uninstalling either, so you're pretty much stuck with it

If this sounds scary because you only want to test it out and see what it can do, there are "live" distros. These run straight off a CD/DVD, you run it, see what it's like, and after you've finished, you can reboot and pop out the CD, and you're back in windows, no install needed

Here are three

Knoppix: http://www.knoppix.com/ -The founding father of Live distros
Damn-Small: http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/ -A small download, good for dial-up
Ubuntu: http://www.ubuntulinux.org/ -A very new and up-and-coming distro. Very popular, and there's a Live CD to toy around with. This is good, because if you like Ubuntu-Live, you can install Ubuntu-full
Edward (31)
373121 2005-07-18 01:21:00 distrowatch.com is very good for finding specific distros, but for someone who dosen't know much, it's not wonderfully intuative
I don't mean to pick on you, Edward, but I can't find the word "intuative" in Wordweb nor the dictionary. Perhaps you meant intuitive or something else? I am sorry if my question annoyed you.
Cheers :)
Renmoo (66)
373122 2005-07-18 01:53:00 ok i am getting the Live CD one... when i dl the .iso how would i put that on a CD or will i just have to mount it and run it on this pc? Jihad (8403)
373123 2005-07-18 02:45:00 No, You need to burn the cd image (iso) to a cd using nero or what ever your cd-burning software is, and restart your computer. If the computer continues into windows, you need to check your bios settings to boot off a cd. ILikeLinux (1669)
373124 2005-07-18 03:14:00 I don't mean to pick on you, Edward, but I can't find the word "intuative" in Wordweb nor the dictionary. Perhaps you meant intuitive or something else? I am sorry if my question annoyed you.
Cheers :)

/me cannot spell under pressure to save himself
Edward (31)
373125 2005-07-18 08:06:00 Jihad, a couple of questions if I may.

Why do you want to try Linux? Is it because you've got bored with Windows and want to try something new, you like fiddling with software and like the geekier side of computing. Or do you want to replace or try out a replacement for Windows, ie, a straight swap?

if you're pretty competent with a computer, partitioning drives, loading OS's and configuring (or choosing the right configuration for you from a list), trouble shooting, etc, and, have a good backup system for your important data residing on you current system, then go for it.

Live CD distrobutions are a great way to test out your hardware and yourself without touching the hardrive (it doesn't install, it is held in memory for the duration of you session only). As mentioned, Knoppix & Ubuntu are good for this, I'd add Mepis to that list as it's easier to install and up there with, or surpasses Knoppix in hardware detection and, is more mature than Ubuntu.

If you want a Windows replacement, I'd look at Xandros (free edition, other paid download with support) or Madrake/Mandriva. They will look and feel similar to Windows. There was a Mandrake live CD, but I don't know if the latest version can be had in that for and Xandros is a straight hard drive install.

The only difference to uninstalling Linux to Windows, is that Linux has a boot loader which will also boot Windows and that will have to be got rid of if you want to revert to a Windows only machine.

If you have LUG (Linux Users Group) in your area, it would pay to pop down to one of their meetings for a chat. More than likely, they will be happy to supply you with CD's and, they'll defintely help install the distro of your choice for you.

Edit: I forgot to mention Mepis Lite, which is a smaller version of Simply Mepis 3.1.1-1. It will give you most of what you need to get started on a smaller footprint and will run on older hardware.
Murray P (44)
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