partition magic

[def-usr]

hi. i have no idea what im doing, i've never touched linux, all i know right now is i gotta get away from ms. in partition magic, theres linux ext 2, 3, and swap. which do i install linux on? also, how do i know what will be compatable with what i have? any help would be dope thanks.

nvidia riva tnt2 vid
mustek 1200 ub scanner (not a priority)
via ac 97 sound
aoc spectrum 7vlr monitor
p3 667

[Don Fudleone]

No need to use partition magic specifically.

most linux cd's have partition tools that can automatically configure partitions for loading linux.

i'll let the experienced linux users let you know about the specifics.


Don Fudleone

[def-usr]

thanks alot man. :D

[mdwatts]

Some partitioning tutorials.

http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/tutorials/

Nvidia is well supported.

www.linux-usb.org for the scanner or the main 'sane' site.

You can search the JL forums for ac97 to find more info.

[def-usr]

thanks alot guys. i should be well on my way to gettin around linux. im a little scared about the console, also setting up all my stuff as i have no idea, but ill just try and read i guess. thanks for the quickness of ur replys. lates

[mdwatts]

Whatever distro you are planning to install should have lots of installation and other documentation available on their website.

i.e.

http://www.redhat.com/apps/support/

[def-usr]

one more thing, hopefully. do all distros have different commands and whatnot for the console?

[sploo22]

Almost certainly not. All Linux distributions are based on the standard GNU utilities and base programs, and aside from some specialized system administration tasks you should be able to use them identically.

[def-usr]

ok sweet thanks. here i go. sigh.

[barneyt]

Hi Def User,

The above responses all make sense to me, and I know there are formatting and partitioning tool swithin the Linux Distros. However, I did use Partition Magic while running Windows XP and created a Linux partition (ext2). When I placed the Mdk 9.1 disk in on boot-up, it found the Linux partition instantly and configured, installed and ran itself beautifully.

Just another way of getting into Linux........ and you're right! The sooner, the better! ;)

Barney

[sploo22]

Yeah, Debian does that too. It's a real time-saver when you're reinstalling (trust me, I do it regularly - not Linux's fault, I just go and mess with all kinds of stuff and completely wreck my settings :D)

[dkeav]

you know to get your feet wet, i would suggest you take pm and resize your partition so that you have "unallocated free space" on your harddrive preferably greater than 4-5 gb as much as you can spare really, then i would suggest you try mandrake 9.1, the installation is for lack of less used words "pain-free" in most cases, and the chances you will have to ever see command line are nill, unless you run into problems

that would allow you to get up and running and emerse yourself in cli and more advanced features of linux, then you may want to upgrade to a more advanced distro or something, but atleat you wont get turned running back to windows because of one bad install

[mage492]

Since you're new to Linux, you might want to put some careful thought into what distribution (version) of Linux you decide to use.

For a first install, I would recommend something like Mandrake or Red Hat. Both of these are excellent for beginners. In the long run, you'll probably change versions a few times until you find the one that's perfect for you, but these two are a great way to start!

I'd recommend (if possible) getting your hands on a computer that's NOT your main one. Then, you won't be under any time-pressure when you're learning. It's not a big deal if you have to use your main computer for your first install, as the distributions I mentioned are pretty good about configuring themselves.

If you have any questions about the installations, let me know! (I can give you a lot of help with Red Hat, since I just put it onto a laptop for a friend, this weekend. It's fresh in my mind!)

[psi42]

Originally posted by mage492


I'd recommend (if possible) getting your hands on a computer that's NOT your main one. Then, you won't be under any time-pressure when you're learning.

Definitely. I started using linux on an old P166, and then on a P133 I bought on ebay for $1.25
It really made a difference being able to work on a system I was prepared to reformat.

By the way, don't shun the CLI. It is extremely powerful and you will benefit greatly by learning the command line. Right now I have been working with linux for a few months, and I have discovered grep and sed...now I just have to learn how to use them :D


~psi42

[sploo22]

I agree; the command line is fantastic. I've always liked keyboards more than mice. :D

Basically, if you already know what you're doing and how to do it, the CLI is infinitely faster than a GUI. If you're still learning, it will almost certainly seem intimidating, but just stick with it and you'll see what I mean.

psi42: Those are great tools, but unfortunately there isn't much good documentation for beginners (it's all pretty much reference material). For both of them, try "man 7 regex" for information on regular expressions.