I want to try Linux but keeping Windows, what do you recommend?

[ronnylov]

I read some news regarding the new Ubuntu 8.04 release and now I feel like testing Linux on my PC.
I plan on tripple booting Windows XP Professional, Vista x64 and some 64-bit Linux version because I have 4GB of RAM.

I do a lot video editing and video compression. Now there is a special version called Ubuntu Studio that may be a good option for me but maybe I learn more if I just install the applications I need from the normal Ubuntu version? So what do you think, any special recommendations for a Linux newbe?

I have started with making partitions on my 640 GB drive:
WinXP (NTFS): 40 GB
Vista X64 (NTFS): 60 GB
Documents (NTFS): 100 GB

Linux swap: 5 GB (enough for hibernate)
Linux root: 10 GB
Linux home: 25 GB
Video files (NTFS): All left free space

I have already installed XP ant then I will install Vista before adding some Linux version.
I tried Red Hat Linux some years ago and found it a little bit complicated regarding making the triple boot working like I wanted (one boot menu with selection of each OS). Hopefully ubuntu will make this automatically. Also I never understood how to install software on Linux but hopefully I will learn this soon.

OK, let's say I get everything work with triple boot, will I get problems in future if I need to reinstall one OS without loosing the option to boot the others?

[mats.hogberg]

Memeory doesn't affect your capabilities for dual or triple booting.
Problems may arise when installing (or reinstalling) any Windows flavor after linux, as WIndows installer use to alter the MBR to single boot again, regardless of # of other OSes already installed.
As Ubuntu reads and writes NTFS without problem, there's no need for a special NTFS Linux partition - Ubuntu will see and use all your Windows partitions.
If you just want to try Ubuntu, you can either run it as a live CD, or install it in a Virtual Machine like VirtualPC or VirtualBox(and here your big RAM has a significant effect). I do the opposite (run XP in VirtualBox with Ubuntu as my base OS) with ease (1.5 GB total RAM, 512 MB set aside for the VirtualBox).

/Mats

[ronnylov]

I was planning to use ext3 file system on the Linux partitions and read somewhere it could be a good idea to use a separate home partition to store settings and personal files. I guess I can make the home partition smaller then but I will leave it as is right now, don't want to change the partitions again.

I guess it could be a good idea to backup the MBR before adding an extra OS. Otherwise I can always reainstall all the OS's...

I think I am going to try a live CD and see how it works first before making the final install. Interesting option with virtual machines. Looks like VirtualPC does not support Linux very well.

[jman98]

VMware has a free version of their server that runs under Windows. You could run Linux in that.

I work as a Unix System Administrator. I HATE Windows with a passion. What do I run at home? Windows XP. I also do video work at home and that's where the tools are. I am highly skeptical that you will find any Linux video tools to be as good as what is available under Windows.

My question is why on earth are you even bothering with Vista? It sucks. We won't run at work, although we could do so, because it's just awful.

[mats.hogberg]

I am highly skeptical that you will find any Linux video tools to be as good as what is available under Windows.

Amen. Linux tools (what there is) is nowhere near their Windows counterparts. Sad but true.

read somewhere it could be a good idea to use a separate home partition to store settings and personal files.

Sure - what I found "odd" was your inclusion of a NTFS partition for video files in your Linux partition scheme. No need for that.
VirtualPC do have some issues with Linux, yes, even if they can be cured (non responding mouse is the problem I've run into), but with VirtualBox (free, recently bought by Sun!) no such problem. Use it at work running Ubuntu on a XP host, at home running XP on a Ubuntu host.

/Mats

[RLT69]

Use it at work running Ubuntu on a XP host, at home running XP on a Ubuntu host.

Details man, details. How is it? I dual boot and it's fine. I run VMWare in Windows to run other Windows OSs and Solaris but haven't gotten around to running VMWare in Linux. I've seen virtualbox and I am curious about the product.

Have you video encoded in you Windows on Linux setup? What's like?

Cheers

[mats.hogberg]

Actually, I find the XP in the VM (using 512 MB RAM) is more responsive than XP ever was when I was running it natively with 512 MB. Haven't done any benchmarking tho.
VirtualBox looks very similar to VirtualPC, but works better with non-Windows guest OSes. Haven't tried VMWare for years, so can't compare with that.
Dual booting is of course "best", but for the occational "...wonder how this looks in Internet Explorer?" (about all I use XP for) a VM with Windows is the best solution to me.

/Mats

[FulciLives]

Best way to try Linux without "screwing" up WinXP and/or Visa is to install Linux on a separate HDD and make sure you also install the boot loader (which is usually GRUB) onto that same HDD.

This way the HDD with Windows (be it XP or Vista) is untouched ... no need to worry about screwing up the MBR. Just make sure you go into the BIOS and set the HDD with Linux as the first HDD in the boot order. This way you can use GRUB to choose Windows (which will be HDD #1) or Linux (which will be HDD #2 or #3 or ... the last HDD you have if you have more than 2).

Which I suppose is another important thing ... I'd make sure the Linux only HDD is the last in the physical chain of HDD drives. So if you have 2 drives it should be #2 but if you have 3 drives it should be #3 but if you have 4 drives it shouls be #4 etc.

I was just on mwave.com the other day (very similar to newegg.com which is better known) and you can get a 500GB SATA II Seagate HDD for under $100 US Dollars. I'd imagine the price is similar on newegg.com as well.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[freebird73717]

I have already installed XP ant then I will install Vista before adding some Linux version.
I tried Red Hat Linux some years ago and found it a little bit complicated regarding making the triple boot working like I wanted (one boot menu with selection of each OS). Hopefully ubuntu will make this automatically.

Yes install your windows first then install your linux or like mats said windows will overwrite the mbr. When installing ubuntu it will setup grub (your boot menu allowing you to select which os you want to boot into) for you.

Also I never understood how to install software on Linux but hopefully I will learn this soon.

Actually this is the pretty easy part. For most software you can find though synaptic package manager. Otherwise if you can't find the software you want in the repositories then you can try to find deb packages to install from. If all else fails you can always compile from source.

OK, let's say I get everything work with triple boot, will I get problems in future if I need to reinstall one OS without loosing the option to boot the others?

If you do need to reinstall windows later you can always reinstall grub if windows deletes it. I've never done it but I know there are tutorials on the net.

I am highly skeptical that you will find any Linux video tools to be as good as what is available under Windows.

Very true but fortunately a lot of windows apps do run in linux through wine. HCenc, DGpulldown, DVDlabPro, DVDrebuilder, DVDshrink, DVDfabhddecrypter just to name a few.

You might also look at linux mint. It is just basically ubuntu with alot of the goodies for video and audio work already installed. I'm not sure if they have a new version based on the latest version 8.0 of ubuntu or not. The latest I know they have based off of 7.10 which is called daryna 4.0

[FulciLives]

You might also look at linux mint. It is just basically ubuntu with alot of the goodies for video and audio work already installed. I'm not sure if they have a new version based on the latest version 8.0 of ubuntu or not. The latest I know they have based off of 7.10 which is called daryna 4.0

Linux Mint 4.0 "Daryna" is based on Ubuntu 7.10 but they are working on Linux Mint 5.0 "Elyssa" which is based on Ubuntu 8.04 but it is not out yet. The first beta should be out in about 2 weeks or more with the final version "sometime in the future".

Only problem is ... Mint 4.0 and Mint 5.0 are based on the 32-bit versions of Ubuntu although they have said that a 64-bit 5.0 will be released but it is not a priority ... or least not as high a priority ... as the 32-bit version.

Currently I am running Linux Mint 4.0 "Daryna" myself with Windows XP Pro through VirtualBox and it works well but it is true that many Linux video applications and software suck. I do find DeVeDe and WinFF good for "quickie" type stuff where quality is not a concern. Otherwise I use Avisynth and HCenc under WINE or use Avisynth and CCE SP under WinXP. I still author "the good stuff" using TMPGEnc DVD Author under WinXP.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
Here is a good website to use in order to keep up with all the different versions of Linux and when they become available etc.

http://distrowatch.com/

[dun4cheap]

If your just looking to play with linux right now, you could download MS Virtual PC 2007 for free and setup a virtual linux PC. Its a fun tool to mess with and its free.


http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/virtualpc/default.mspx


You could go a swappable drive, multi boot system, or with most bios's you can press F8 on the boot and select which drive to boot off of and put linux on you slave drive.

[GMaq]

Hi,
Ubuntu Hardy already has a Windows Installer so you just pop the Hardy disc into your Windows machine and follow the WUBI installer. This provides the option of putting a temporary Ubuntu install anywhere on your Windows machine to try out with greater functionality than a LiveCD. However this is not the same as a permanent Dual-boot it is probably comparable to a VM type scenario just much easier.

**EDIT**
Be forewarned that Ubuntu hardy Heron 8.04 is having MAJOR hardware issues with SOME mobos regarding IDE and SATA controllers, the Ubuntu forums are filling up quickly with posts, I myself have had to revert to Gutsy after Hardy wouldn't install regardless of BIOS changes, Boot Cheatcodes, Positive Thinking and everything else I tried. This is not to dissuade anyone from trying it, it certainly seems to appear to be the most promising Linux yet, however try the LiveCD before you make any changes to your system.

[ronnylov]

I am highly skeptical that you will find any Linux video tools to be as good as what is available under Windows.

Amen. Linux tools (what there is) is nowhere near their Windows counterparts. Sad but true.

read somewhere it could be a good idea to use a separate home partition to store settings and personal files.

Sure - what I found "odd" was your inclusion of a NTFS partition for video files in your Linux partition scheme. No need for that.
VirtualPC do have some issues with Linux, yes, even if they can be cured (non responding mouse is the problem I've run into), but with VirtualBox (free, recently bought by Sun!) no such problem. Use it at work running Ubuntu on a XP host, at home running XP on a Ubuntu host.

/Mats

The NTFS Video partition is mainly for Windows use. I grouped them together just because they are all logical drives on the same extended partition (I can only use maximum 4 primary partitions without any extended partition or I can use 3 primary partition and many logical drives in the extenden partition). Not sure if I get the words correct here because I am used to swedish language in my windows. It is not supposed to matter in what order the partitions are, I think it should work anyway.

Well I want Vista just because it is fun to try it, just like Linux is fun to try. To get use of all my 4GB of RAM I need 64-bit OS but there is better driver support for Vista x64 than Windows XP x64. But some software will probably won't work in Vista X64 so I'm still keeping XP for that...

Thanks for all respones here. Even if the video stuff is better supported on Windows I still want to see what I can do on Linux. I have already tried avidemux on windows but it was not my favourite application...

EDIT: OK, now I am posting with firefox from ubuntu live CD. Well it seems internet is working!

EDIT2: I installed ubuntu as planned to my harddrive and everything worked without any problems. I can now triple boot but first I choose between ubuntu and vista bootloader and if I choose vista then _I get a new menu to choose between XP and Vista. Maybe it is possible to put them all in the same menu?

The installation was very easy and I got swedish language and automatic updates during installation. But I did not find how to install nvidia graphics driver for my Geforce 9600GT in ubuntu x64. The hardware drivers window was empty, no proprietary nvidia driver was listed... And my cooling fan on the graphics card is making noise like a vacuum cleaner. In windows it reduces fan speed when the driver is loaded but I guess this may be fixed if I can install the driver in ubuntu...

My first impression is that it feels like a modern OS and it is easier to use than Windows Vista (in Vista everything is spread out to make it impossible to fins what you want to do) but in ubuntu it seems easier to find basic settings. XP is still easier for me because I am used to it. I installed something called ubuntu restricted extras because somone in a forum mentioned this was a good thing but I could not really spot the difference but I think some extra fonts were installed and maybe also mp3 support.

No other hardware problems. Audio, mouse, network and harddisks worked without any problems. Well all this also worked in a similar way in windows Vista. But in XP I had to install LAN drivers to access internet, audio drivers to get sound and video drivers to get functional display and before all that AHCI drivers to boot in AHCI mode, and chipset drivers to get a functional motherboard... But XP is an old OS so you can't really expect new hardware drivers to be embedded in the OS. Anyway I installed all these drivers in Windows Vista too just to get them updated. In ubuntu I have no idea if I would benefit to install chipset drivers, storage drivers, audio drivers and other drivers because the included ones may be good enough? Well, I don't even know how to do it if I want to do it... But AHCI drivers must have been included in ubuntu because I have the SATA drives connected to an AHCI enabled controller.