Changeing to Linux

Aastii

Aastii

VIP Member
I've always used windows...always, never used any other. Used mac on other peoples computer and dont like it but on my own only ever had windows. 95, 98, 2000, ME, XP, vista, been through most from 95 onwards but thinking with 7 coming out that i may jump off the windows wagon and swap to linux, mostly beceause it is free and vista will, after a year or 2 of 7 being out, have support stopped. That and it is, i hear, very easy to customize.

But ofcourse, being new to it, i have a few questions before i go ahead and start doing it.

1. Will office 07 work on it, if not then straight away cant use it until after i have finished exams, all my coursework is on 07 :P

2. Will the following games work:

WoW
All steam games?

I know linux isnt the best gaming OS, not too designed for it, but if these would work, i'd be happy.

3. Will itunes or sonic stage work on it:

4. Will my system (in my signature) work, ie. does it have driver support?

5. What are the pros to using it over windows?

If i go over i can always come back, got my vista ultimate discs still so can just reformat, i just want a change to my plain old boring system :)
 
Aastii said:
1. Will office 07 work on it, if not then straight away cant use it until after i have finished exams, all my coursework is on 07 :P
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No it will not run natively, maybe under WINE but that may be a head ache. The good news is that Open Office supports MS office documents and is free. So you can install open Office and still open up and modify your old school work and save it in MS Office format so your instructors can open it and grade it if need be.

2. Will the following games work:

WoW
All steam games?

I know linux isnt the best gaming OS, not too designed for it, but if these would work, i'd be happy.
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To my knowledge, no. I have read articles online of people getting steam to work but I think it was a great hassle.

3. Will itunes or sonic stage work on it:
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Nope but there are plenty of media players for Linux.

4. Will my system (in my signature) work, ie. does it have driver support?
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No Idea you may need to search out individual drivers.

5. What are the pros to using it over windows?
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Lots, not going to list them all but there are lots, there are cons too of course.

If i go over i can always come back, got my vista ultimate discs still so can just reformat, i just want a change to my plain old boring system :)
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You should first install Linux as a virtual machine on your computer and try it out. That way if you don't like it you can just delete the virtual machine and be done with it. If you do like it, you can then take it a step further and dual boot or wipe it all and just run Linux.
 
what is a virtual machine? never heard of one

Is it free and where can i get one?

Thankyou very much for your response and help :)
 
There is a program called virtual box (google it) and it is free. Donwload it along with the version of Linux you wish to try and use the virtual machine installer wizard included with virtual box to create your virtual machine.

A virtual machine is basically a full OS install on top of what is already running in the background and acts just like a computer would with that OS on it. That way you can test drive each Linux version you want to, and then go from there. If you don't like it, simply wipe out the virtual machine (you will allocate hard drive space for each virtual machine) and start over and it doesn't mess with your current windows installation.
 
cool. Shouldi back stuff up just to be safe or is it like using a VPN or something which just accesses another network that you have access to as though you are running a system on that network with that OS and files and what not?
 
XP is still taken updates. maybe later this year i think it will stop. Not yet i don't think. its still good though. I would like to try Linix but thats another adventure. On my new build i bought XP Pro for $50.00. though you should be able to call if you have the installation disk and reactivate.
 
Looking at the site i've realised that i know nothing at all about linux :P

What is the difference between the different operating systems they have made?
 
First off, ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR DATA!!!!! Sorry for the all caps, but I couldn't resist. There are two types of computer users in this world, those who back up their data and those that wish they had backed up their data.

Also a virtual machine creates a virtual layer over your existing hardware and OS which is injects so to speak an operating system over that virtual layer. You are in effect running an Operating System with in an Operating System. Kind of like putting a box in a box so to speak.

You will allocate a certain amount of system memory (RAM) and a certain amount of hard drive space for the virtual machine and it will take up that allotment while it is being used. When it is not in use you will get the RAM back. The hard drive space is actually where the OS is stored on your virtual machine. I typically give my VMs about 512 to 1 gig of RAM and at least 5gigs of HD space to start off with.
 
lol, i always do back up my stuff, i have 2 drives (as you can tell from the signature), 1 of which is purely for storage (as you can tell from the signature :P) and has all my important stuff on, but i don't have the discs for WoW so always make a copy of the folder if i format my drive, otherwise i have to get a torrent (virus issue) or use the blizzard downloader which always goes at 0-10kb/s, even using 50mb broadband because blizzard download servers suck. Also my coursework isn't backed up because of hard copies and what not. So what i mean by "should i back up" is "should i ensure everything i need is backed up?"

The thing you said about allocating RAM, because i have a silly amount anyway, 8GB could i give it say 4GB and see big performance, or would that slow it down because background vista would get less?
 
yes, 8gig is an insane amount you could run probably 4 Virtual machines at once giving each VM 1 gig of RAM if you wanted to.
 
Tlarkin
your comment has caught my interest also. im a little confused though. before i ask, i will explain a little about what i want since i could be on another adventure and bored from retirement.

Ive always wondered about linix and seen you guys talking about it often enough. i did a last build extreme. 4gig of ram, two barracudas, and 5 duel layer burners. Oh ....... two 24" samsung synmaster monitors. my question is which one would i want to install. i don't use nothing special in software. MS office, firefox, clients for newsgroups like Newsleecher. lots of utilities only.
Every time i query google i see stuff like red hat. (linix). mind ya, money is not a problem. if you think freeware will work fine i can do this.
any ideas please or recommendations? i ready to play.

At the time im using XP Pro.
Im concerned about the support for duel monitors and like 18 usb ports, firewire. i actually use this stuff. dont play games though.
 
k, so 1 gig of ram and work up.

So i need to download ubuntu and say that i am using it as an image to install using VB and then have fun?
 
Then you are also a candidate for virtual machines. Download virtual box (or if money is not a problem try something like VMware Fusion) and start loading up virtual machines of Linux. It is the same thing as running Linux on your machine natively, but instead it is virtual. You can try many different distros and then pick the one you like and if it crashes or is incompatible then just delete the virtual machine. It won't affect your Windows install (still back up your data just in case though!) and you can just trash the virtual machine and create another.

I suggest you try the basic distros out there like:

redhat/fedora
SuSe
Debian/Ubuntu
Puppy
Slackware
PCLinux

Try each one with a virtual machine. That is the best way to tinker with it. Plus you can run virtual machines with in windows so you can effectively switch back and forth no problem. Do some work on each side and switch back and forth with out rebooting.

Then if you really get into Linux or heck Unix for that matter then you can go ahead and dual boot down the road if you really want to.
 
Ok, i have an idea, I have only just reallised that i can back everything that i need up to my external hard drive (it's already there, but i have it on internal too just to be safe =P). then i can wipe my internal slave and put linux on it to try it out as a proper master OS.

Would i be able to do this and keep windows should i need it?
 
No dude, no no no no no! Use a virtual machine first then wipe the HD after you find out if you like it or not. What happens if you hate the first distro of Linux you use, you are going to waste all that time wiping and reloading that hard drive?

Just use virtual machines you don't need to do anything.
 
tlarkin said:
No dude, no no no no no! Use a virtual machine first then wipe the HD after you find out if you like it or not. What happens if you hate the first distro of Linux you use, you are going to waste all that time wiping and reloading that hard drive?

Just use virtual machines you don't need to do anything.
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I am going to use the virtual machine ofcourse, i'm just on about if i like it.

But i have a question about the virtual machine. I have started a new one, 3GB RAM, 15GB HDD, ubuntu installed, but it says "please remove disc an then close any trays" .

How do i unmount from the virtual machine? can't find an option anywhere
 
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