# Best For Linux Dual-Booting



## Solid_Froggy (Apr 2, 2004)

Hey all,

I just got a quick question for you guys.

My friend is getting Linux by his uncle because he is connected to Linux and my friend's uncle said that it is best not to use "SuSe" for dual-booting.

So, my question is, (a) Is "SuSe" okay for dual-booting with my Windows XP, and (b) If "SuSe" isn't good for dual-booting, what Linux OS is?

Thanks all!


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

His uncle obviously doesn't boot much.

I have Suse's Grub bootloader in my PC managing all the operating systems slowing filling in the 43 partitions.

Look at the league table reported here.


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## Solid_Froggy (Apr 2, 2004)

Um, can you just tell me. That link has all this confusing stuff about some guy who had a problem...at least that is what I got out of it.

Thanks


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## lynch (Aug 3, 2002)

SUSE will dual-boot just fine.
lynch


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

In the thread users were trying various bootloaders.

Windows' NTloader can do a maximum of 10 systems.

Linux's Lilo can handle 15 systems maximum.

Linux's Grub doesn't seem to have a limit.

So all of them are perfectly capable to dual boot (or just boot 2 systems)

I am trying to correct impression for Suse's Grub because it is most powerful and the easiest of them all. At least my statement is backup by some investigation work.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

hey saikee, do you like suse in general so could you give me the bittorent link to the one you like (iso).


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

With the exception of Suse 9.1 Pro, I got all my distros from distrowatch.

However having installed a few of them I found a big majority, including the Debian based distros, cannot recognise partition number higher than 20. The Red Hat series of Fedora and Mandrake typically list only 16 partitions. A few distros can be installed beyond the 20th partitions but their bootloaders can't cope.

Suse 9.1 pro is the one that is most able and so does its bootloader. Overall I think Suse is a much better product than the rest. There could be a possibility that Suse 9.1 pro is a also a retailed software and so a reasonable amount of work has gone into it.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

umm so where do i get the latest good one or the one you use, along with its kickass bootloader. Hey you betcha its good thats why HP and a few others have partnered with it.
Direct Download Link Please? or atleast where to get it?


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## lynch (Aug 3, 2002)

Here's the SUSE 9.1 personal iso and then follow this Guide to get the Pro packages via YaST2.
HTH
lynch


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

ah cool so i can get the normal iso but install pro via ftp. Sweet. Thanx a bunch.

edit>Hey one more question, does that mean i have do download the Suse 9.1 personal cd and then install the pro packages via ftp/yast once the system is installed?
If i wanted to use the pro packages and 9.2 would i need to download the 9.2 personal ISO and then the pro packages from the ftp directory pertaining to 9.2, once i find its IP adress to the ftp server. 
Basically if i can get the more up2date OS and latest pro packages i'd be quite happy.

OH, just realised suse hasn't released suse 9.2 binary iso yet, whether personal or private, should I wait?


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## lynch (Aug 3, 2002)

iXneonXi said:


> edit>Hey one more question, does that mean i have do download the Suse 9.1 personal cd and then install the pro packages via ftp/yast once the system is installed?


That's right: install the 9.1 personal iso and change the YaST installation source so you can get the packages that come with 9.1 Pro but not 9.1 Personal. Your not upgrading to Pro, per se, but you get the Pro packages.


> If i wanted to use the pro packages and 9.2 would i need to download the 9.2 personal ISO and then the pro packages from the ftp directory pertaining to 9.2, once i find its IP adress to the ftp server.
> Basically if i can get the more up2date OS and latest pro packages i'd be quite happy.
> 
> OH, just realised suse hasn't released suse 9.2 binary iso yet, whether personal or private, should I wait?


 I dont think there is going to be a 9.2 personal iso. It's going to be called Novell Linux Desktop.
lynch


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

k thanx, where are other pro mirrors to see what packages are available through this browser?


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## lynch (Aug 3, 2002)

If you make the ftp server the first source of installation (as pointed out in the guide) you can browse the Pro packages from the YaST2 software module. You dont need look for a mirror. It's a mirror; it mirrors the official site. So all the Pro packages are same here, there and everywhere. .
lynch


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

right cool. now to start downloading. gatech is definetly the best server.


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## Solid_Froggy (Apr 2, 2004)

Umm...my friend told me that a good dual-booting Linuz, the easiest, would be Knopix (I think that is it). So should I go with that instead?

Thanks.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

Umm well you don't need to install knoppix. But i find if you are to install anything Suse's special grub and configuration program really handles operating systems well. You don't really need a bootloader for knoppix unless you are going to install it.


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

Knoppix uses Lilo only which is marginally more difficult than Grub because

(1) Lilo need to run every time its configuration is altered.

(2) Lilo checks every boot entry and refuse to implement it if there is an error.

(3) Lilo's boot screen restricts the number of characters you can have to describe the OS.

(4) Lilo can't boot more than 15 entries.

Otherwise just use either Lilo or Grub. Suse's Grub is most versatile I have found (crossing the 137Gb barrier and has no fear of large partition number).


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

you can put grub over if you even bother installing knoppix < i wouldn't. I'd just go ahead and use other distros and install suse because it can configure great.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Any1 have an updated link of suse ? That ones down.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

I download with BitTorrent. As far as the ftp pro packages i don't know if the ip works or not i haven't tried that part yet.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Which version do i download off a mirror?


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

http://ops.tamu.edu/suse/ < theres a billion


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## Whiteskin (Nov 16, 2002)

it's the easiest to learn from, but the install can be a little baroque if you aren't sure of yourself. But it is an Excellent distro.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Ive gotta go, but im download >i386>9.1 personal...i hope thats the right one  Post back in morning.


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## lynch (Aug 3, 2002)

cheese said:


> Ive gotta go, but im download >i386>9.1 personal...i hope thats the right one  Post back in morning.


i386-9.1 personal.iso is the one you want. Get the md5sums while you're at it.
lynch


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

What do the MD5SUMS do? Also, i have 1 partion on my drive currently, just for windows... and ill need one for linux too, can i like remove space from the xp partion not used and create 1 for linux?


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

Be very careful. Defragment your windows partition. Load a linux livecd, i recommend sysresccd.org and run_qtparted. Resize your windows partition shrinking it. Make room for linux. Its a nice partition manager and i haven't had any trouble resizing NTFS and definetely not FAT32, so you should be able to get it workin. You will need room for a "/" (root) partition and a "swap" which is your linux swap partition, that should be about double your ram to triple depending on what you like. The root will contain everything linux while the swap is like a more efficient paging file.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

How much do i put for each partition (swap and root) ... and so i boot with the livecd in, and that has the partition program on it?


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

Sysresccd has qtparted, so once inside and in frambuffer mode (should be default) type run_qtparted. Once windows is defragmented you choose how much space you want to leave towards windows, i'd give a minimum of 5GB for each linux, if you are dualbooting linux. You will only need one swap (and swap is the type) partition of about double your ram. Your root partition should be ext2 or ext3. I wouldn't choose ReiserFS tho it is supported. You should end up with however much windows space you want-don't go too low or you may mess up windows- about 5GB+ (partitions) for every linux, that is a single partition for each distro. You can name them whatever you want but in setup you will have to select which partition to install the distro too. The swap is exactly what i said.


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

I standardise on 5Gb partition per Linux and one 1 or 2Gb swap to serve all the Linux.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Double my ram...my rams 768...are we talking double it in MB?

Ok so the minimum for linux is 5gb, and the swap 1-2. When im making them does it say when for me to set for each, how does it know which is for which? Do you think 15gb is good for root?


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

Yah, focus on the other thread we were talking to you in. It's there, just check it.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Sry, i have a headache..whats there? Is this SuSe live cd pretty good at telling you what to put when installing..because ill never remmber all this.


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

I use a Live CD to partition my hard disk into 43 partitions. DOS, Win98, Win2k and swap in a variety of 1 to 3 Gb. All the rest are 5Gb. It is about 2/3 full. The partitions need not be formatted as every new Linux wants to do it for itself.

May be I am not at a stage to use any one in anger but none of the 32 distros comes anywhere near the 5Gb limit. As a rule I don't provide a separate /boot. Everything of the Linux goes inside the 5Gb partition and stays there. Thus I have /boot 32 times but that means I have also same number of bootloaders and bootable menus. I find this is the easiest and simplest way for booting purpose because every Linux is chainloaded like a Windows.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

For files and such(root) how much do you use sakiee? Ill make a swap for 2gb.


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

Cheese,

I have edited my last post to provide the information you are after.

When you have Suse installed and want it to boot other systems send in a thread and we can give you the steps to achieve it.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Alright heres what i have, im borrowing a second cd to burn from a friend so i can burn Live and suse install disk. Im going to burn 9.1 live and 9.1 personal. Boot with live, make a 5gb partition for root/2gb for swap and i wont format them. Then put in suse install disk, and install. Good so far? Anything left ouT?


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

It is a good idea to replicate the bootloader in the root partition but that can be done after Suse has been installed. I think Suse needs a system reboot to complete the installation so just let Suse's Grub into the MBR. The process is reversible so no need to feel risky about it.

Once up and running you can replicate Suse bootloader in root partition, say if you install it in /dev/hda3, by dropping into terminal mode, log in as root by typing "su", then give the password, and type "grub-install /dev/hda3". Once you done that you can get back to Suse easily should you lose its bootloader in the MBR.

The second line of defence is to prepare a bootable floppy. Same command as above except you type "grub-install /dev/fd0".

Once done these two steps you should never lose Suse again.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

saikee said:


> It is a good idea to replicate the bootloader in the root partition but that can be done after Suse has been installed. I think Suse needs a system reboot to complete the installation so just let Suse's Grub into the MBR. The process is reversible so no need to feel risky about it.
> 
> Once up and running you can replicate Suse bootloader in root partition, say if you install it in /dev/hda3, by dropping into terminal mode, log in as root by typing "su", then give the password, and type "grub-install /dev/hda3". Once you done that you can get back to Suse easily should you lose its bootloader in the MBR.
> 
> ...


Woah...you lost me there with all your fancy lingo  Feels like im learning XP for the first time again. How do i replicate this bootloader? Whats the MBR? How do i make a bootable floppy (wat do i put on it?) and how do i choose to boot to suse or xp?


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

I have given you a complete instruction. The commands inside the quotes are what you need. You need to print out the commands and do it in front of Suse.

MBR=Master Boot Record.

Every partition has tracks but the first one is reserved by the bootloader. The track0 of the hard disk is the MBR and also belong to the first primary partition. It was made famous because that is where the system BIOS goes to start searching for a bootable system. Any bootloader occupying the MBR thus effectively controls the booting of all systems you have. Windows bootloader has no name and XP/2k has one called NTloader but the Linux got two powerful bootloaders; Grub and Lilo.

When you install Suse it will detect each partition and include it in the boot menu if it detects a bootloader there. That is why Windows will be automatically included.

I have given you the steps to make a bootable floppy in Linux. It works in every Linux that uses Grub. The floppy allow you to boot Suse at any time if it is inserted if your floppy has been set to boot before the hard drive.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

grub-install /dev/fd0 < so i put that on a floppy...do i save it in a txt or what? Sorry


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

No more command needed after "grub-install /dev/fd0".

If will notice replacing fd0 with hda3 will put the bootloader into the root partition of hda3 (effectively the first track of partition hda3).

Similarly replacing fd0 with hda means the bootloader go into the track0 of hda which is the MBR.


You see Linux is easier than you think.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Sorry bout this..but what do i put on the floppy? Is there a bootup file or something, and when it boots type that?


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

Nothing, it will be formatted in the process and boots only the Linux from which you issue the command.

This is it! to put a bootup file or something on a floppy in Linux.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

So during the process of install u put in a floppy (or it will ask?) and ittl make boot disk? Or when its installed it makes one?


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

Yes finally, first ways way to confusing. I wouldn't even use live_eval for partitioning. I'd do all partitioning from qtparted inside sysresccd as its less cluttered. And during install you can make a bootdisk its optional. Yes i will be on aim but like i said saikee would better assist real-time if you can catch him. Plz use private messages for screenames and scheduling tho.


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

If the boot disk is made during the installation time the Linux will not put its bootloader again and you may miss the chance to put the bootloader in the MBR. 

To do it later is better. 

I described it as the 2nd line of defence to safe guard your installation. It is optional but with it you have something to go back to when you make a mistake in future and find nothing boots.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

Yah, but in some distros isn't it that you install to the harddrive but then it asks if you want an alternate boot floppy just incase (the mbr nuked or something)?


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

Yes you are right, some do but some don't, possibly 40:60 split when thinking of it.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

saikee said:


> Yes you are right, some do but some don't, _possibly 40:60 split_ when thinking of it.


Yup I know that much.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

I booted with it, when it anazlyzed and all it was saying for partitions 1gb for swap (ya) and 28.6 gb for root using reiser <dont rmember but started with r. I didnt know what to do, so i went to cusotmize for experts..but i couldent find a way to change roots size or anything. On that menu it said: 76.4 gb space .... 46.GB for C/windows and 1 gb swap and 28.6 gb root using reiser . I dont know what to do there. I only want 12 gb for root, and do i use the reiser thing? cuz i read around and got confused if its that or ex2 or ex3 or what.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

i'll be on aim tommorrow around 4 (Central). Reiser, ext3, and ext2 are different filesystems. How much harddrives space do you have and how many operating systems are you planning to install/already have. I'll teach you how to partition using qtparted, it will help you in the future. Eventually you will have a nice multiboot box.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

I just want 12GB root and 1gb swap. My friends friend said Just use the suse installer to set it, but hes outa town so i cant ask him how to change the root size. I have 47 gb free.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

I prefer to resize and do all partitioning related stuff with qtparted and just set it to use the drive letter in installer instead of using the partitioning tool w/in installer. (eg root is hda0 "root", suse root is hda1 "/")


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

None of my 32 systems is bigger than 5Gb and everything of the Linux is confined one partition. I never separate /, /boot, /home or /root as it can get confused if you change or add more Linux. 

In expert mode you should be able to specify your own choice on size by creating it.

Generally it is easier to create an ext3 partition of the size you selected and tell Suse to get on with it.


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## lynch (Aug 3, 2002)

Cheese:
On the *Expert Partitioner* screen, you need to highlight the "28.6 gb root using reiser" and click the *resize* button. You should get a dialog box that lets you change the size of that partition.
1gb of swap is way too much : 512MB is plenty.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Ill try it again...but i think when i did that it said it couldent resizeit it right then er sumthin. Ill retry when i get home.


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## lynch (Aug 3, 2002)

If that does'nt work, you can try deleting the partition and create one the size you want.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Heres my reply to u mr.lynch : 

It says i cant "resize" cuz the partition dosent exist. It says under type that its: F linux native (reiser) :and mount is: /

yea


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

Hi, I'm online now in AIM.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Oh and at the setup where it detects ur system, it says under software "error no media found on disk" Is it meaning that theres no software, maybe sunce its not the pro version? Im not sure. Theres only 1 suse disc right?


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

gettin alot done on aim. We'll keep all you others posted.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

When i type run_qtparted it says kernel not found


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

you are going to have to set up some boot parameters before you load qtparted. You should also try failsafe but stay having a framebuffer. If you have way to much trouble or just really can't get it to work I will get you on aim later today. Worse case scenario is that sysresccd.org doesn't work right on ur pc and you will prolly have to try .14 instead of 15, if that doesnt work than try another livecd with qtparted but its best to fiddle with boot commands and/or wait for me. Same instructions i gave you apply tho once you get qtparted running. I hope you are not using your windows system, and i hope you defragged from safe mode.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Yes i am, i know..ill have to re-defrag. I dont know what trying failsafe or framebuffer are. When will you be on AIM, i have to go at 8.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

http://www.sysresccd.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=488 hrm should i try that


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

I am just wondering whats ur progress. I won't be back on tonight after this, but send a private message or even better reply ur progress here and i'll reply to thread in morning and maybe get on aim again tomorrow if you haven't figured it out by then. TTYL good luck.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

lol my progress is the run_qtpart thing. Should i try whats in that link when i get home?


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

Well. All i can give at the moment, since its the morning and i'm in a hurry is to go try any of that in the link. it won't hurt ur computer unless you actually mess something up in qtparted but setting boot parameters shouldn't do anything bad. Do what they do there and then add some parameters from the list given on the cd by the function keys. You will likely need to state the kernel before boot to add parameters, eg fb1024, or something like that stating which default mode it should do and then add others. Try some failsafe options if its not working like acpi=off failsafe and so on. You will eventually get it to boot up to the command line and when you type run_qtparted it should run. Don't forget you must be in a FB mode for it to run.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Yeah...now i have to go through another dreadful day of school, with allergies  ... but then , its linux time


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

K ima gunna defrag, and try


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

i typed that fb800, and all these things appeard, and then like it told me to pick a number er sumthhin, So i typed that run_qtparted in and it said pick a number from keymap er sumthin.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

if ur in US its default keymap so press enter. Press enter to auto-detect mouse also.

I'm online untill 5.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

I tried to install with the suse 9.1 persoal ISO, but it said under software media error, and it wont let me continue. Anyone know this problem?


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

ps his system is now ready. we did alot and he has partitioning done. He just needs to get by that one error.


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## lynch (Aug 3, 2002)

Try the CD in another computer to see if the same error comes up; you can abandon the install before any damage is done. If you do get the same error, then it sounds to me like you need to get another SUSE 9.1 personal CD if there is a media error. 
Media = CD.
Download the 9.1 personal.iso again and check the md5sums to be sure the download was'nt corrupted.
You can try cleaning the cd drive or temporarily use another cd-drive. Sometimes that will do the trick.
HTH
lynch


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

How do i check these "md5sums"


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## lynch (Aug 3, 2002)

If you are downloading to a windows computer you can run md5summer to generate the md5sum on the downloaded .iso against the md5sum posted at the site you download SUSE from. If the sums match, the download is good. If they dont match, then it's a bad download. Get the md5v12005.zip.
HTH
lynch


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

oh, and if they don't match you will need to download again and i would download from a different source. If they do match it may be a burn error.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Which md5sums do i check, theres one in i686, one in i586, and one in setup.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Heh i dont remmber wat download site it was from either. Im downloading from one that i know i didnt download from, and gunna burn at 4x on a diff brand blank cd. I only have 2 cds left.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

lol 4x, i think thats a little slow, as i burn all my images at 48x, but just incase i'd go at 8x, but not 4x that will take too long.
you get the iso, and you get the md5sum with the same name as the iso, cept it will be like tons of numbers and letters. You compare it with w/e md5summer comes up with.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Theres more then one md5sum in there tho. And when i burn at 48 it dosent burn right.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

show me ur download source and give the name of the ISO you got, then i'll go look at the md5sum file and see which one you should have it match with.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

http://suse.cs.utah.edu/suse/i386/9.1-personal-iso/


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

if you downloaded SUSE-9.1-personal-x86.iso, than ur md5sum should be
c1973f88b5ec21d375c936a59dce097d
you can tell that by looking at that file.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Which Md5sum file lol, theres quite a few.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

In i586.. i686...setup...


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

on this site "http://suse.cs.utah.edu/suse/i386/9.1-personal-iso/"
the normal one. The sig is another tool similar to md5sum. it is a pgp signature. Don't worry if you see one for linux its likely this file. above i posted what ur iso should have on ur harddrive tho. So use md5summer to analyze the iso file you downloaded. 
MD5SUMS 11-Oct-2004 04:08 365


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Well i burned it at 8x, and it had the same error. Since i have one more disk left im making sure to verify the MD5SUMS. Im checking it now, and its taking forever.

Edit: It said file checked is empty.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

http://winmd5sum.solidblue.biz/ download that.
once installed go to the folder where u downloaded SUSE-9.1-personal-x86.iso to.
right click that file and send to winmd5sum.
put this in compare c1973f88b5ec21d375c936a59dce097d
calculate and compare.
that should give the answer.
if the downloaded iso is small like only a few k you downloaded wrong. It should match the filesize on the website (about 700MB) and calculating md5 should not take super long.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Their the same..i guess its a burning error GARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

what to do...i did everything the same as the linux iso site said, and others said the same?

Edit: it says this for easy cd creator..but with nero burning rom...it has the same option

_On the CD creation Setup window, click the Advanced Button, then choose Disk at Once. If you use Track at once, you'll get an unusable CD._

ive been using track at once with nero. but i cant find a new tutoral for the nero 6 burning rom..only 5.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

I burn all iso files with this: http://www.petri.co.il/how_to_write_iso_files_to_cd.htm
it does ur linux isoes to a cd like a charm.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

The free program stated at the top?


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

What i just posted was a link to a site that offers the iso power toy. Once installed you can just write iso files in an easy way. Its neat for windows xp read about it on that link.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Yes i know, just seeing if thats the one you ment. Thanks, i hope it works.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

(go ahead and buy a pack of fifty, you will love urself for it) experimenting with linux requires cd's and cheap cds these days will work fine. If they are 700MB 80Min and can support 48x, they will do. Colors and boastful stuff really don't matter that much.
The disc you may be using from ur friend may be older discs that don't quite work right. I know they may be scratched or whatever. That is why i like redhat based (rhe, fedora) because they have mediacheck before you run install.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

So far ive used (generic brand - 2 memorex) and now a tdk. my moms going out to buy me some, but cant use till christmas


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

XD
until then $10 will get u enough to try out one or two distros and a couple backups at ur local walmart or office depot.
i just have one of those feelings you should be using new cds and that you will need a couple more cds withing the month...


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH         :down: :down: :down:   :

STILL THE MEDIA ERROR!?!!? WHY!?!!? I think im going to cry now  

I dont understand the problem.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

http://justlinux.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=135403 This guy says the official workaround for it, but i have no idea wat hes saying.

http://forum.osnn.net/archive/index.php/t-42344.html <and that guys saying hes told theres more then 1 disk?


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

I know u really want to use Suse, but for the sake of you sticking with linux, why not try another distro, you could install it on ur secondary partition if you must. That way you can install suse later but atleast get an idea of Linux. Mandrake, Fedora, the like. Easy distros and i give my recommendation for Mandrake again. The only downside is that fc3 and mandrake are like 4 CD sets that you must download and burn. (though a full install is 5GB, customizing or choosing workstation and only picking two Window Managers (i always choose KDE and Icewm) will bring you down to about 2GB.
I hope you just go ahead and try another type of linux. All but fedora (or maybe they fixed it) should handle windows just fine. I use choose grub as my bootloader, though fedora configures it wierd, and mandrake doesnt default to it. Lilo is fine for drake but it isn't what i'm good at nor what i like/prefer. 
So go ahead and do as you wish, because i'm not the Suse user here. Won't be until they change a few things. (though i have to give :up: :up: to Suse and Novell for teaming with HP)


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Well i cant do anything ....until i get some more cds. 2mororw im going to run over to friends and try it on his comp (he stole my old cd rom drive hehe), and if it reads..im going to take it back and try on mine.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

now don't go installing linux on his computer


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Ill try not too  Ill make sure not to click accept


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

Lol  well once you get new cds just go ahead and install the latest mandrake or something. May as well start downloading the ISO files now tho. PS- you will thank me for this in the future- iso files take up lots of space so watch how many you have on ur pc at once or you may run outta harddrive space like me. I'm about to go repartition my new seagate to allow more room for saved iso files.
oh and i hope it gives you a warning. if it does any writing like formatting or saying performing actions or writing files or installing then you may mess up his system. I hope thats not the case. What you could do is go find some other brand of cds from ur friend or someone else thats not the same and newer and without scratches and burn it on somebody elses computer. That way you may get a good disk.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

I would download it on his comp...though, his download is like 80 kb/s ...it will take more then an hour.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

yah. well that is one of the only ways to test before gettin new cds. well tomorrow is saturday so i see no reall hurry, just wait to get cds tomorrow. download mandrake isos tonight on ur comp tho.

ps cheese have you run any of the 3dmark programs?


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

I downloaded it once, but forgot bout it. haha


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

Do me a favor and run a full benchmark with 3DMark 2001 SE if you wouldn't mind because i see you have a 64mb nvidia card and i just wanted to see what ur 3dmark score is, as mine got a measly 2678 3D marks.
(off topic os ok now i mean there isn't much going on at the moment, and this is a nice thread to talk in)


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Alrighty


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

2921 OH YEAH. It skipped 4 tests, and i was running music & aim in background. Whats your comp specs


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

i had 165 ram available when i started test. I have an a320n, which has AMD XP 2800+ (2.08)
relatively good harddrive. ram is slower than urs. mobo is an older asus (about 1.5-2 years old or older)


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Video card?


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

geforce 4MX 64mb.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

If you had more ram, youed beat me.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

my installed ram is 2x256 but it only detects 448. I'm gonna run memtest some times soon, just gotta find a time.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

A guy on linux forum said he had same problem, it happens alot with cdrw/dvd combos. Though mines cdrw. Im gunna take back my cdrom 2mrorow whether he likes it or not. 4 disks and 1 week wasted, if this works its worth the trouble.


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## lynch (Aug 3, 2002)

This is the correct one:

```
MD5SUMS                   11-Oct-2004 04:08  365
```
4x =20 minutes
8x = 10 minutes
What's the hurry?

lynch


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Hey lynch , i think i got the problem figured. Ill post back 2mrorow ASA i get the drive in.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Looks like my mouse is going dead  Randomly laggs then stops working. And i cant use new 1 till christmas


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

shouldn't be messed up (ur mouse) is this windows ur gettin mouse problems in? I haven't had an optical mess up on me before.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Yeah, i dont have linux yet..duh  Its been through alot, if i mess my brother up in a game he bangs it on the table..so i can see why. The light on it has been going out alot, and i had 2 restart 2wice to get it working again.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

oh. that answers alot. banging ball mice has always been my little secret, but things just aren't the same for their "red" cousins. 
i can see that i'm not the only "highschool" student who enjoys friday nights.
well i g2g now but i'll reply first thing in the morning.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Alright...ill probably go to friends around 11


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

well we'll see what we can get done today.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Theres going to be a delay in my getting the cdrom. He went to the skatepark without informing me...i hope to get it back by 5.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

you gonna go get new ones today?


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Huh?


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

the cdr's


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

lol i told you. I have no money. I cant use ones mom got me to XMAS. Im gunna get my cdrom drive back to try when friend gets home.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

oic. Forgot bout that. when i'm that desparate i go find a five dollar bill somewhere in my room and go buy a small pack (usually doesn't containt enough cds but four-five is all i need for a major distro. (i have a few sets of fives for fixin' things)


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Only prob with that is...i owe me friend 20 for when i bought HL2


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

oops lol.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Wooo ok, im about to go get the cdrom and install..then gunna go install suse. I shall be back (in 2 houra) if everything goes good


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

Yeehaw!!!!


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Alrighty, besides the mouse being gay, having to adjust my HSF , and installing the cdrom....it reads disks. Now gunna change the bios and try it. Bon vouje (or however french ppl spell it)


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

update (questions)
how are things goin? is windows still acessable? wtf is up with ur mouse? what are u doin with ur bios? what did u do with HSF?
as far as i can say though ur doin quite well, and i'm guessin ur mouse is having the same problems as in windows and its just that its a little beat up.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

to ur questions..... BAD , yea , its retarded, i wanted to see if it was set to cd boot, it was making noise... had to adjust it.

4 CDRS BURNED 3 WITH NERO 1 WITH ISOBURNER

1 CDRW TRIED = 1 CDROM

ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL MEDIA ERROR

the cdrom took like 10 minutes be4 it said it.


IM GOING TO GET A FRIEND TO BURN ME A COPY ASAP. IF IT DOSENT WORK ALL HOPE IS LOST AND THE LINUX GODS HATE ME.

(sorry bout the caps  )


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

why are you so intent on using suse?


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Well, its been exactly a week of annoyance...pain..suffering..bleeding of the head..aches...etc. and im not a quitter haha. Im giving it ONE last shot, i will try the cd hes gunna burn me in both drives, if it dosent work...i give up.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

yah i like ur style. I hope you don't give up on linux though. I want you to try other distros than suse, thats the good of linux ask saikee he'd agree having like 30 operating systems on one computer and many being different distros of linux.
if anything go find a small distro like slackware with one cd and so a minimal install with 'X" and a WM


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Yeah, i hear slackwares good... maybe ill put that on my other one sometime.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

if you read the install guide you may have a fully running stable 2.6 system within 30 minutes if you try slackware. (mandrake may take a little longer to install, just due to pure size)


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Is it ok for 2 diff distros to share 1 swap? just checking. Ill prob try that or gentoo on my other partiiton.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

all linuxes can use the same swap partition. the requirements i'd say is each linux should have its own partition for its system and programs and data (its root partition it calls it, but the partition can be named anything) and then one swap partition.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

I named the other partition 'unused' so what would i do bout that if i installed another distro on it. I wont be doing this till after christmas if i did.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

umm well you can mount any partition as root in linux so labels don't matter, its just a way of distinguishing between partitions.

(ps is that because ur out of cds?)


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Yes... lol and my friends are tired of giving me free cds.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

(just to tell you i would have never spent more than 3 cds on a single linux distro, unless it was like a 4cd set)
Thats why i like small distros like slackware or Damnsmall, fullblown linux like mandrake are great, but it takes forever to download and make cds, and they take up a lot of space and time to install. (though usually their installers are easier)


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Well i hope to have Suse - slackware/or/gentoo


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

take gentoo out of your list until you have installed and gotten used to atleast one other easier to use distro of linux. If you think the last week was hard, you haven't seen nothing yet. Gentoo install even boggled my mind (though i was trying to like super tweak it) &#9835;&#9835;&#9835; *whistle* &#9835;&#9835;&#9835;

go ahead and try slackware though, and to get an idea of it there is always its livecd counterpart, slax.
(at ur school ask somebody if they have one, not broken, blank cd) you may just get one to install slax tomorrow evening.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Well i could ask brian...he just bought a 50 spindle (though he has no use for it heh) . And ill give slack a try on the other partition. Does slack use KDE or gnome? Is there any differences i should konw bout it between it and SuSE/and or/mandrake?


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

beats me. KDE seems much the same to me. Slax will allow you to try out slackware before installing, so you'd need two cd's, one for the livecd and one for the slackware installer. Mandrake takes up alot but i'd use that as my primary OS and slackware as secondary. I just don't like yast. Mandrake uses drake tools which are separate programs, but they are organized in the startup menu. Slackware, well i'm not quite sure what it uses, but i know a few aspects of your computer can be controlled by kde control center available in any kde system.
Experiment... its linux 

update, slackware is now 2 iso files, one for main install and second contains window managers etc. You don't need a full install, but you can if you wish. The source isos are uneccessary.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

What you mean unessecary. So where and what files do i download slackware at. Ill just install it on the test one...no need for live cd since i wanna learn out linux.

Im gunna let it download while im gone...i gotta get off in 5.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

if you wanna go install slackware you need these two iso files
http://www.linuxiso.org/distro.php?distro=17
(version 10, 386)
(cd1, cd2)


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

ftp://dl.xs4all.nl/pub/mirror/slackware/slackware-10.0-iso-bittorrent/

^ im getting it off there. Are those the right ones (d1 and d2) ? Im getting better speeds.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

d1 and d2, i just didn't know if u were a BT user. enjoy.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

He forgot the disks for slackware. But it is confirmed from my other friend that SUSE gets past that install point on his. Im going to try it now.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Yeah i give up on suse. Media error in both drives, my cdroms r retarted. Some day when i get a dvdrom ill try it. But when i get the discs tommorow im installing slack. Should i put it on my 12gb or 8gb one?


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

doesn't matter.
maybe ur drives are a little messed up?


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Yea i dunno. Alotta ppl it seems have it. Im gonig to install slakcware now, any special things i need to know ? That may cause problems?


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

installing slackware... have fun. Never installed it before but go ahead and select grub as ur bootloader and install to the MBR. choose whatever partition you want as linux root, but you don't need to repartition anything. Make sure not to go screwin around with anything windows in linux yet, and if you can't boot windows, use a XP system cd and go into the prompt and type fixmbr, or if you use an older system like a dos disk, fdisk /mbr. PS fixmbr will say something about being nonstandard, ignore that if you want to make windows bootable again. (assuming something bad happened)

really though the install should go well and you should have a menu at startup then giving you a choice of windows or linux. should be a piece of cake. (install takes those two cd's and runs through like a normal distro)

oh ps, "It's linux, fiddle with it."


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

yyyyyyyou know what. Im not happy at all. Succesfully burned the first disc. Putting in 2nd, power goes out while burning. Putting in my 3rd and final disc, it exits in middle of burning, and has been burning for 15 minutes and drive wont open.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

irritating cdrom drive, maybe you have same problem as me though?


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Whats yours?

Now im out of cds...and only 1 the first disc. Super.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

idk the name of my current but i posted the link to the one i was lookin at.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Going to install slackware now.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

Yeeehaw!!!


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Someone must hate me. It was kinda confusing but i think i got it right. But when itnstalling it was like "fatal error (heh my gaming name) occurd during instal...some something... /var/log/mount/slackware/ap/ash-0.4.0-i386-1.tgz couldent install er sumthin and you can click continue but dpeending on wat it is.. it may not work as is. " but there was a small prompt at bottom, and i couldet hit continue.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

try a livecd and see if linux works. Your system may not like linux, while that won't prevent you from installing distros, it can make things moreof a pain. I wish i could see what was happening. (i'm downloading yoper, i'm gonna tell you how it is, and then possibly walk you through install. The main reason why i'm looking into yoper is that its a single-cd system, the install cd is only one disc  ) alas.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

This is my last cd....i dont just wanna run linux off a cd. I doubt ill get any more for free. I dont know whats wrong, its stupid. Does slackware have md5sums? i dont see it in the iso. I could try it on my other cdrom....but i dont feel like opening it up again.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

Do you have a second computer?


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Yes......850MHZ Duron 128MB RAM XP no cdrom been sitting in garage with front off for 6 months.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

if you can find another cdrom drive, vacuum it, and put the cover on you can turn it into a full linux computer, running only linux. That cd, was it burnt using your computer or ur friends, and does ur friend's computer burn iso files differently from urs?


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

It was burnt from mine. He burned me a slackware wrong..but didnt listen to me and just burned the iso..didnt make it an image disc. The suse one was burned correctly by another friend and got past the media error on his comp. I do have a spare cd in this comp now, still gave the suse error. I dont really want to do that, switch monitors everytime...and then i already sh!tt3d up my windows partition on here. Itd be cool to work with both at same time..but eh not worth it in my opnion wat ive done already. Im really upset at my cdroms for being evil to me...they will be chained and whipped.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

lol. so u think the slackware would have gone right if he burnt using an image instead of just burning the actual iso file to the disk.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

He burned the iso file to it..didnt make an image disc. I burned my own image disc because he gave me 2 blanks with it (i burned the d1 on a generic one, and d2 on memorex one). I now have 1 memorex one left. Oh it showed reiser format as default, i went with it...should i go ex3?


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

whatever you want. u said windows was messed up?
so now whats ur status?


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

iXneonXi said:


> whatever you want. *u said windows was messed up*?
> so now whats ur status?


whered i say that?


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

"...and then i already sh!tt3d up my windows partition on here."


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

i meant resizing it to 55, and making those 3 partions. I didnt do that for nothing ya know


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

oh no, ur getting a stable linux system for christmas, it'll take time. (i got super super lucky, my first attempt ever was a dud, second worked but realized i didnt have enough ram, next i got my new computer, installed fedora, screwed things up but managed to get things fixed for that one. Now linux is becoming a breeze for me)


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Hahah i hope thats my present from the linux gods  and maybe early preferably  Im gunna check the md5sums


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Hrm i dont think the site i got off has the md5sums on it.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

The md5sums are the same, hrm..


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

well don't try yoper, atleast not yet i have had trouble with it.
Hows slack. Just wonderin. (checkup) if in any way you can obtain 2 cds, and your friend will let u use his computer. Burn it yourself on his computer, making sure you burn image instead of write an iso file to a disc. If both cds are unscratched and burnt properly you should be able to install slackware on ur computer.
But i'm sure you already knew that


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Ok i installed... it was talking about sum boot thing named lilo i was like wtf so i clicked no. And then it wanted me to type root pass....but i coundlent type anything so i left it blank. So i rebooted with the boot floppy i made, and at a command prompt type thing it said "darkstar username:" i typed root and pass i put blank. Then it said u have mail, and had some weird saying. Then it had sumthing like darkstar#`: and it wanted a command. Right there im stumped.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

installed. good. U have gotten along way man.
You did not install a bootloader, you just used a bootfloppy?
Oh, well try this. If you are root and at a command prompt (ur in text mode right), try typing startx. It should boot up the GUI. May give errors. Don't know. 
YAY, did you have any trouble. Tell me everything. Install, first time loading, it all. I'm prolly as happy or more than you are.


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

It was like install Lilo...then it was like installing to root or floppy ios safest. But installing to root equires work so i was like uhh and picked floppy. But it failed so it skipped it i guess. The startx worked  and it looks SO AWSOME too bad im 30 minutes off computer time and im being yelled at violently right now. I hate booting off a floppy cuz it takes forever. Also i couldent access internet (in setup it was asking for hostname and everything which i had no idea wat it was talking about so i hit cancel). Also i have no pass for root, and i would like to make one. But first i want not to boot from floppy, and internet to work.  < Happy


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

happy too. 
Ok well. i'd keep it to floppy for the moment, because your windows is all fine. Now there will come a time when linux is fully ready and all things work. Then you can install grub to your harddrive. First i would try getting everything working, then installing bootloader to HDD. I'm sorry i'm not familiar with setting up internet in Linux, but changing root password should be a simple enough task. Look around in start menu for utilities etc there may be a few config utils that you'd like. 
(you could start a new thread and PM me, that way tsunam and others will reply to it)


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## lynch (Aug 3, 2002)

Start a new thread about setting up your internet. It's likely to get a better response as you guys have buried this one with your chat session here. 

EDIT: and I see you have. Good on you.


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## I Fix 4 U (Jul 19, 2004)

Oh ps, you can mark it solved by yourself cheese. (thread tools)


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