Linux confusion!


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Thread: Linux confusion!

  1. #1
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    Linux confusion!

    1. I have Linux Mint 9 KDE installed with all it's updates. It lay out is nice ( wouldn't disagree with that) but seems more bloated & slow than even XP,Vista or W7 Ult on the same machine's hardware........is it cause of FF ver 3.6.12 browser or should I try it with G Chrome.......Is there a way like msconfig or task manger to see why Mint is slow.........too many processes running in the back ground?
    ?

    2. I get connected via Ethernet but not wireless........any command etc........msn keeps disconnecting in Koepte?

    3. How can I check for my machine's web cam , Logitech Quick cam Pro 9000 & other hardware?

    4. Should I switch to Ubuntu 10.10.......I know the layout wont be as great?

    5. I plan a dual install of windows & a Linux distro......should the distro be with in widows or installed separately........if separately than what should be the number of partitions for a Linux distro whether Ubuntu or Linux Mint9 KDE, there approx size & file systems?

    6. Can I dual boot 2 Linux distros i.e Ubuntu 10 & Linux Mint 9 KDE on one machine (not using vmware or vbox) & windows only on the other?


    Hoping to hear your experienced views,

    Regards!

  2. #2
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    A few thoughts

    1. If mint's running that slowly you might have a graphics driver problem, in which case it would be trying to do all those fancy desktops effects without any hardware acceleration. The result can be almost as slow as running off a live CD. What make & model is your graphics card?

    2 & 3 I'll leave for someone with more experience of Mint.

    4. There's no harm in trying, as long as you have the bandwidth. A lot of people prefer it. Might be worth trying something faster like Lubuntu or Xubuntu. On the other hand, if Mint is having trouble with your hardware, you might get better results with a less 'related' distro - like Fedora, for instance.

    5. Either method will work well, but if you give Linux its own partition(s) then it will probably run a bit faster and will certainly be less likely to get accidentally deleted! One partition for the whole distro will work well, though you can get creative if you want. Personally I use a 10GB partition for each Linux distro I run, plus a single small (512MB) swap partition, and a large /home partition taking up the rest of the disc.

    If I used Windows I'd probably run it in Virtualbox under Linux, but that's just me...

    6. Yes you can, in fact multi-booting Linux distros is a popular sport around here.
    We are free to think. We are free to plan. And we are free to do. But once an action has been taken, we are never free from its consequences.
    --Russel M. Nelson, apostle.

  3. #3
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    1) Mint with Kde4 is pretty heavy.
    I don't know what hardware you have, but I do believe that at least WinXP and probably even Vista are more lightweight than Mint w kde4!
    Try using Gnome or lxde - if it still runs slower then something is wrong.
    Please return with hw-spec, also post output of "sudo free" & "ps -e"

    2) It might be that your built-in wireless is not supported. Again, hw-specs are needed.

    3) Sorry never had a webcam... Post output of "lspci" and we can see what you've got.

    4) No. If it doesn't work in Mint then possibly try a completely different distro, like Fedora, PCLinux or OpenSUse - but really, I'd say don't bother you'll just get confused.
    Stick to what you've chosen for now and try to fix that.

    5 & 6) No problem having several Linuxes and Windowses on one single computer.
    However, I find your questions not very clear, I'm not sure what your actual problem is, so please return with more specific details!
    In pingvino veritas!

  4. #4
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    1. I like the KDE interface which is present in Kubuntu too.

    2. Installed Ubuntu 10.10 alone on this 250 GB HDD desktop & feel that Ubuntu variants are better vs Mint.

    3. To summarize my conclusion is that I would want XP along with the option to install Ubuntu & Kubuntu........Windows & 2 Linux distros.

    4. How should I proceed......XP first.....3 primary partitions (ext4) & 1 logical/swap for a Linux distro...could you care to to explain how to partition the 250 GB HDD.....for windows & the Linux distros.....size, type, of partitions., file systems......can these 3 or 2 share any partitions etc.

    Regards!

  5. #5
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    Correct me if I am wrong.

    1. XP first.

    2. Than Kubuntu with 4 partitions, 3 primary & 1 logical swap.....primary each 20 GB.....swap 2 GB?

    3. Lastly could I add another Linux distro later if needed?

    Best Regards!

  6. #6
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    read your post and know that you would like to multi boot:
    1. Win XP
    2. A few Linux OSes
    3. Plan for future linux OS installation in addition to the above

    To assist you in term of ease of installation on multi boot environment, without getting in too much pros and cons of each type of method because there are many methods and all of them are ok.

    First you need to partition before you proceed with multi boot, it might seen more work but it is better in the sense that you are in better control. I used partedmagic Live CD or gparted (within the distros) for partitioning under Linux OS. You can use any other partition software you are already familiar with.

    One limitation on partition is: there is a max limit of 4 Primary partitions. So to overcome this, you should use a simple scheme that allows for a lots of logical partitions. Making three primary partitions and making fourth as a extended partition did the trick.
    here is one scheme for you to start with on your 250G drive:

    1. sda1, Primary partition 1, 100G for your Win XP
    2. sda2, Primary partition 2, 2-4G for Linux Swap, to be shared by all Linux OS
    3. sda3, Primary partition 3, 20G, use it as a reserve partition.
    4. sda4, Extended partition, this must cover the rest of the drive, this is to get away from having trouble later when you want to add new logical partition due to the limit of 4 Primary partition.
    5. sda5, logical partition, cater for 20G, for your first Linux OS
    6. sda6, logical partition, cater for 20G, for your second linux OS
    7. sda7, logical partition, cater for 20G, for your third Linux OS
    You can continue on, or just let the balance space be unallocated, it is very easy to add later on when you want to try new Linux OS.

    For time being you probably need not to worry about having /home or /data, that is because you wanted win XP, so by catering a 100G for win XP you have a lot of space there, for each Linux OS, when it is running, it can access Win XP partition and thus can write and read any file there. When you want to run Win XP you immediately access these data, so that will let you share data across all OSes in this drive.

    In term of sequence of installation.
    a. Install Win XP first. choose partition 1
    b. once win XP works, install you Linux OS, not particular sequence is really necessary, however it is better for you to install your 'prefered Linux OS' last, for a reason. The last one would overwrite MBR and provide latest boot menu, so in that sense, you have the last one as default. As you gain experience later you will find that it is very easy to edit the sequence also.
    c. when you install Lubuntu,Xubutu,Ubuntu,Mint etc, since you already partition your hard disk, when you come to a place during installation, there is a choice of something similar to ( not exact phrase)
    c1. install on all drive ( you cannot use this as it will wipe out everything in hard disk)
    c2. install side by side ( you do not choose this as you partition already)
    c3. install on selected partition, custom install, etc ( yes you choose and specify first Linux installation on sda5, later second Linux on sda6, third on sda7 etc)

    d. there is a place for you to select either write boot code to MBR or root partition, for your case, select MBR, this is normally set to be default.
    The bootloader will overwrite to MBR.
    so the first Linux OS you install, says Lubuntu, will overwrite MBR, when you reboot, you get Lubuntu and win XP as two selections, plus a few memory tests options

    when you add second Linux, says mint kde, at the end of installation, reboot will bring you to a selection of mint kde, Lunbuntu and Win XP.

    and this the 'last Linux OS' you install would provide you with a newer boot menu.

    Note that all these works well with linux OSes that use Grub2 as bootloader.
    When you become more comfortable and want to go beyond these above listed OS, you need to check on what bootloader is use on the distros, if it is Lilo or grub legacy, you must change method ( to be continued when time come).

  7. #7
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    Thanks wayne128 for your very detailed, in depth reply which I highly appreciate.

    Want to tell you a few things to make it simpler for you to understand why I am so confused.

    I'm a retired old MD, new to this world of windows & Linux.

    My Sony Vaio Desktop's Chipset /BIOS can support only 1 HDD, so am cramped with space. Had an issue with its optical DVD-RAM drive, tried a USB one but that won't boot media....so in future shall never buy a branded machine.

    Personally have no real love for windows, wanted to keep this desktop for purely Linux distros & Dell XPS laptop for windows.( professional requirements)

    But if I can have XP which according to me is the best windows MS manufactured why not?

    Installed Linux Mint9 KDE but had some weird issues.

    Installed Ubuntu & liked it. Supports all my desktops hardwares.

    Prefer separate Linux installs rather than add packages to Ubuntu.

    Personally would like to install all variants of Ubuntu.......which would you recommend.......Ubuntu, Ubuntu studio, Kubuntu, Xbuntu, Lubuntu, Mythbuntu............approx 6............you would know whose feature are similar (Gnome/KDE etc) plus I can have only 3/4 primary partitions as you mentioned. Space is an issue too, 250 GB is HDD size but after a full format size available is approx 230 GB.......so might as well forget XP, only if you feel that I don't need them all cause of common features.

    Another issue is that my XP is XP MCE 2005 manufactured by MS for Sony, bundled with machine's window drivers......so I would need to install it first & than partition using partedmagic Live CD or gparted.

    I use ATI Home 2011 to create full back up images of windows......can that create & restore, a Full back up of a machine with both windows & Linus distros or is there some other software to create Full back images of Linux distros with restore function similar to ATI Home?

    Can either have XP with Ubuntu & Kubuntu or 3 Ubuntu variants.........that I leave it to you.

    Hoping to hear from you,

    My Best Regards!

  8. #8
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    wayne128 you indeed are a genius, expert about what you post & an asset to this great forum.

    Regards!

  9. #9
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    Hi there wayne128 hope you are doin great.

    Could post 2 plans.........1 for XP & 2 Linux distros, Ubuntu & Kubuntu.

    2nd only for 2 Linux distros. Cause Ubuntu & Kubuntu both are rock solid no comparison with any windows, but of course with the option of having 4 since can have 4 primary partitions.

    I shall be highly obliged.

    Best Regards!

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Goodspeed2211 View Post
    but of course with the option of having 4 since can have 4 primary partitions.
    May be I could clarify here, the limit of 4 Primary partitions is overcome by the method I started in earlier post. That is to let sda4 becomes an extended partition, this will take care of having many logical partitions so you do not have limitation for your situation for multi boot.

    Quote Originally Posted by Goodspeed2211 View Post

    Could post 2 plans.........1 for XP & 2 Linux distros, Ubuntu & Kubuntu.

    2nd only for 2 Linux distros. Cause Ubuntu & Kubuntu
    If this is what you want, then it can be simplified to skip the partitioning step.
    Then you save some learning curve on partitioning.

    In other words, you do not even need to partition, you just let *buntu do it by proper selection during installation.

    First plan. sequence of steps are:
    1. Install Win XP first, let Win XP format everything
    2. Then install Kubuntu second, select "install side by side" and write to MBR
    3. Then install Ubuntu last, select "install side by side" and write to MBR

    at the end, grub2 boot menu should have default Ubuntu , Ubuntu ( safe mode), some memory tests, Kubuntu, Kubuntu (safe mode) and Win XP.

    Second plan, sequence of steps:
    4. Install Kubuntu, select install to the whole drive ( it will format the whole drive)
    5. Install Ubuntu, select "install side by side" and write to MBR.

    At the end, grub2 boot menu should have default Ubuntu, ubuntu ( safe mode), memory tests , Kubuntu and Kubuntu ( safe mode).

  11. #11
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    A few suggestions:
    1) Always put Windows on the first partition - it might work otherwise but this is the safe way.
    2) One swap - you can use the same in all Linux's.
    3) You don't need all those "different" Ubuntus - ubuntu, kubuntu, xubuntu are all just ubuntu but with different desktops. You can install Ubuntu, and then add Kde, lxde et al instead - saves space and you can try various desktops without reboot.
    Mythbuntu is different though, Ubuntu studio I've no idea.
    After what you've said I suggest you make room for 4 distros. (Ubuntu with several desktops = 15GB, Mythbuntu=5GB, Ubuntu studio (don't know, 10GB?) and then some 8 GB if you feel like trying some other distro.
    Then one partition for all your personal data, approx 80GB.

    Now you have to do some thinking:
    1) How do you want to boot
    2) What about /home

    A 1)Booting is a huge topic on it's own, discussed a lot here & elsewhere.
    I prefer one /boot for all distros - very easy to maintain IMHO. Other prefer to keep /boot separate for every distro and chainload them.
    One /boot for all doesn't work with (that AWFUL!) grub2, you'll need grub1 which is old or find some other bootloader.

    A 2) Keep all your personal stuff in one partition, that's for sure - but how? I see 2 ways here too:
    * One partition mounted on /home by all distros.
    Now you need to think about configuration: config files for apps & desktops are kept under your home-dir. This makes it problematic when you use different versions. My solution is to make a few directories (.kde .gnome & a few more) symlinks to /opt/config/, where I place symlinks to /home/config/<distro_version>. In this latter directory I place the actual config files. Now each distro gets it's own config for eg kde but no risk saving stuff in wrong place.
    This is very easy to setup, takes a few minutes.

    * Or mount that personal-partition ("pp") somewhere else, each distro now has it's own /home. No trouble with configs, but instead you must make sure you save everything in pp!
    I suggest you then make symlinks to pp/ for your Documents, Music etc in every distro.

    It's a matter of taste what you prefer, both need a few minutes of setting up per distro.
    In pingvino veritas!

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by wayne128 View Post
    ...
    At the end, grub2 boot menu should have default Ubuntu, ubuntu ( safe mode), memory tests , Kubuntu and Kubuntu ( safe mode).
    The downside here is that if you later remove the last distro installed you also loose control of grub.
    This doesn't have to be a big issue, but could give you some headache in the future!

    The bottom line is, do some serious planning before you install. As long as you know what you're doing and remember it in the future - document it! - all plans mentioned here are ok.
    In pingvino veritas!

  13. #13
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    wayne128 & X thanks again for your replies.

    Would you care to read my reply to "Linux ONLY".......and than give your expert, experienced genius opinions.

    Am taking my time to understand before a clean install for the desktop, till am totally clear.

    At the moment have started a fresh install of Vista & Off 07 on my Dell XPS laptop.

    Partitioning HDDs, partitions for Linux, shared, full backup imaging are where I get confused.

    Partimagic Live CD, Clonezilla for backing up.....which partition to save the created images?

    In general a single Linux distros needs how many ext4 partitions.........1 swap/logical?

    How would you partition my machine's 230 GB HDD........tools etc?

    Best regards!

  14. #14
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    HTML Code:
    Second plan, sequence of steps:
    4. Install Kubuntu, select install to the whole drive ( it will format the whole drive)
    5. Install Ubuntu, select "install side by side" and write to MBR.
    wayne128 do I need to manually give the size of swap etc?

    Regards!

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Goodspeed2211 View Post
    HTML Code:
    Second plan, sequence of steps:
    4. Install Kubuntu, select install to the whole drive ( it will format the whole drive)
    5. Install Ubuntu, select "install side by side" and write to MBR.
    wayne128 do I need to manually give the size of swap etc?

    Regards!
    No.
    In this method you have no control over partitioning.
    The *buntu will decide for you. You should learn something when you observe its outcome.

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