Which would be a good version of linux to use?

[machineman9]

Okay, so this computer I have been building from scraps is finally working (thanks to 256mb RAM)

But, the hardrive I have runs XP- I hear that Windows will avoid running if the hardware has changed signifcantly.

Is this correct? I am trying to find an old PS/2 keyboard to see if it will boot up otherwise.

If it will not boot up, what would be a good OS to run on it, like Linux? The only way to install it will be via floppy disk drive, or plugging it into this computer and installing it on that way.

Anything anyone would suggest?


Cheers

[Groundbound1]

Yes, XP doesn't like big hardware changes.

No cd rom drive?

If you can find one, I'd suggest looking into "PC Linux OS 2007". It's what they call a "live cd", which means once you burn the ISO to a cd, you don't even need to install it, you just boot and run the computer from the disk.

The only issue you may have running Linux, is hardware support. You may have to try a few different distros before you find one that will have good drivers for everything in your machine.

[machineman9]

I can have a look for a drive- probably be next week if I can get out of school at lunch.

So are there no ways to simply install it like a partition if I put that hardrive in this computer and run it seperately?

Its an AMD K7 1Ghz (up to 1.4Ghz) processor I believe and some random LAN card. So yeh its fairly bare lol.



Edit: I do have a DVD drive in this computer- which I might be able to persuade to get out of that case and go in the other one just to install it.

[machineman9]

I'm not particularly familiar, no.

So just backup the things I want to keep, burn it and then install it yeh?

[Groundbound1]

I want to be sure I'm understanding you right.

Are you talking about taking the hard drive with XP on it out of a computer you're using now, putting it into you "test" machine, using it with linux, then putting it back into the machine it came from?

Or is the hard drive you're going to use in the "test" rig, only going to be used in the "test" rig?

[machineman9]

Well, I am thinking of doing one of two things:

First is taking my secondary, old hardrive I have (a 40gb one from my old computer) and plugging it into this computer which does boot. Then I want to partition that old hardrive and install the Linux OS 07 software onto it.

The second method is to take the DVD drive out of this working computer and plug it into the rubbishy computer I have, load up the ISO from the CD and install it like that.

The first method would be easier (as far as I know) because the hardrive is already plugged into this computer and could then get moved over.


So yeh, I have my new 240gb HDD and the old 40gb HDD- I will be using the older smaller one (currently with XP on it) for the test rig and this Vista running one will stay with me on this machine.

[Groundbound1]

Ok, I just wanted to be clear. If you choose to install PC linux OS, you will be given the option to save the existing windows partition, but I wouldn't trust it. Installing Linux is a bit different than a Windows install. It's not quite as "automated".

It might be a good idea to run it from the cd alone first, without a hard drive installed, just to see if it's going to support all the hardware (and to see if you'll even like it). If it doesn't you may need to find a different one to use.

[machineman9]

Okay, so I need to grab the DVD drive out of this computer and transplant it onto the other. Or wait until next week before I have a dedicated one for that computer..

[HarvesteR]

this may sound like a dumb suggestion... or i might be missing the point here... but...

if the problem is that winXP doesn't like the hardware change... wouldn't it be easier to just format the hd and reinstall windows on the 'test' rig?

or is the whole idea about having linux installed??

Cheers

HarvesteR

[machineman9]

I have no Windows CD, so it would be uninstalling it wouldnt do much good. Reformatting would erase all my old files which I sometimes use, and like to have. Okay I could back up those files, but with no install CD it wouldnt get me far.

Though I would like to use Windows, it just isnt feasable unless I buy the disk I suppose.

[machineman9]

Okay so I had GParted Live and PCLinuxOS on two DVDs.

They are both burnt properly but when I put one in and choose to boot from it on the BIOS before Windows, it just continues to boot up Windows after telling it to load up whats on the disk- it doesnt even seem to spin the DVD player atall.

Any thoughts?

[Groundbound1]

Not sure. If you have the option, remove the hard drive from the boot priority list all together.

[machineman9]

I can have a look on the BIOS and just see if I can set it to boot from the disk drive by default, then change it later.

[machineman9]

It is set to boot the CD first (does it have to be a CD? It is currently a DVD in a DVD drive) through the BIOS but still boots to Windows.

[Groundbound1]

Sounds like the .iso may not have been decompressed when you burnt the disk.

Try buning it with this program. (It's safe, I use it.)

http://www.burnatonce.net/downloads/