New Linux install- Ext. HD detection concern - YAST
 

i apologize in advance if this isnt the exact location i should be posting this but i think this is the best place for it???

heres my situation:

- currently runnning windows xp

- 80 GB internal HD

- 1 GB RAM

- Sempron AD 2500+ processor 1.75 Ghz

- new, unused 250GB samsung spinpoint 2504c external HD

- have 60 GB + of mp3s/photos

- want to switch to linux suse 9. 3 or 10???(i think??? havent completely made up my mind yet, hafta do some more research

on the forum regarding which distribution and which version would be best for me)

- i want to run a dual boot system and dedicate the new ext hd to linux as well as most of the internal hd, leaving maybe

15 GB for windows...i know most of u will say why keep windows, and that i will likely hardly ever use it once i have

converted, but i figure if and when i screw up my linux while playing around with it for the first few weeks (as my friend

has done more than once since converting last month), then at least i will still have access to the internet and a

functional computer thru windows...

- i plan on formatting the internal hd/computer so that i can start with a fresh/clean slate on my computer to install

suse linux, and a reinstall of windows xp, as i have had some sporadic problems with it, and have had numerous install and

uninstalls since i got the computer, so i would like to clean it all up before starting over....


1) Will YAST detect my new hard drive ok?(samsung sp 2504c)

2) Is YAST easy to use (for a newbie) to custom partion
my hard drive as I see fit, as opposed to using the
defaults given at the installation stage?

3) as i fully anticipate messin up my linux os at least once while learning how to use it, how do i go about not losing my

music and stuff if i hafta reinstall linux???is it as simple as storing them in a seperate partition of the hd, or if linux

gets screwed is everything else associated with it screwed as well???

4) i havent bakt up any of my music or photos to dvd yet...what i was considering was hookin up the new external hd and

transferring all of my music/photos and other files to it...

- is it possible after i have transferred the music over to the ext hd with windows, that after i install linux on the

computer, that i could partition the external for linux and still have my music/photos/documents, but now on linux????or

would they still be windows??

- or would i be better off to burn all my mp3s/photos/documents to dvd (gotta do it eventually anyway), format, install

linux and xp as desired, and then reload the music to the hd thru linux???



5) on a dual boot system, is it possible for a virus received via windows to pass thru to the rest of the linux controlled

system???

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hopefully i have explained my situation clearly enuff, and you can understand what it is i want to accomplish, and are able

to give me some suggestions/advice on how to go about it....

sorry if this seems like a lot of rookie/uniformed questions, but i am a spoon-fed windows user who just recently got into

computers (albeit with a vengeance--read: spending way too many hours staring at a screen) and im lookin to get out of the

rut/trap of windows, but need a bit of help...im not a complete idiot with computers, but know just enuff to be dangerous

to my system....

thank you very much for your time and input,

1, 2. Can't say a word about YAST. Everything YAST can do can be done manually and this is my preferred way.
3. You can retain data on a separate partition. Linux will not destroy it unless you do something wrong.
4. FAT32 filesystem is commonly used for cross-platform file storage. However, some people do not like it because it is very primitive and most of file attributes cannot be set.
I strongly advise to back up your data now.
5. Windows viruses, trojans etc. are harmless in *nix environment. You can open them and they still can't do their evil thing. Some old viruses can destroy data structures on hard disk, like deleting partition table. This is the only kind what can actually damage your Linux installation. Haven't seen such a virus for years. When buiding dual-boot system install XP first. Search these forums for tips, this has been adressed numerous times here.
Good luck.