Change from Windows XP to Ubuntu 10.04
 

I want to change or install alongside a new Linux Ubuntu 10.04 version LTS to my laptop. I also want to install gnome GUI. What can I do with my files in Ubuntu that are supposed to be read under Windows XP?

Information about my current operating system:
Windows XP SP2 with pirate serial number.
1.6GHz CPU (Intel Celeron M CPU 420)
2GB RAM
40GB HDD

Thank you!

I'm not sure I understand your question. You have xp only now and want to install Ubuntu? If that's the case, you download the correct isoimage from the Ubuntu site, burn it as an image, put the CD in the drive and boot from the CD and begin the installation. Ubuntu bootloader should detect your xp and put an entry in the boot menu so you have the option to boot xp or Ubuntu.

I don't use Ubuntu but my understanding is that gnome is the default and you should have it with the installation.

I would suggest you read some tutorials on installing Ubuntu before proceeding so you will be somewhat familiar with it before beginning. Just google install Ubuntu and you should get a number of hits.

You are able to install both OS'es next to eachother. And Linux is able to read/write the files on the windows partitions (Ubuntu is supplied with a NTFS driver by default)

The setup can be tricky, it's crucial that you do NOT remove the windows partition(s), during installation.


for some guides/howto's/info on this type of setup, you can use this as a reference.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot

you can also use google, and search for dualboot with Ubuntu 10.04 with windows XP, or something along that line.

good luck.

You have several options. The simplest is to install Ubuntu in a dual boot manner. This would be the default install mode if you install Ubuntu on a system that already has Windows installed. BUT!!! Be forewarned that it is possible for the install to fail and leave Windows unusable. Before you proceed, make sure that you have backed up your Windows files. The Gnome GUI is also the default for Ubuntu. Here's what I would recommend:

1) Buy a new 100GB disk drive.
2) Clone your existing disk to the new drive.
3) Store the old drive in safe place. If the Dual boot fails, you can restore your old system simply by replacing the drive
4) Install Ubuntu in dual boot mode on the NEW drive.
5) Test, learn and enjoy.

Getting access to Windows files from Ubuntu is simple - the Windows partition should mount as a filesystem in Linux and you simply copy files back and forth when Linux is running. The other way around is not so easy since Windows doesn't support Linux filesystems. Probably you should simply boot into Linux and copy the files you need into the Windows partition. Just don't try this with a hibernated Windows. Make sure that you shut down first.

Finally, while it is more difficult, my real preference is to install Linux and then run Windows under VirtualBox. This is far more secure since an infected Window's system has no access to the rest of the machine and cannot corrupt your Linux filesystem. It does mean that you will have to install Windows and all your apps in the VirtualBox environment, as well as copy all of your other files. Surprisingly, performance of Windows in VirtualBox is quite good, even with a 1.8G Celeron. VirtualBox also provides for two way transfer of files from windows to your linux filesystem.

You shall have everything you wish for in Ubuntu.

Windows XP is blind it cannot see; reading it cannot read because it is illiterate.

Throw it out the window before you get caught and are made to pay a heavy price.

You have more than enough to run any linux distribution. I am telling the truth. I am running another laptop of lesser power than what you have where a 40GB HDD houses an Ubuntu and BSD with a common data space in an ext2 partition. Linux and Unix are not that power hungry. A slackware server in a 2Gig partition can efficiently marshal dozens of hosts.

Welcome to LQ!

To all the members who replied to me,

Thank you very much for all your replies!

Do you know about partition matter when I want to use both Windows XP and Unbuntu?
Because I want to use Windows XP and Ubuntu both on this old laptop, just in case
that I may need Window XP when I don't know how to do a task in Ubuntu.

My three partitions are:
Partition (C) (named as "system"), 9.76GB in total, 1.61GB free now. NTFS.
Detail
In (C), a Windows XP SP2 is stored and I use it now. I want to keep
the files of (C).

Partition (D) (named as "software"), 4.90GB in total, 2.42GB free now. NTFS.
Detail
In (D), there are lots of software I installed, so I use (D) as a
supplement of ( C : \ Program Files \ ). I want to keep the files of (D).

Partition (E) (named as "download"), 38.20GB in total, 2.38GB free now. FAT32.
Detail
In (E), all of the files are downloaded from Internet, so I'll move
them all onto another disk on my lab desktop. I don't want to keep the
files of (E).

Partition (unknown), maybe 3.00GB free now. Don't know it's FAT or NTFS or unspecified.
Detail
I don't know how this happened, but I happen to find it out yesterday
using the preview version of Ubuntu CD 10.04.1 I burned yesterday. Its
name is GParted, of this I'm not sure.

Thank you again for your kindly help. This forum is awesome! And beautiful!

If you have downloaded and burn the iso image for Ubuntu 10.04, boot it an select try without installing option (if there is one?) and when it loads the Desktop, open a terminal. There should be several tabs at the top, Applicatins, System,?? look for one that says terminal open it and run the command: sudo fdisk -l (lower case Letter L in the command), and post the output here. From the information you have posted, you may already have four primary partitions?

You might move the data after your download partition and be able to create other partitions for Ubuntu. You know that Fat and ntfs filesystem are windows only and you will have to format your partitions with a filesystem that will work with Linux.

I'm afraid I can't do it the "sudo fdisk -l" before you tell me what it means. Because I didn't backup my file up and I have to move my files from this old laptop to desktop only when I have time to do so after Tuesday next week. You can tell first what does "sudo fdisk -l" mean and I can do it later. So I cannot post the output information right now.

Guess it's not four PRIMARY partitions, just four partitions with the C the main or primary, and the D and E extensional (?, do I spell it right, some word beginning with letter e).

So what kind of filesystem that will work with Linux? FAT or NTFS or any other new filesystem name?

Thank you, yancek!

sudo fdisk -l command will print out your partition information in the terminal. The sudo is to get root (administrator) privileges. I don't know if you will need some password on a Live CD. The reason to post is so we can see what your partitions actually are. The windows convention of using letters like C, D,E etc. are meaningless in Linux and they tend to confuse people as windows refers to them often as drives as well as partitions. With the fdisk output,we will see the drive(s) as well as the partitions and the type of partition and filesystem if there is one.

Primary partition doesn't usually refer to the first partition although usually the first partition is a primary. This is just a convention that has been used for years, four primary partitions are allowed and you can use one of the primary partitions to create an extended partition. The extended partition can not hold any data so you will need to create logical partitions within the extended partition to hold data.

Yes, it would be a very good idea to back up all your data before doing anything particularly since you seem to be very new to Linux. I would also spend some time reading. If you get all your data off this computer and are working with clean drive(s) you should be able to try anything as you will have nothing to lose.

Here is a list of some of the more popular Linux filesystems and a brief explanation of them.

Just a final note. I usually explain what a command will do when I post as a suggestion and see I did not do that this time. Knowing what a command does or getting a brief explanation/reason for going to a certain process/procedure is always a good idea!

Hello dynamiclc and welcome to LQ,

to answer your questions about filesystems:
Linux uses other filesystems than Windows. Nowadays one will use ext4 or ext3 with Linux. Both filesystems cannot be seen from Windows.
Windows uses NTFS, a modern (mh, newer than fat) filesystem with filepermissions. Windows can also use fat32 or fat16, the old filesystems of M$ without filepermissions.
Linux can manage all of these filesystems. Problem is that the filepermissions of NTFS are ignored in Linux. You can set the NTFS-partition to globally writeable, this is very convenient but dangerous. You may as well give write-access only to root, but this is more inconvenient.
An annoying issue of the lacking filepermissions is, that in Linux all files on an fat or NTFS system are shown as "executeable" even when they are copied onto a Linux-filesystem.
I'm dualbooting Linux and Windows and have one seperate partition NTFS which is d: from windows and under Linux mounted as this partition is mounted as writeable. Otherwise I don't mount the partition with the Windows-System (i.e. c: ) under Linux.

Markus

To,dynamiclc
this article is a good guide to dual-boot: http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_w...lled_first.htm

vyver.

Sorry, vyver, the address you told me doesn't work for me. The browser said:
"
You are not authorized to view this page
Unfortunately APCMag.com is not currently available in your country for legal and commercial reasons. If you wish to contact the site administrator, please email apcwebproblem@acpmagazines.com.au. We regret any inconvenience caused.

Please try the following:

* Contact the Web site administrator if you believe you should be able to view this directory or page.

HTTP Error 403.6 - Forbidden: IP address of the client has been rejected.
Internet Information Services (IIS)

Technical Information (for support personnel)

* Go to Microsoft Product Support Services and perform a title search for the words HTTP and 403.
* Open IIS Help, which is accessible in IIS Manager (inetmgr), and search for topics titled About Security, Limiting Access by IP Address, IP Address Access Restrictions, and About Custom Error Messages.
"

What can I do?

Hi, yancek, thank you for your advice!
I wonder why the safe Linux system will allow we use sudo (super user do?) to get root privileges. I think that will make Linux just the same as Windows being insecure.

And where is the list of popular Linux filesystems you mentioned above?

See you~~

Dear Markus or markush,

Thank you so much for your information, but I have to admit I still feel quite puzzled about some of your points. It's too complicate now for me. And I have to pass a mid-term exam this Tuesday. So I reply you now for thanking you and your hard work. I really appreciate it (and also thank the others who helped me a lot these days, yancek, vyver, et al.)

Maybe I will go back here later, say, after Tuesday, and I'm in South Korea, so the time zone is +9 hours than GMT in London, what I'm using is Korean time zone.

See you guys later. Thank you very much!

Cong

But sudo allows to execute one single command as root. It's more secure than login as root. The insecureness of Windows has other reasons mostly related to networking issues.

Markus