Just looking for some general guidance with regard to installing over the native Windows 7 (x64) installation on my new Alienware M11x with RHEL 5. I have considered other Linux OS's such as Ubuntu Desktop, Fedora, and Open SuSe. However, I am of the opinion that RHEL will - from the jump - most fluidly integrate with the Intel Core i7 architecture, 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M, and other components. I plan to convert my existing Windows XP installation into a VMWare image and run that as a guest on my Alienware M11x (instead of alternatively running RHEL 5 as a guest). However, I am concerned whether it will be possible for the guest (Windows) OS (or any guest OS for that matter) to recognize/use the Alienware sound/video/LAN/Bluetooth EDR/WWAN/etc. (as the drivers were designed for Windows 7).

Thanks,

Linux Enthusiast

You will probably find that there will on the most part already be Linux Drivers for most if not all the hardware.... I would say I do not recommend RHEL, for starters, unlike the other options it isn't free software and generally RHEL is much more tailored towards servers then desktops/laptops. If you are set on RHEL the closest option is CentOS but even then again I don't recommend that as that also is for servers. I would suggest Ubuntu or Fedora are the best choices for this, I would also suggest these two would likely better handle your graphics, Fedora is the base OS that RHEL is now usually built off of so it's unlikely that RHEL will have more support then fedora tho it may be more stable and solidly built.

Hi r3sistance:

Thanks for your prompt response. I was uncertain whether Fedora would offer rich driver support for the M11x. I am somewhat concerned about its stability as well, since this OS is the testbed for new Linux (RHEL) features. I don't anticipate encountering any trouble installing and running VMWare Workstation 7.1. Although RHEL is designed for servers, I figured the Intel Core i7 would be more than enough to run a streamlined RHEL OS. And since I'm talking about Linux running as the primary (host) OS, I figured using the most stable version (on a non-certified machine) would be my best bet. However, I definitely am open to suggestions from experienced users.

Cheers,

Linux Enthusiast

unless you ARE going to run a server or some old software WHY install rhel 5 a an Alienware
hi- proformance gaming box ?

now i am about to bot cent 5.5 on a new dell xps 8100 .But i am also running some MUST HAVE code that is built for RHEL ( ISIS3 and "stereo pipline " from NASA and USGS )

also RHEL 5 is NOT FREE !
you need to pay for it .

for a Alienware Gaming pc i would put OpenSUSE on it
even though opensuse is a bit bloated the machine specs will be more than enough to run it
no not realy
rhel released 5 and ALL major versions of software were locked. and might NOT even install on hardware designed in the last 6 months
RHEL is for a STABLE server that dose NOT NEED TO BE REBOOTED for 5 years ,not a gaming pc .