LinuxQuestions.org
Share your knowledge at the LQ Wiki.
Go Back   LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Distributions
User Name
Password
Linux - Distributions This forum is for Distribution specific questions.
Red Hat, Slackware, Debian, Novell, LFS, Mandriva, Ubuntu, Fedora - the list goes on and on... Note: An (*) indicates there is no official participation from that distribution here at LQ.

Notices


Reply
  Search this Thread
Old 11-29-2006, 08:37 PM   #1
justabeginner
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2006
Posts: 3

Rep: Reputation: 0
Cool linux on a new hard drive


I Plan on replacing my Compaq Provilian 700 laptop hard drive with a new one. My question is this, what would be the best Linux OS software to install on this computer I do not intend to reinstall the original windows xp. Any suggestions or comments would be most appreciated.
 
Old 11-29-2006, 08:43 PM   #2
weibullguy
ReliaFree Maintainer
 
Registered: Aug 2004
Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Distribution: Slackware 14.2
Posts: 2,815
Blog Entries: 1

Rep: Reputation: 261Reputation: 261Reputation: 261
The Linux Energizer Bunny question..."Which Distro is Best." It keeps going and going and going. Pick one, the answer is subjective anyway.
 
Old 11-30-2006, 06:28 AM   #3
justabeginner
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2006
Posts: 3

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 0
I simple want to know if Linux Ubuntu will work on a new hard drive with no other operating system other than itself. Thanks
 
Old 11-30-2006, 06:41 AM   #4
pwc101
Senior Member
 
Registered: Oct 2005
Location: UK
Distribution: Slackware
Posts: 1,847

Rep: Reputation: 128Reputation: 128
Yes it will; should be no problem whatsoever. Famous last words...
 
Old 11-30-2006, 02:54 PM   #5
weibullguy
ReliaFree Maintainer
 
Registered: Aug 2004
Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Distribution: Slackware 14.2
Posts: 2,815
Blog Entries: 1

Rep: Reputation: 261Reputation: 261Reputation: 261
Quote:
Originally Posted by justabeginner
I simple want to know if Linux Ubuntu will work on a new hard drive with no other operating system other than itself. Thanks
Why wouldn't it and why didn't you just ask that to begin with? Both my kids run *buntus, one uses Kubuntu, the other uses Xubuntu. Only OS on their respective machines. Works like a champ.
 
Old 12-01-2006, 06:22 PM   #6
lessax
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Sep 2006
Location: Texas
Distribution: Mepis - PCLinusOS
Posts: 5

Rep: Reputation: 0
If you want a distro that is easy to install and will recognise all of your hardware chech out Simply MEPHIS.
 
Old 12-05-2006, 08:44 PM   #7
brianeanna
Member
 
Registered: Jul 2004
Location: NJ, USA & Gaillimh, Éire
Distribution: Knoppix, Kanotix, Sidux, (K)ubuntu
Posts: 32

Rep: Reputation: 15
Linux on new Hard Drive

1) Don't trust anyone on these forums who can't spell (shows they're lazy and don't proofread).

2) Don't trust anyone who uses jargon (they're hiding their ignorance).

3) Don't trust anyone who recommends only one distribution without explaining why.

4) Desktop Linux is inherently unstable. If you're planning to use your computer for work, go with Microsoft or Apple.

5) Any of the following will suffice: Fedora, Mandriva, SUSE, Ubuntu, Debian. Choose at random; none is any better than the others.

Good luck. You'll learn a lot.

B
 
Old 12-06-2006, 06:03 AM   #8
justabeginner
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2006
Posts: 3

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 0
Thanks for the advice. I was just thinking about putting a Linux desktop program on my laptop. You have saved me a lot of future frustration. I do have one question, how would it work putting SuSe Linux on a 40gb external hard drive or just buy an extra hard drive for my laptop and put the program on it. That way when I wanted to use Linux I simple use the other hard drive. Hay thanks again for your advice.
 
Old 12-06-2006, 12:49 PM   #9
lessax
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Sep 2006
Location: Texas
Distribution: Mepis - PCLinusOS
Posts: 5

Rep: Reputation: 0
WOW Brianeanna

What a nice, pleasant person you must be. Sarcasm,an elitist attitude and advise for him to _ Stick with Micro$oft.

Good advise, if you are a Micro$oft shill. Is Micro$oft paying you are is this just your own brilliant idea.

I'm not surprised that you are on so many ignore lists.
 
Old 12-06-2006, 03:08 PM   #10
brianeanna
Member
 
Registered: Jul 2004
Location: NJ, USA & Gaillimh, Éire
Distribution: Knoppix, Kanotix, Sidux, (K)ubuntu
Posts: 32

Rep: Reputation: 15
Same thread

Lessax - I hate Microsoft like poison (why do you think I have Linux on my Laptop?), but there are a few home truths that users of this forum just don't get.
  • The first is that desktop Linux is at about the level of Windows 95, and maybe not even that.
  • The second is that desktop Linux is hopelessly unstable.
  • The third is that desktop Linux is unbearably slow. We have jobs, believe it or not! I've drunk more tea waiting (even at command line level) for jobs to complete than I have while a student! (and that was a lot)
  • The fourth is that many of the most important proprietary formats won't work on Linux, unless you're willing to install buggy and probably illegal codecs.
  • The fifth is that 90% of computer users want their operating systems *to just work*. No hours of fiddling around, no reinstallation, no inexplicable crashes, no (cynical laugh) dependency issues.

Don't get me wrong, though - it's great for hobbyists, and I've been an inveterate hobbyist all my life. Long live Linux, but if the Linux community can't come up with a stable alternative to Microsoft that's cheaper and better, then we're stuck in our back sheds hobbying.

I know, I know, it's the old Wintel thing. They're designing computers for XP, and that leaves us at a terrible disadvantage, but I'm afraid we're stuck with that.

As for being a Microsoft shill, I've been using Unix for years. It's a great technology for servers. But for desktops . . . hm!

And sarcastic! Darn tootin I'm sarcastic. I'm fed up being nonsensed by jargon-spouting halfwits on the fifty billion Linux help forums when all I want to do is (for instance) update SuSE 10.1 with YAST, or install Real Player! Oooh, there goes my blood pressure again.
 
Old 12-06-2006, 10:40 PM   #11
2damncommon
Senior Member
 
Registered: Feb 2003
Location: Calif, USA
Distribution: PCLINUXOS
Posts: 2,918

Rep: Reputation: 103Reputation: 103
Interesting, brianeanna.
Quote:
3) Don't trust anyone who recommends only one distribution without explaining why.
Something to this.
Quote:
4) Desktop Linux is inherently unstable. If you're planning to use your computer for work, go with Microsoft or Apple.
Starting to get weird here.
Quote:
5) Any of the following will suffice: Fedora, Mandriva, SUSE, Ubuntu, Debian. Choose at random; none is any better than the others.
Generally correct.
Quote:
The first is that desktop Linux is at about the level of Windows 95, and maybe not even that.
Complete nonsense here.
Quote:
The second is that desktop Linux is hopelessly unstable.
Again complete nonsense.
Quote:
The third is that desktop Linux is unbearably slow. We have jobs, believe it or not! I've drunk more tea waiting (even at command line level) for jobs to complete than I have while a student! (and that was a lot)
More nonsense.
Quote:
The fourth is that many of the most important proprietary formats won't work on Linux, unless you're willing to install buggy and probably illegal codecs.
How do you spell FUD?
Quote:
The fifth is that 90% of computer users want their operating systems *to just work*. No hours of fiddling around, no reinstallation, no inexplicable crashes, no (cynical laugh) dependency issues.
This is misleading. There are some here who have wiped Windows from their computer and are glad of it, some who run both to some degree, and some who feel exactally as brianeanna.

The truth is more like this.

Just for hobbyists, desktop sucks?
My experience is different.
 
Old 12-09-2006, 10:40 AM   #12
brianeanna
Member
 
Registered: Jul 2004
Location: NJ, USA & Gaillimh, Éire
Distribution: Knoppix, Kanotix, Sidux, (K)ubuntu
Posts: 32

Rep: Reputation: 15
Hi there.

Don't get me wrong in all this - I'm continuing to use Linux, but I have yet to meet a single user of Linux who relies entirely on the system, except maybe for servers.

I'm afraid I'm going to be cornered into saying something like "I hate Linux," when my real beef is with merchants overselling their dodgy products and anonymous jargon-addled Linux evangelicals who irrationally defend the system despite its drawbacks.

It's a fun system for the price (free), but it's not ready for the professional desktop situation yet.

JustaBeginner really needs to know that he's letting himself in for a long frustrating journey, unless he likes tinkering, and that he'll be doing most of the work alone. It's terribly unfair on him and on other newbies to suggest anything to the contrary.
 
Old 12-09-2006, 07:45 PM   #13
2damncommon
Senior Member
 
Registered: Feb 2003
Location: Calif, USA
Distribution: PCLINUXOS
Posts: 2,918

Rep: Reputation: 103Reputation: 103
Quote:
JustaBeginner really needs to know that he's letting himself in for a long frustrating journey, unless he likes tinkering, and that he'll be doing most of the work alone. It's terribly unfair on him and on other newbies to suggest anything to the contrary.
By all means lets inform him of problems one may have with a new OS.
In reality there are sometimes issues with software.

Last edited by 2damncommon; 12-09-2006 at 07:46 PM.
 
Old 12-10-2006, 09:33 AM   #14
lessax
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Sep 2006
Location: Texas
Distribution: Mepis - PCLinusOS
Posts: 5

Rep: Reputation: 0
Well, even though Brianeanna flamed me for the (free) advise, I'll still recommend Simply MEPHIS. It is the only distro that I have ever used that recognized all of my hardware and simply works. The only problem that I had was with my Canon i560 printer and that was easily taken care of.
Just my 2 cents worth.
 
Old 12-11-2006, 06:28 PM   #15
brianeanna
Member
 
Registered: Jul 2004
Location: NJ, USA & Gaillimh, Éire
Distribution: Knoppix, Kanotix, Sidux, (K)ubuntu
Posts: 32

Rep: Reputation: 15
Mepis doesn't work!

Lessax - I know you're trying to help, but it's hard to take somebody seriously when they can't spell the name of the distribution they're using! It's Mepis, or SimplyMepis.

As luck would have it, I've tried Mepis, and it *just doesn't work*. Won't even boot.

And I should have known in advance when I saw not one but three glaring typos on Mepis's main web page. If they're that sloppy in presentation, you can be sure as bedamned that they're sloppy in programming.

On a brighter note, I'm very happy with Kanotix, a LiveCD distribution, but it appears to be on the brink of discontinuation, with the departure of a key programmer on its team.

I've also been getting good results with Knoppix and Gnoppix. In fact, Kanotix is a version of Knoppix, I believe.
 
  


Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off



Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
[SOLVED] How do I swap windows on hard 2 to hard drive 1 and linux from 1 to 2 uncle guido Linux - Newbie 5 10-25-2006 11:14 AM
Installing grub to external USB hard drive for later use as internal hard drive dhave Linux From Scratch 2 12-10-2005 08:48 AM
2 hard drive in system mirror 1st hard drive sburns76247 Linux - General 2 12-21-2004 01:47 AM
boot from floppy drive then insall linux redhat9 from HARD DRIVE Shiraz Ahmed Linux - Software 0 08-23-2004 05:11 AM
Grub to access new hard drive and old multi os hard drive ? gedi1 Linux - Hardware 0 06-03-2004 12:01 PM

LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Distributions

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:59 AM.

Main Menu
Advertisement
My LQ
Write for LQ
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute content, let us know.
Main Menu
Syndicate
RSS1  Latest Threads
RSS1  LQ News
Twitter: @linuxquestions
Open Source Consulting | Domain Registration