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Old 03-07-2005, 09:00 PM   #1
ploosh
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Registered: Feb 2005
Location: Santa Monica, CA, USA
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Issues with removing Windows XP?


After a few weeks of running a dual boot workstation, I've successfully found alternatives to any Windows user dependencies I might have (with the exception of features in Acrobat Reader 7). At this point, I think I'm ready to remove Windows entirely to free up space for other things - like exploring other distros, installing more applications, files, etc. My questions are:

* are there any problems to be aware of in doing this?
* is the Mandrake partitioning tool adequate for this task?
* is there anything required to format that space?
* is there any common app that I will miss? (completely subjective, I know, but the last thing I want to do is walk around the office asking to use someone's Windows machine for some stupid task)

Thanks for your help.

Last edited by ploosh; 03-07-2005 at 09:12 PM.
 
Old 03-07-2005, 10:28 PM   #2
c--
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I don't have much experience with mandrake, but all you really have to do is remove the windows partition and replace it with an ext3 or other linux fs partition and mount it somewhere. If you want the disk space to be available to your / or /home partition, don't know what to tell you. As for some weird app you'll miss, nothing you can't easily download. The only stuff I miss from windows is my mixman board, and that isn't exactly the kind of thing you overlook when going "gee, what do I use in windows?"

If you're going to try out other linux distros, just delete the doze partition and install a new distro, but be warned, it'll probably overwrite your mbr, so have knoppix or something ready if you need it to fix your boot loader, or just know how to configure the new distros boot loader to do it.

As for another distro, I highly recomend Ubuntu if you want to try something a little more technical than mandrake. Its based on debian and is very nice.
 
Old 03-07-2005, 10:31 PM   #3
JaseP
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Location: Eastern PA, USA
Distribution: K/Ubuntu 18.04-14.04, Scientific Linux 6.3-6.4, Android-x86, Pretty much all distros at one point...
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Quote:
* are there any problems to be aware of in doing this?
None. Simply remove the entry for booting to Windoze in your bootloader (grub or Lilo).

Quote:
* is the Mandrake partitioning tool adequate for this task?
DiskDrake, I think it's called... look for the specific casing for the executable console name, or launch it through Mandrake's setup tools.

Quote:
* is there anything required to format that space?
DiskDrake ought to take care of it. You can use Parted too.

Quote:
* is there any common app that I will miss? (completely subjective, I know, but the last thing I want to do is walk around the office asking to use someone's Windows machine for some stupid task)
As for advanced Acrobat features,... I assume you can create whatever pdf files you want with OpenOffice. Only a few games won't run in Linux (buy the PS2 console versions if there are any...). Crossover office will run quite a few. For Tax prep, use the online programs that are Firefox compatible.
 
Old 03-08-2005, 02:06 PM   #4
ploosh
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Good tips. Thanks.

The functions in Acrobat Reader that I haven't found a replacement for include the ability to edit certain portions of a document. I have a form that I recieve often and it's easier to type the address field, for example, as opposed to handwriting it. It's a great feature in Acrobat Reader that allows for limited editing - I hope it arrives for Linux soon. Creating and reading pdfs is simple - editing them isn't.

The only other app I'm on the lookout for is a replacement for a film/tv scriptwriting tool called Final Draft. I've found an alternative called celtx, which is built around the firefox browser, but it's not really as thorough (although celtx has collaborative features which are awesome).
 
  


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