Planning OS migration but which linux
 

:Pengy: Hi dudes I wanna migrate from windows to linux but not able to select best flavour of linux plz help me to decide it by keeping following points:
1.Easy and GUI with good support for multiboot system.
2.Most imp. support my Broadband router which will be connected to my PC using USB port!
3.Mount windows partition by default.
I am thinking for SuSE Plz help me to select best of all.

I can't speak for SuSE, since I haven't used it in years, but it does appear to be a popular choice. Ubuntu and Fedora would be other good choices. All of those are very popular, so you are likely to find people to help you out with them.

Of the three I listed, Ubuntu seems to be the most noob-friendly.

@ ataraxia thanks dude but is Ubuntu is having good GUI and wat about 2.&3. point above

I would suggest u start out with Mandriva 2006. Its totally easy and comfortable and no much configuring. Once u get the hang of it try experimenting with Fedora,SuSE etc. I would not recommend Ubuntu as of know coz its debian based. Start with rpm base and then move on to debian.
As for your points, rest assured Mandriva packs them in and more.

Ubuntu goes in deep for the GUI, they're big on the user experience end of things.

You can get any distro to mount a windows partition at startup.

I don't know anything about the router on the USB port.

@ shrikant.odugoudar does Mandriva 2006 will support my Broadband router which will be connected to my PC using USB port and windows partition mounting by default

i would think most distros will work well with the usb but as for windows NTFS partition mounting you will probably need to install NTFS drivers yourself. However if you have vfat partition then it should work no problem however this is unlikely.

As for which distro i would recommend Ubuntu. I am not very familiar with mandriva i used it a bit when it was mandrake but i think that ubuntu is easier to get working for a first time user and it does give good GUI support

Hi eagle_y2j,

Please state what modem you are using. Some drivers are easier to find with the assistance of others and by keeping your modem brand and model secret, how would we know if it would ever be used in a specific distro?

Also with Linux, there will never be a FIT-FOR-EVERYONE distro. So don't expect to install Linux and relax. There will always be some work involved in any setup of any distro.

Some distributions support NTFS partitions, but only some actually automatically mount them - so if you pick a distro that doesn't mount it for you, you'll still need some work getting it mounted.

Now here are my top 5 distros (most of them are already in this thread, but I'll put more detail, all of which are from my experiences):

• Ubuntu - Although there is no GUI in the setup, it's quite easy to navigate and use - although partitioning would be the hardest step. It can support modems/routers (sometimes without effort or search the Ubuntu Wiki / Google for installation guides). Does a pretty good job at mounting, but doesn't do it automatically.
• SuSE / OpenSuSE - Very nice GUI all the way and supports dual-booting with Windows, will mount drives but sometimes doesn't auto-mount it (that's the experience with my system... I don't know if there are problems with others). SuSE knows most modems but it doesn't seem to have the drivers.
• KNOPPIX - Although it's a full-GUI LiveCD / LiveDVD, you can install it onto a hard drive (but without GUI and is not that hard). It has great hardware support (with some minor quirks but not too many), and because it's a live distrobution, you don't need to care about dual-booting (because it doesn't need to touch the HDD, unless you install it). Also, it auto-mounts every HDD on your system. The only problem is that saving the session is very hard unless you install it.
• Mandriva Linux (formerly MandrakeLinux) - Exceptionally user-friendly, fast and easy to install. Dual-booting is a breeze (also with a nicer LILO screen), and auto-mounts hard drives. Support for hardware is average, but a Google search should point you in the right direction.
• Fedora Core - My experience with Fedora is mixed. For one thing the setup program (anaconda) couldn't partition my NTFS drive (so I had to install it onto a new blank HDD). It still can dual boot with Windows, but mounting the NTFS drive needed for the installation of a few packages. Hardware support is also average but a Google search mostly points you in the right place.

That basically answers number 1, 2 and 3 of eagle_y2j's list with my top 5 distros.
manhinli

thanks manhinli I am using Huawei quidway WA1003A MODEM

Rest assured mate it will. Im speaking from experience. And yes it will automount and has out of the box support for ntfs, mp3, java, etc

At the moment, Suse is my recommendation for a Linux distribution for beginners. Version 10.1 is due in a few days, so you may want to hold your breath for a little while.

@ all thanks I will be installing Suse 9.1

why?
Get 10.0 or wait for 10.1

For me there were huge improvements in hardware compatibility from 9.x to 10.0

Especially if you grab 9.1 Personal, which did not feature compilers and other rather relevant tools.

hi, everyone,
I am also suffering USB syndrome i.e. I have fedora-2 installed and recently connected broadband dataone service. However, the wireless QUIDWAY WA1003A ADSL modem with USB port is working fine when connected to my xp but when my fedora-2 takes charge ( on the same machine ) though first time it detected and automatically configured the modem but since then nothing happens. KPPP did'nt work with the device options such as ACM or usb/tty etc. everytime it throws 'modem busy' or 'unable to open modem' garbage. However, it is working with my other internal modem. I know installing the NIC will solve my problem, but u know, I feel kind of defeated in that case. any suggestion will be appreciated.

Something to think about: Geeks use Linux. Geeks don't use USB to connect to a network. Somebody out there has probably got one of these things to work, but why fight with it? An ethernet card costs less than $10. If I read this right you can connect ethernet to this same "modem". USB network connections exist for people who do not want to learn enough to install a network card in their computers. You are not going to like Linux if you are not at least interested enough technically to set up a real network connection.

Good luck

C

I agree, plus i would like to point out that for every xDSL modem i've used, the ethernet connection has been faster and more responsive. Also easier to diagnose faults as both your nic and modem will have link and activity lights (great for working out if you firewall is a problem, or if the cable fell out.)

If you insist on using the USB connection on the modem, i'd recommend Suse or Ubuntu. I'd stay well clear of Fedora if you have to use usb. I think FC5 is one of the best distros around but, out of the box it does not support mp3 and lots of other stuff, until you get it on the net.

You don't want to end up in a situation where you need to get online in order to get your drivers for your modem, but you can't get online becuase you've no modem drivers.

From what I've heard Ubuntu and Suse tend to have the best support for usb modems. Its all part of the fun linux :)

try out pclinuxos that has great support for thing slike usb modems and wireless cars etc