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    quite a few questions

    I was intending to do dual boot as I had my main HD partitioned into 50% for windows and another 50% for free space (part ext3, part swap) but the initial install attempt (using the guided HD install on the free space part) left me without either. Had to reinstall using the Live CD again and it actually worked. So as of the moment, I'm running purely Linux.

    But here's where the questions come in. I'm hoping that the answers will be related to something graphical as opposed to command line, but I'll take whatever someone can point me in the direction of.

    1) I have 3 HDs connected to this computer. a 250GB external, which the computer detected by default. a 250GB primary which common sense would tell me that, hey, it is detected cause I'm on here. But the 400GB (formatted NTFS) that has the stuff I was intending on using between Windows/Linux isn't located by default. I installed the NTFS Configuration Tool which allows me to write to NTFS, but kinda need to be able to locate it first. I know that you have to mount it, but I'm not even sure how to locate it other than to say it was Drive H: on Windows. But seeing how everything is sda#/hda# I have no idea how you look this up.

    2) this is more of a curiosity than anything, but how exactly is the swap file thing used? From what I read, it is the Windows equiv of virtual memory, though I never really paid attention to it in Windows to be honest. I'm guessing that once RAM is low/depleted, it kicks in and mimics RAM?

    3) I have 2GB of RAM in this computer right now. I have 2 more 2GB sticks in a package, but couldn't use in Windows XP Home (or at least wouldn't be fully used, from what I read online). If I have a 32-bit Dual Core 2.4GHz CPU, will it allow 4GB of RAM to be used w/ Kubuntu Feisty Fawn? Think I've read that 64-bit is required for the higher RAM amounts, but not sure when the switch kicks in.

    4) I tried to read a MP3 with Amarok, and because it doesn't have support by default, it tried popping up a window stating something to the effect of No MP3 Support found. But when I clicked it, it did nothing and eventually I had to right click the toolbar slot for it and close, which required a termination of it a few seconds later. Not specifically complaining, as hey, if it were Windows it'd have probably ended a lot worse as I was able to go business as usual afterwards with Kubuntu. I've noticed that with a few programs, actually. Memory isn't an issue as I would check the KInfoCenter and it would show >1GB at any given time, so not sure what would cause it? I eventually had to use a terminal to install it as when I tried clicking the install-MP3 in usr/lib/Amarok wouldn't work (popped up Kate). I think the question is two parts: how do you run a script/executable/whatever without it going straight to Kate and is a certain degree of latency like that normal?

    #2
    Re: quite a few questions

    OK, you're right that is quite a few questions! I'll try some of them:

    1. Get into BIOS and make sure the two internal drives are correctly recognized there. And while you're in there, check the "boot device sequence" and make sure the CD/DVD drive is first, and the internal hard drive where you want the bootable stuff to be is next, and the internal storage drive last. It sounds from your description like the BIOS isn't even seeing that all-NTFS drive.

    1.a. "All-graphical"? Fine. Download the ISO and burn yourself a GParted Live CD, from here:

    http://sourceforge.net/project/showf...kage_id=173828

    2. Swap -- yes, you are correct, it is to be used when your memory is filled up, and the CPU is looking for more places to store in-process data. It was a lot more important in the days of 128K RAM than it is today -- on my 4GB RAM machine, I've never seen it touch swap. Set the swap partition to 0.5GB and probably it will never be used anyway.

    3. Your hardware is fine, capacity-wise. Use the "AMD-64" Alternate Install CD version of the downloadable Kubuntu ISO image.

    4.a. Other -- install Win XP first, Kubuntu second, and make the Win XP installation on the "first" hard drive in the BIOS boot sequence. This keeps life much simpler. Just let Kubuntu put Grub where it wants, in this setup, and it will automatically configure your boot menu.

    4.b. Other -- in whatever space you make for Kubuntu, make 3 partitions, thusly:

    7GB -- for "/"
    0.5GB -- for swap
    the_rest_of_it -- for "/home"


    Amarok/mp3 advice is available, but let's get your installation set up first, and enjoy the music later.


    p.s. If you're attempting to mix 'n match IDE and SATA internal drives, we're going to have to talk a little more about how you will arrange the OS's. :P

    Comment


      #3
      Re: quite a few questions


      1. The JMicron RAID thing that shows on boot shows the drive there, and when I went into setup, it shows: 1st) Primary SATA 250GB HD. 2nd) USB external 250GB HD. 3rd) the internal IDE 400GB HD. I'm not really concerned on the order of 2nd + 3rd as they're for storage anyway,
      1.a. "All-graphical"? Fine. Download the ISO and burn yourself a GParted Live CD, from here:

      http://sourceforge.net/project/showf...kage_id=173828
      I'm used to Windows, so forgive my ignorance, but I'm guessing this functions similar to Partition Magic? Or would it work in "unhiding" the HD? In all truth, if there is a terminal command for it that locates the HDD and I can mount it based off that, that'd be fine as well (might as well learn using terminal to begin with)


      p.s. If you're attempting to mix 'n match IDE and SATA internal drives, we're going to have to talk a little more about how you will arrange the OS's. :P
      To this and the HD part of 4. In a perfect situation, it is Primary SATA 250GB partitioned so that Part1) 125ishGB for Windows Part"2")Remainder to Kubuntu. On the first install attempt, I think it actually wiped the info on the Part1) as well, as guided would only let me do at minimum something like 63% of HD / 1##GB (which was higher than the ~50% I was wanting to give it) on the second attempt for what reason I really don't know (the original attempt it was something like 51% of HD / 6#GB that I tried. The external HD is pretty much Windows only stuff and the internal HD is video and audio files which I would like to be able to use on either Linux or Windows. The video files are rips I did on my DVDs back home as I wanted to leave them there while at school (as I do tend to lose DVD boxes/disks more frequently than I'd like) and due to the larger files, that's mostly why I picked NTFS over Fat32 (appears Fat32 is more "native")

      4. Well, I got the Amarok working before, I was more or less curious about the "freezing" when it was attempting to engage the mp3 support update script from within the program. But yeah, now that I realize I need the x86-64 install it looks like I'll have to start from scratch. Oh well, didn't get too much stuff on here, so no huge problem. Think I've noticed a few programs that froze. Konqueror tends to take quite a bit of time to load / it seems, which if I have two windows of it open, the other one (I had desktop open for terminal access to install Envy) would have the icons disappear as well as though it were loading if I tried tabbing to it.

      thanks alot for the information so far, I appreciate it. And I admit, the amount of questions is pretty steep.

      Comment


        #4
        Re: quite a few questions

        Originally posted by whelaro

        1. The JMicron RAID thing
        Linux doesn't do "hardware RAID" -- you need to disable this, if it is doing anything on your system other than putting up boot messages.

        it shows: 1st) Primary SATA 250GB HD. 2nd) USB external 250GB HD. 3rd) the internal IDE 400GB HD.
        This is a problem. USB identification numbers are "dynamically assigned" at boot time, or as USB devices are added to the USB bus. You don't want a USB device between the first and second hard drives -- we might spend the rest of 2007 getting it to work reliably that way! I suggest the USB drive be unplugged from the system for the initial installation of Windows and Kubuntu, and then after we have it stable on the two internal hard drives, we can add the USB drive without too much trouble. And it can be NTFS formatted -- that's not a problem.

        I'm guessing this functions similar to Partition Magic?
        Yes, same functionality, but "for Linux" systems.


        In a perfect situation, it is Primary SATA 250GB partitioned so that Part1) 125ishGB for Windows Part"2")Remainder to Kubuntu.
        OK, trust me on this one -- that is NOT a perfect situation for the Linux installer. A perfect situation is:

        IDE Drive -- first partition has Win XP, and that is installed FIRST

        Then Linux can be installed wherever else on your IDE and/or SATA drive/partitions that you wish, provided that Grub will be installed on the MBR of the IDE drive.

        If you absolutely HAVE to have the Win XP and Linux installed on your SATA drive, I can tell you how to do it, but we'll have to fdisk the IDE drive first .... :P

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