Installing Kubuntu on PC already running XP

[tonyblair]

Seems like a basic question but here goes.

I have a standard desktop PC running XP an the hard disk seems to be partitioned or something...? It shows a C drive, a D drive and an E drive which does recovery if I get a crash. Now, you've already guessed, I'm sure, that I'm not much in the techie department. Gimme a world crisis to solve and that's fine but mention installing Kubuntu and I get the shakes......!!

My questions are...

If I run the Kubuntu install disk on my PC, will I need to do something to the partitions?
If so, that sounds heavy. Is this easy? Is there a risk that, in doing so, I might break the XP OS or loses data or something? I'll back up any data anyway, obviously, but will it break anything already there? Will it mess up conectivity, MS Office, etc.

Assuming I somehow manage all this, will Kubuntu replace XP or work as an alternative? If the latter, do I get to choose my OS at bootup or something or does it just decide for me (not good)?

Any sensible advice gratefully accepted before I slide the disk into the slot...

Kind regards,

[dibl]

Re: Installing Kubuntu on PC already running XP

First, I'll recommend you make (or obtain) a Kubuntu Live CD, and use it that way until you've got your confidence up that you really, really want to install it on your hard drive. It sounds like you may have one already -- run the browser, print to your printer, run your scanner, write letters to world leaders with OOO Writer, or whatever is important to you, so that you are comfortable with the decision to install it.

It sounds like your PC has a "recovery" partition for Windows. You'll have to become enough of a techie to figure out for sure what is on each of your partitions, so we'll know where we can shrink one without doing any damage. Let's say you discover that "D" is actually an empty partition, and also that "C" is only 30% full. So, we'll advise you to (a) run Windows disk cleanup and then disk defragmenter, then (b) make a GParted Live CD, by downloading and burning an ISO image from here I recommend ver. 0.3.4-10 -- there have been some bugs reported for -11.

Then you boot your GParted Live CD, and you figure out which video mode it needs to work on your system, and then you view the partitions on your disk drive. If the empty "D" is 8GB or larger in size, you really don't need to do anything. If you want it larger, you will move the divider between the first and second partitions to the left, effectively shrinking "C" and enlarging "D", and then push "Apply" to make the proposed change permanent.

Upon finishing the arrangements on your hard drive, you will then boot either the Kubuntu Live CD or the Kubuntu Alternate Install CD, and use the "Install" function to install the OS on your hard drive. You will tell it to install the Grub boot menu on the master boot record (MBR) of that hard drive, and from that point on you will have a boot menu and you will choose whether to boot Windows or Kubuntu.

That's kind of a high-level summary of the project you are looking at.

[Snowhog]

Re: Installing Kubuntu on PC already running XP

Welcome! You will be very well served by checking out The definitive dual-booting guide: Linux, Vista and XP step-by-step. This is probably one, if not the, best guides on multi-booting you will find.

[Qqmike]

Re: Installing Kubuntu on PC already running XP

Well, heck, they beat me to it. So as not to waste all my typing, and because you are new (Welcome!), I'll drop mine here as well:


Well, I'll start this off, and others will jump in here, right guys? -- Ha! I'd say so, fast fingered fellas that you are.

What you want is to set up a dual boot with XP and Kubuntu.
When you turn on the PC or re-boot it, you will get a “boot menu” that gives you a choice between XP and Kubuntu.
You then highlight one of them and press Enter and you'll go into that operating system.
Kubuntu and XP will be completely independent of each other. All your XP stuff will reain there untouched by anything you do in Kubuntu and vice versa.

I'd start with some reading.

Read what she says about setting up a dual boot:
Psychocats: http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/index.php

and what Herman says:
Bigpond, home: http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/
(click on his GRUB page)

and I tell you what happens if you mess up the booting:
How To GRUB Methods - Toolkit
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0
(and how to fix it!)

and some ideas about partitioning for Kubuntu by Rog131:
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3090704.0


>>> Before you install Kubuntu, first run GParted Live CD to do the partitioning!!!
GParted: http://gparted.sourceforge.net/
GParted how-to: http://www.howtoforge.com/partitioning_with_gparted


It's all really very easy, but I sense you want to do it well and correctly the first time around and not mess up Windows. GParted Live CD will show exactly you what your existing partitions look like, and that will give you a leg up on this. Many of us have done exactly what you are planning to do.

[dibl]

Re: Installing Kubuntu on PC already running XP

you want to do it well and correctly the first time around and not mess up Windows.

Good point, Mike!

Actually, the wise bunny backs up all of his important data before ever sticking the first installation CD into the optical drive.

Then, if worst comes to worst and Windows gets nuked, there are two methods by which Windows XP can be run very nicely within your Linux system. I use the VMWare Player -- the other method is VirtualBox. You do have to install Windows onto your virtual machine from a legitimate installation CD, so if you didn't get one of those with your PC .... you're kind of forced to be very, very careful.

[tonyblair]

Re: Installing Kubuntu on PC already running XP

Just a quick thanks to all of you. I'm gonna follow up all that advice over the next week or two and I'll get back and let you know how it goes.

Must dash; got a world to save...

;-)

Many thanks again.

[Guest]

Re: Installing Kubuntu on PC already running XP

if you partition there's a chance you will get corrupted partitions if there's an error with the live cd or you hard reboot when partitionig, that happened to me last time, you could ude wubi to install it without partitioning, that's much less risky

[Fredh]

Re: Installing Kubuntu on PC already running XP

Just felt like jumping in and wish you good luck. If you follow the advice concerning partitioning and installation by dible, qmike and snowhog you shouldn't have any problems. I have learnt a lot from them.

Partitioning with gparted is simple and reliable.

Using the install option at boot on the live cd is straight forward, especially if you choose the manual partitioning option.

Two bits of advice (also learnt here in this forum):
if you have the space do the following:
1) create a /data partition formated in fat32 or ntfs for all your data. Your xp will will see the new "drive" upon reboot. Now you can move your from the "my folder" or what ever it is called in windows to the new partition by pointing the "my folder" to the new partition by right clicking and going to properties->search for the new drive and choose it. Now move your data to the new partition / "drive", reboot windows.
This will free up space on the C drive, so you can shrink that one even more AND will go a long way to keep your data safe from OS crashes / reinstalls.

This will also allow you to easily "share" data between win xp and linux.

2) create another partition for /home. This partition holds the personal user and user specific configuration files under linux, so separating that makes a lot of sense.

Just my 2cents and again good luck

[tonyblair]

Re: Installing Kubuntu on PC already running XP

Actually, before I start, there is one more question....

Since my hard disk is already partitioned, and I have around 30gigs free on the D drive (total size = 80 gig), can't I simply just go ahead and install kubuntu on to the D drive as is? I'm guessing it may take up to around 6 gigs so I'd have around 24 gigs left to play around with for use with XP and Linux. Is this ok to do or does the kubuntu bit need a partition all to itself?

Thanks again guys - sorry to be a pain.

TB

[SpikoPath]

Re: Installing Kubuntu on PC already running XP

If you are not comfortable with the whole making a dual boot scenario using the live cd and messign with partitions you can always use 'Wubi'.

http://wubi-installer.org/

This is something I do myself

To install Wubi you will need the latest image of the kibuntu live cd, insert it during a windows session and you should be prompted with a box, if not it will be on the cd as wubi.

This program allows you to use a folder within windows and installs like any other program, it is also uninstallable like any other program. when you come to reboot you can select ubuntu/Kubuntu as an option in the windows boot up menu.

No faffing

[Qqmike]

Re: Installing Kubuntu on PC already running XP

“Actually, before I start, there is one more question....”

Might want to review the linked how-to mentioned above:
..and some ideas about partitioning for Kubuntu by Rog131:
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3090704.0

=>
separate /home?
allow 8 GB for root (/) ?
swap = ? (1 GB?)
etc

[tonyblair]

Re: Installing Kubuntu on PC already running XP

Guys,

I reckon SpikoPath has the solution for "the rest of us" - ie the masses. I'm sure all your suggestions work and are really useful and I'm really grateful for your suggestions which, I'm sure, I'll return to when I've gained some experience with Kubuntu. But I've decided to try this this wubi installer first and, for me, it is the bees knees. Easy peasy and "no faffing" Tell everyone about it! Why do it any other way? OK, I'm sure there are reasons but, for those who need an intro and try out, this is it. Too easy and no black magic required. The best tip was to set it up and walk away for 30 mins or so and get a coffee while it just does its thing. This could convert millions to Linux if only it were publicised.

I remember when the web/net/emails were just getting going and it took a long of effort for control to be wrested from the academics - who had the knowledge - and to place it in the hands of "the rest of us" who just wanted to use it. I see parallels. No critcism of anyone at all here, quite the opposite, I think you're really helpful and a really valuable asset to the community but I reckon this is the key for so many would-be's and needs promoting. Works right out of the box!

Anyway, I'm now going to follow up all those links you sent but I'm where I want to be for now (until I hit problems, Ha!) and I'm telling all my friends and anyone else who'll listen about wubi installer.

Thanks to everyone and happy Linuxing to you all. I'll report progress from time to time.

kind regards,

Tony B

[Qqmike]

Re: Installing Kubuntu on PC already running XP

Hmmm. That's interesting, and cool.
No experience with Wubi, but I'm sure your testimonial (along with SpikoPath's) will inspire some folks to give it a go. Thanks for the feedback, glad you got it going, and welcome aboard!

[Snowhog]

Re: Installing Kubuntu on PC already running XP

And again, another testimonial supporting the (important) point, that with Linux, there is (almost always) more than one way to get something done.

Welcome to Linux and the Kubuntu Forums. Lot's of good folks hanging out here.