How do I dual Boot so I can put a different OS on my computer and still use Windows? I am trying a Linux OS from a DVD and would like to install it on my hard drive with out affecting my Windows7 OS. Is this possible ? Thanks for any help :)
Printable View
How do I dual Boot so I can put a different OS on my computer and still use Windows? I am trying a Linux OS from a DVD and would like to install it on my hard drive with out affecting my Windows7 OS. Is this possible ? Thanks for any help :)
Dual booting Linux and Windows is somewhat fraught with difficulties :( Do you just want to try Linux out, and learn your way round it, or are you intending to use it seriously?
Most Linux distros have "live" cds. Just boot from the disc and try it out.
Your other option would be to create a VM.
Thanks very much MidKnyte for your help. I'll try your suggestion.
Sparks, I think if you tried it with some of the newer distros your difficulties wouldn't be quite so "fraught"....lolQuote:
Originally Posted by SuperSparks
sheprd, probably the easiest way would be to grab the VMware Player, which is free, then download a premade VM (cost=free), unzip it and fire it up. No partitioning necessary, no dual booting "fraught with difficulty".
VMware Player:
http://www.vmware.com/products/player/
Source of premade VM's:
http://www.vmware.com/appliances/directory/cat/508
http://linhost.info/vmware/
I recommend trying several different distros.
Personally, I use Linux Mint as my main linux distro primarily because it comes preconfigured with all the codecs, flash player, Java, etc., already installed and ready to go. So all your multi-media will play right out of the box. Most other distros are somewhat "fraught" with a lot of frustration just trying to get all those things installed and running. It's based on Ubuntu.
I also have Ubuntu on my system, mainly because it has the greatest availability of software. It probably has the largest user base and support base there is in the linux world. So whatever you may need to do, the tools you need are probably available with Ubuntu.
But whatever distro you choose, prepare to STOP WORRYING about viruses, malware, driveby cr@p installs, etc., etc., because it just doesn't happen in linux. I've been using linux for surfing the web for about 6 years now. That's six (6!!) beautiful years with no anti-virus, no firewalls, no Hi-Jack This scans, no MalwareBytes scans, no trojans, no root kits, no...no...no...no!!
It's a beautiful thing!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Windows vs Linux freak, I use Windows a lot for work with no complaints, but when I surf the web, I use linux.
I keep reading too may horror stories of unbootable PCs. On my latest rig I installed a caddy for the OS drive, so that I can use a separate HD altogether for Linux.Quote:
Originally Posted by DVOM
Thanks SuperSparks and DVOM for your very helpful info. I really appreciate it. I'll check out the info. Also couldy you explain a bit about adding a caddy to the OS ? I want to check everything I can. That No virus with Linux statement really interests me. I was unaware of that added benefit of using Linus
You don't add the caddy to the OS, you physically install it in a 5.25" bay. That allows you to easily swap hard drives, so that you can use one drive for Windows and a different drive if you want to boot into Linux. This is the kind of thing:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-028-_-Product
I use IcyBox ones myself.
Here's an example of an 'Icy Box Mobile Rack For 3.5" Sata Hard Drive With Sata Interface'
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mobile-Rack-...851647-3765504
Here's a good shot of an iCute:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/images/Full/a36gz.jpg
Thanks SuperSparks. I'll check into this info. THanks again. I've been trying for an hour to download VMware but keep getting the run around.
Thanks SpywareDr, I overlooked your response . I understand now about a caddy for a HD.
No problem. :)
I've decided to purchase an external HD and install Linux on it. Are there any problems to watch for in doing this? Seems this would be fairly easy to do. I got the idea from SuperSparks, seems this is the method he was discussing when using a caddy for an external HD. This way there should be no chance of harming my Windows 7 OS. Thanks much to all you wonderful responders.
Can you computer even boot to a USB hdd.
You have to check in the BIOS.
And being USB, it will be slow!
Sparks, I can't understand all the trepidation over little things like misplaced or corrupted MBR's or Partition Tables. Or maybe creating another partition so your windows "boot.ini' inadvertently points in the wrong direction.Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperSparks
What fun would it be if we didn't break 'em once in a while?
Anyway, I thought you were a virtualization kind of a guy. That just about eliminates all the guess work and dangers to the "delicate" parts of the mysterious and little understood "soft underbelly" of the fickle breed known as "Windows".
I am indeed a virualisation kind of guy. But I have some plans to go to the next stage and try going completely virtual, and run Hyper-V server. It seemed to me that the safest option was the caddy and separate drive route, that way I can always boot up into a working OS whatever I mess up :)
I;m back again. I have installed an external HD and dragged a ububtu ISO file into it. I start up and boot up on the extra HD and click but nothing happens, doesn't continue booting. What am I doing wrong ? Should I install the ububtu direct into the extra HD and if so how do I do that. Thanks foe any help
Quote:
Originally Posted by Train
Did you check that the PC will definitely boot from a USB drive? Generally only recent motherboards will allow it. And you'd need to explicitly set it in the BIOS to boot from an external drive.
Thanks Train for your response. When I turn on computer and depress ESC there is a boot menu that appears with a link to my external HD. clicking on it and screen goes blank and nothing happens. I don't know how to check the BIOS to see if it will Boot to a USB jack. Earlier I downloaded VMware Player but it wouldn't install, said my computer didn't have correct Kernel therefore unable to install VMware Player. As a last resort I could uninstall My OS and put Linux on main HD but am reluct to do that.
Just how old is that computer?
Make and model of the computer or if a custom/home built rig, then post the modo make and model.
Try Virtualbox instead.
http://lifehacker.com/5204434/the-be...ith-virtualbox
Computer is an HP Pavillion Mod. 6712fb
purchased 7-6-09 with Windows Vista and I upgraded to Windows 7 a couple weeks ago. Browser IE8. I'll now check the Virtual Box mentioned by Midknyte.
7-6-09 should be new enough and it is in Boot oreder where you want to make the USB the first item to boot from it.
sheprd, with that "kernel" error, you must have gotten a bad/corrupted download or something. You might try downloading it again or try a different/earlier version which you can get here near the bottom of the page:
http://downloads.vmware.com/d/info/d...are_player/3_0
As for your problem of the HDD with the ISO file not booting, an ISO file can't boot by itself. The easiest way would be to burn it using "burn as image" option to a CD/DVD, then boot to that DVD/CD and install on your hard drive.
I believe my problem has been a defective External HD. My computer has never acknowledeged it. So untill I fix that nothin will work. I have another question, probably silly. Can a high capacity Flash Drive be used instead of an external HD?
Boot and run Linux from a USB flash memory stick
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/
Since I couldn't get my computer to recognize my external HD I downloaded the Linus OS onto my regular HD as an attachment. Linus said I could. Problem is I can't open the attachment to use it because it requires a MIME file be opened to access it. I can't find anything to open this kind of file. Windows can't WinZip can't either. Anyone ever encountered this type problem and if so how did you open the file? Thanks for any help
The file I'm having trouble with is
MIME Type: application/octet-stream
Can't find anything to open it with, think it is a READ ONLY file
Thanks dneilson for your response. I tried WinZip and it can't open it either.
MIME Type: application/octet-stream
This is the file in question
sheprd, which Linux OS did you download and where did you get it? And what's the name of the Linux file? Nearly every linux OS gets downloaded as an ISO file. Unless you've got a CD/DVD burning program capable of burning ISO's, windows isn't going to have a clue what to do with it.
So how about a link to where you got it and we can then tell you what to do with it.
Thanks DVOM for your response. I downloaded Linux : UBUNtU from a Linux website, don't remember just where. I downloaded the IOL file and sent it to my DVD Drive. I can run the Linux from the DVD Disk. I kept trying until I moved the Linux to my main HD as an Application. When Booting up I can select Windows 7 or Ububtu to open Works pretty good but crashes my Windows 7 frequently. Think I'm going to have to remove UBUNTU. I tried to use an External HD but my PC wouldn't recognize the HD. My next effort will be to try to install Linux on a Flash Drive I'll post back if sucessful.