Would Mandriva work?

[liquidzoo]

Ok, been a while, I know.

 

Here's what I'm thinking of. I want to take my new computer (I will post specs below) and install Linux on one of the hard drives in an attempt to get my wife to actually use it (plus there are some other things that I want to do)

 

What I want to do is install Mandriva onto part of one of the hard drives, then configure and do a stage 1 install (assuming I still can, I haven't gotten that far yet) on gentoo on that drive, using the mandriva installation space as the eventual /home drive. I've done this before, and I know it works. I want to do it this way so that I can have the install guide up as well as a working X conf to go from.

 

Now then, my specs:

 

Intel Core2Duo E6600 (dual core, 64 bit)

2 GB RAM

580 GB total HD space (3 drives, linux will be installed to the 80 GB drive)

nVidia 7600 GS pci-e video card

built in card reader (if this could work out of the box it would be awesome)

Windows Vista Ultimate

Dual 17" LG LCD monitors

 

The guides I've seen on the internet all say to use GRUB as the bootloader, but the only one I've ever used in almost 10 years of using Linux (minus the past 2ish years) is LiLO. Does anyone know if lilo will work to boot Vista?

 

The dual monitors. I currently have them set up to where they are separate 1280x1024 monitors, not one bit 2560x1024 monitor (I can't remember the term nVidia uses for this). Anyway, I can have a game playing on the first monitor and still use the second to browse the internet, etc. Assuming I can still do this in Linux (which I'm sure you can), how hard is it to set up?

 

And my final question: Would Mandriva be a good choice for what I want it to do (basically build an x conf file and be a place I can browse the internet while gentoo is doing it's thing) or would something else be better?

 

To the mods: If you want to move this post, be my guest. I'm not sure where things go around here anymore.

[scarecrow]

Here, here... my main box is Core2Duo E6600, with 2GB RAM (667), and nVidia 7600 GS pci-e video card.

It was running XP Pro SP2 without issues, and currently running Linux, without ANY issues. There WERE some issues with the onboard HD controller (Jmicron) as well as booting from grub, but both have been resolved since quite some time ago (the Grub issue since 2.6.20, and the Jmicron one since 2.6.18.6).

Not using Veesta, and quite possibly I never will- they are just XP with a bunch of DRM crap, problematic 3D desktop stuff (aero), and a new, highly problematic security model. I do NOT need any of these new trends- the only reason to prefer Veesta over XP is running some very modern games which explicitly require the new DirectX (fortunately they are still very few!).

Regards.

[michaelcole]

From what i can see all that will work on Linux

 

Both Vista and any windows will work with Lilo or Grub.

 

If you want the Vista, but only for small excursions to use it think about using a Virtualbox or VMWare.

 

You can then start the windows, under linux do the job you had to do and then exit.

 

It makes life so much easier boot once, use the Linux as the system.

 

Dual booting really does not give you any real advantage that i can see yet. I used to but the time of the restarts was just annoying.

 

With my wife and child they use linux only now, and i have just added a Virtual Box for Windows for them, but the only reason they need it is some educational games (Disney) work better under the VBox than Wine at the moment.

 

Also since it is small excursions there and back it makes the experience better. Especially since we all know some programs just will not work in wine..

 

I now have 4 Virtual Boxes, Some security, Linux from Scratch and DammVunrableLinux for Training and development.

 

And with Virtualbox takes 10 Minutes to install, just select the packages, then start the menu item.

 

Once you have it started and set up the way you want, you can do this to make it even easier.

 

Start the Virtual Box and then open a console

 

Type in

 

ps -aef | grep Virtual

 

You will see the executable with the options. copy that.

 

Use Menu editor and add this as a new item where you want, Now you click a menu item and the VBox starts with all the settings you had selected. With no problems.

Edited August 24, 2007 by michaelcole

[liquidzoo]

Getting rid of windows is not an option. There are things that I do need it for, and I really, really don't want to back up hundreds of GB of information so I can reformat the drives into something that can be readable/writeable in Linux. Changing back to XP is also not an option (I paid for Vista, might as well use it, eh?)

 

Good to know about lilo. I only prefer it because I know how to configure it.

 

Now, what about the dual monitor setup? Card reader?

 

Another thing I forgot to mention...my CD/DVD burner is SATA. Is that going to cause any issues? TBH this computer was the first time I'd ever seen one, so I'm curious.

[michaelcole]

Not actually plugged in dual monitors but it can be done check on the drivers for the card.

 

I have both a External USB card reader USB and it works perfectly but my built in one on the laptop only works with SD cards at the moment the driver is being worked on at the moment.

 

The Sata CD/DVD have no experience with them only the IDE versions so far.

 

NTFS can be read and written to from linux.

[liquidzoo]

Not actually plugged in dual monitors but it can be done check on the drivers for the card.

 

It's an nvidia card, so the drivers are there. Reading on the gentoo forums on how to do it as well. Looks like for what I want it to do, I may have to use xinerama.

 

both a External USB card reader USB and it works perfectly but my built in one on the laptop only works with SD cards at the moment the driver is being worked on at the moment.

 

I only need it to work with SD cards. It's an internal (internal USB connection) model.

 

NTFS can be read and written to from linux.

 

It can? Since when? Last I heard it was really risky to do, and I'd rather not mess with 4 years worth of digital photos and videos, and several thousand mp3's for something that's still experimental and could permanently wipe out my data...that would be bad.

Edited August 25, 2007 by liquidzoo

[AussieJohn]

You have all those 10.s of GBs of images and MP3s only on your Hard drives ???

 

So what happens when one of your hard drives drops a head and screws up the HD so that it can longer be read ??.

I guess you plan to spend Thousands of dollars for HD experts to try to save some of that data (it is unlikely that they would be able to retrieve all of it).

 

My professional photography work, which is also quite huge, has been copied to CD-ROMS and DVD (non rewritables). Two of each, since even discs can crack or start to pit.

 

My 72GB of MP3s and OGG is also all on DVDs.

 

As I gather more images and Music I add it to what I call save folder on one HD (and copy it to my other HD holding my image and music collection) and when Images reach 4.3Gb and new music reaches 4.3Gb I burn the data to new DVDs. Having done that I empty the save folder.

 

Of my images, I now only have on my computer what I want for auto changing backgrounds and stuff I plan to work on or to show to visitors and friends.

 

I think you are taking immense unnecessary risks. I too highly value my data that is why I do it the way I do.

 

But there again I also use RAID1 array and also an APC Back-UPS CS-650.

I also monthly save .kde to a cdrw.

That is how much I value all my data.

If I were to lose both HDS, then while it would be a time consuming pain in the b*m, I could restore all the data back on to the new drives.

 

There is also the other point that since you intend to run Windows there is still a great chance that your images and music could be hacked.

It is no good saying you are too careful to let that happen. The reality is that even the best protected Windows setups get hacked.

 

Do your self a huge favor, Move most of your Photographs and music OFF your computer. Only have what you need at any one time.

 

Then you will be safe to experiment to get your total setup the way you want it without being constantly on edge that you might lose your swag of data.

 

Cheers. John.

[liquidzoo]

The photos are backed up onto several dvd's, and at least 1 website for some of them. Just not for a while.

 

The mp3's as well have been backed up in the past.

 

I value my data as well, and do everything in my power to not lose it including reducing the risk that I will be hacked (no one, and I mean no one is ever 100% safe from a hack if they are connected to the internet)

 

I do plan on backing up my files regularly, but forgive me as I did not intend this to start into a discussion about my computing safety. The choices I have made with my data and the choices I continue to make with my hardware and software are mine alone, and I have my reasons for them. I am simply looking for information about certain aspects of my computer that I have never come across in a Linux environment in my personal experience. Dual monitors, the processor, the cd drive, the bootloader, are all new to me (well the bootloader due to the fact that until February I had never run Vista)

[Steve Scrimpshire]

I have had dual monitors working with Mandriva in the past (in the configuration you are referring to) and an Nvidia card. I don't remember having to use Xinerama, but I did have to google like the dickens to get an example xorg.conf to work from.

[liquidzoo]

Looks like I can use twinview in the nvidia-settings control panel, which is nice.

 

Now...if I could only get Mandriva to install and boot without giving me a kernel panic (been YEARS since I've had one of those). I tried Mandriva One first (x86_64 version). livecd worked, installed version didn't...at all.

 

Downloading the full dvd now to give it a try.

[AussieJohn]

I apologize if I touched a nerve.

By all means do things your own way. You started the post asking for advice and help.

 

I thought I was offering advice for you to consider. The fact that you don't like it is no skin off my nose.

 

JB

[pmpatrick]

As far as your sata dvd drive, I have one and it works perfectly in mandriva 2007.1. Just to follow up on scarecrow's post. I had issues installing mdv2007.1 on an intel 965 chipset motherboard when using an ide dvd drive.

 

The reason for the problems on later intel motherboards is that intel is phasing out support for pata/ide in favor of sata. As a result, intel no longer makes its own ide controllers as part of the standard 965 chipset and if motherboard manufacturers want pata/ide support they have to include an ide controller from a third party. ASUS motherboards based on the intel 965 chipset use the jmicron ide controller on their mbs and intel uses the marvell ide controller on their mbs. Unfortunately, the earlier linux kernels supported neither the jmicron or marvell ide controllers and installs would abort after loading the kernel with a no cdrom drive found error. The issues with the jmicron ide controller appear to be fixed in the mdv2007.1 kernel but I can attest from personal experience that there are still isuues with the marvell controller in mdv2007.1. I wound up having to do a hard drive install from the iso. After installation, my old ide dvd drive was detected perfectly and worked fine but the installation routine kept losing the drive if I tried to install off of the dvd drive.

 

That's the bad news. The good news is if you use your sata optical drive, all these issues with the ide controller go away. That was my main motivation in getting my sata optical by the way. I've had no issues with installation or use when using my sata optical in mdv2007.1, slackware 12, sidux and fedora 7. Previously, I couldn't install with an ide optical in mdv2007.1 and slackware 12.

Edited August 27, 2007 by pmpatrick

[scarecrow]

I paid for Vista, might as well use it, eh?

 

Errare Humanum Est...

 

If I am fined for driving in the wrong lane, it does not mean I have to do it all the time to justify the fine I picked... :P

[liquidzoo]

ha ha...

 

 

Anyway, I ended up installing Mandriva, struggling through a gentoo install only to ahve it fail to boot (spectacularly, I might add) after a number of issues getting it installed in the first place...

 

And I went with Sabayon instead. I'm really liking it, even though it is just a really easy-to-install gentoo. Works perfectly for me.

[theYinYeti]

On the topic of not trusting the hard drives too much, I have found this program particularly usefull, as it allows not to duplicate every backup CD/DVD you burn:

http://dvdisaster.sourceforge.net/

 

And in case things go terribly wronger, there's this one (I never tried):

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

 

Yves.